Islam In America

Islam in two Americas is a delayed thesis argument about the state of Islāmic/American relations in the US, post 9-11. As a delayed thesis, the author, Ross Douthat, opens the debate with a brief explanation of the “two Americas” as he sees it. Within the current political climate that is America today, it would be hard to argue that this divide does not exist.

In the article “An Imam in America”, author Andrea Elliott (2006) argues that flexibility and creativity should be given higher priority in Islam or other religions when it comes to the assimilation to the modernity of America. Her article is a fine illustration and narrative of the life an imam has to endure in America. Elliot (2006) mentions that in Egypt, where the imam was raised and educated, "imams are appointed by the government and monitored for signs of radicalism or political dissent."(Elliott, 2006). Consequently, there job is spiritual as well as political. However, his life in America proves to be the exact opposite of the training and environment he gained in Egypt. The liberality and modernity of America is a stark contrast to

There is not much information on when Muslims first arrived in America, but there has been evidence that some of the slaves were Muslim, but didn’t have the ability to practice their religion freely, they also tried to accommodate their faith with Christianity, but others were converted. It was about twenty percent of the slaves in the US were Muslim. One of the first known Muslims in the United States, was a slave from Morocco, named Estevanico, who was shipwrecked with Spanish Explorers near the where the city Galveston, Texas is. After that there weren’t many Muslims coming into the United States until the twentieth century. This is shown by the evidence that one of the first mosques was built in North Dakota in 1929, and while the mosque was demolished a Muslim cemetery still stands near the spot of that mosque. Islam started in the 7th century with a prophet named Muhammad. It is an Abrahamic religion, like Judaism and Christianity, but Muslims believe that Islam is a step further than the other two religions.

The truth is that Islam literally means peace. There’s also irony in that Islam rejects western notions, even though many western inventions such as Algebra and numerous scientific advancements came from the Islamic golden age. The vast majority of Muslims in America are actually patriotic towards America, and have assimilated well. I've broken the mold of being seen as a terrorist, as I’m a peaceful person to the extent where i wouldn’t hurt a fly. Also, because i was born in America, I have a lot more in common with my own country than the heathens we’re portrayed as. On a side note, my parents, who immigrated to America during the late 90s, speak fluent English and know more about this country than I

Muslim American/American Muslim Identity establishes a theme of forcing Muslim identity to be based on the depiction as "terrorist". The book looks into what it means to be an “American Muslim”, and what the labels conceal or reveal about one's identity and ethnicity. In addition, she discusses how Muslims are now categorized and no longer viewed at as individuals. The perception of all Muslims that has shifted, favors the topic I am writing about. While attitudes are a main discussion in my paper, I am hoping to incorporate how labels and stereotypes can affect one’s attitude.

“The single most important belief in Islam, and arguably the central theme of Islam, is that there is one God. The Muslim name for God is Allah, which is simply Arabic for "the (al) God (Ilah)." The term is related to Elohim, the Hebrew word for God.

The media portrays me as a terrorist. After 9/11, being Muslim in America meant that you had to live in fear, conceal your faith, or pay the price of retaliation by someone who reacted out of ignorance. It meant you had to constantly apologize for acts of terrorism committed by criminals that use Islam as a banner to progress their vendettas. However, being Muslim also meant that you could learn self-disciple through the five-daily prayers, patience, and tolerance as I tried to understand the reasons why so many Americans feared Muslims. Unfortunately, I did not see the benefit of expressing my faith until I was much older.

If there is one thing I can say strongly about my perceptions of Muslims in America is that they are complicated. I feel strange even thinking about having these perceptions because I feel that I should not have them at all. Having any sort of judgement about Muslims means that I have put their character into a nice neat little box and there is no room for diversity. Alas, given that we are in the Information Age and, given by the name, that a constant stream of information is always headed towards us, I have some sort of view of Muslims that comes (mostly) from the media.

In Saitama Sanfo’s opinion piece, Islamophobia In America, she makes a point to direct attention to the amount of prejudice Muslim people receive and the amount of misrepresentation their religion is given. Through lack of accurate media representation, Islam has become synonymous with terrorism and Muslims have been subjected to a large amount hate crimes and slander towards themselves and their beliefs. Due to the constant generalizations of the entire religion, Sanfo made it a point to call out the double standards hidden amongst the negativity.

The political structures in the United States made Islam the most negatively viewed religion in the country. There are multiple foundations and wealthy donors that directly fund anti-Islam grassroots groups. Some of these organizations are the top contributors that promote Islamophobia in the United States: Donors

I think the one and only reason why there is extreme Islamism is because when it was a bad time for the economy the Government promised many things about having a better live with more jobs and more opportunities. But because that didn’t happen the people made up a group to fight against the Government. The reason young British Muslims join ISIS, Cameron claimed, is ideological. It is an Islamist extremist ideology. One that says the West is bad and democracy is wrong, that women are inferior, that homosexuality is evil. It says religious doctrine trumps the rule of law and the Caliphate trumps nation state, and it justifies violence in asserting itself and achieving its aims. So I think that the West didn’t really change anything from the

What is your first thought when you are walking down the street and you see an Islamic person wearing a classic head piece known as a hijab (Brown)? You may not think anything of it, or you might feel like this person is un-American and needs to leave the country. In the next few years, with a new political regime coming to office, a growing number of people will see this person and automatically assume that they are a threat to national security. These people may see themselves as vigilantes for the United States government and try to bring an end to Islam becoming a growing force in American society. So as more Islamophobic views engulf the United States government, Muslims will face an increase in stereotyping and racial profiling by other

In the preface and introduction of “Islam and America Building a Future without Prejudice”, author Anouar Majid discusses the history of conflicts and prejudices between America and Islam. In the preface, he says that he concludes his book by “calling for a critical reexamination of religion to open new paths for dialogue and rapprochement” (Majid, x). He goes on to argue that, “Only by demystifying our strongly held beliefs and prejudices can we see more clearly our common humanity and de-escalate the tensions that have torn us apart for so long” (Majid, x). He says that one would assume that this would be common sense to Westerners, but most tend to only pay attention to the extremists who commit awful crimes in the name of Islam, and Westerners

the government and media. I believe that people running this country are Anti Islamic due to there view on things. Also this is a Zionist country, which is another reason that makes the media discriminate against the Muslim’s, due to the conflict with Palestine and other Muslim countries. The media has always portrayed Islam in a negative way. The reason the media is biased when it comes to Islam because they hate the Islamic structure and the beliefs. The majority of media conglomerate ownership is of people who

In our culture, we have the privilege and ability to implement critical debate with our opponents. We can criticize our own words, belief, and action in politics and religion and correct mistakes. Criticism in Islam rare because of the legal system indoctrinated with religion and culture. Islam, a way of life includes the legal, political, social, and culture. In the US where Islam a minority leaders of Islam prepared to address fault having the Koran at hand. Therefore; the study and knowledge about Muhammad essential to debate and successfully criticize. Yours Truly have noticed a few are armed with knowledge. Who is the man Muhammad and his