Essay on Islam in America

Driving along the highway, all eyes are drawn as a magnet to the unique building with its golden dome and unusual architecture. The Islamic Center is located at the base of a residential street in a small neighborhood. The center houses an Islamic school, a community center, an international school and the Mosque, which is the place of worship for Muslims.

Everyone of us has our own unique culture and religion identification in the world. Also, known by the culture beliefs, behavior patterns, and which group or religion, we represent, but we have to represent each other because of their religion after all we are all human beings first. Also, their are many different variations of cultures living together in the same neighborhood, these days, and representing each other for cultures identity and what we believe in. We need to avoid any misunderstanding there is in the world about any cultures or religion.

Malcolm X was a notable leader during the civil rights movement. At the age of 20 he committed multiple burglaries, which led to him having a six year prison sentence. He often professed his hatred towards white people often calling them “blue -eyed white Devils” this hatred triggered his use of violence in order to gain freedom for not only the colored community, but also the Nation of Islam community in which he was heavily apart of during his prison sentence. His known name of Malcolm X represents the unknown relatives he lost after entering a “White America”. Malcolm X was a member of the Nation of Islam religion (NOI), led by Elijah Muhammad. He later left the temple that Elijah Muhammad preached at in order to enter the more commonly

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.

Americans view Muslim people as terrorists but the thing is there not. Only 27%of people don't think that Muslim people are just like regular people. But others don't agree they think that Muslim people are different and don't belong here. Because AL QAEDA killed nearly 3,000 people in NEW YORK CITY, PENNSYLVANIA, and WASHINGTON D.C. Many people don't like Muslims because of their history many many many Muslims are upset because of the results of the American people and their votes.

Despite his extreme radical views, Malcolm X remains a somewhat relatable character throughout the autobiography. Malcolm reminds us that he is human by reflecting on his mistakes and showing his transition to the Muslim faith. Beginning with the story of the death of his father and his abuse he received from his mother, he sets a sympathetic scene, to which we can comprehend. The abuse he endured as a child for being “whiter” than the other children foreshadows his future beliefs against the white population. As he goes through his life story, he describes finding Islam as somewhat of a saving grace. We see that this is true based on his previous crime and drug history before finding Islam. Later in the novel, Malcolm begins to go through a transition of sorts, to which his radical beliefs towards all whites lessens and he begins to believe that the white population is not all made up of devils as he had previously thought. All of these variables and more help

Religious systems and various interpretations of religious systems are considered to be historically contingent according Scholars. Historically contingent means that there is change and evolution within society and that cultural, political, and social circumstances can determine the interpretation and application of lessons found within religious traditions. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were two very influential men within their communities. MLK Jr. and Malcolm X were both African American civil rights activists. Martin Luther King Jr.’s actions were defined by his belief in civil rights in his Protestant Christianity while Malcolm X’s life was motivated by two Islamic contexts which were the Nation of Islam and the traditional

This article talks about Malcolm X an outspoken leader, who spoke about the black Muslim faith and was a part of the civil rights movement. Furthermore, this article talks about Malcolm X’s early life, for example how Malcolm dropped out of school at grade 8 and took on a ‘’white look’’ by straightening his hair. Later at age 21, he learned from Elijah Muhammad about the nation of Islam, he then adopted the Letter X to his last name to symbolize him bring back his lost identity.

Malcolm no longer viewed whites as evil and believed for a cross race alliance. Malcolm X visits several African nations that have won their independence from European powers and is inspired. “I’ve never seen so many whites so nice to many blacks as you white people in Africa”(X, 362). Malcolm is seeing all the racial integration within Africa and is overwhelmed by it. Malcolm gets inspired with the context of a worldwide movement and is creating a new version of Islam with philosophy from different versions of Islam. Malcolm X wanted part-unity and socialism that now accepted white people into his organization wanting it to grow. He was giving out full support for other black organizations trying to achieve results. Also he was beginning to work with other black leaders like Martin Luther King whom he criticized. Malcolm started to criticize The Nation of Islam with saying that Elijah was fake and that the Nation was blinding blacks which was hurting the human rights movement. The movement Malcolm made had little support because of the mind-set of the black community at the time. The African Community mindset is that they have been controlled and weakened by racism so Malcolm needs to be strong to fight for human rights. So Malcolm preaches the problems with blacks in America to change their

creator of the universe Allah (God). Allah is the one and only God, and he

After Malcolm X reverted to the religion of Islam while incarcerated he became a minister (under the rule of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam) and often preached about the wrong doing of the white man. In one of his sermons Malcolm says, “black people in this country have been the victims of the white man for 400 years.” (Lee, Malcolm X) referring to slavery and to the present day racism that still plagues America in fault of the white man. Lee often depicts Malcolm in this part of his life as an enraged African American with hate for the white man because of all he’s done to the “original man” (the African American). During these years of Malcolm's life it’s clear to see that his views were somewhat misguided, making statements in conferences such as “Yes I said all white people are devils.” (Lee, Malcolm X) While white supremacy in America was an extremely pressing matter, the extent to which Malcolm X took the issue was overemphasized. Lee emphasizes that Malcolm X was not only viewing the supremacists and racists themselves as the enemy but rather all white people in

In last decade, the United States has become an immigrant society once again, approximately one million immigrants annually entered. It was large number of immigrants compared to United States history, but also there are lot of diversity in religion and in the characteristics of the new immigrants. Muslims are one the large number of immigrants who became citizens now in America. However, there are no clear data or number of how many Muslims live in the United States now. Muslim in America or American Islam has both some equality and quite challenges living in United States society.

It seems now, with the 2016 presidential election coming to a close and one candidate suggesting religious tests to stop Muslims from entering the country, Islamophobia is at an all time high. What bothers me even more is a large portion of Americans are voting for him for that reason. As a 22 year old Muslim college student studying in America while travelling to Saudi Arabia during breaks between semesters, to visit my Pakistani parents, I have very conflicted emotions about the whole situation.

Many things have troubled the relationship between the West and Islam. The media has contributed to how the Western civilization views Islam and Muslims which essentially created the idea of an “us” versus “them” mentality instead of coexisting with one another. How people see the world is through the media. The Western media has not contributed positive images. Therefore, misunderstandings of Islam and Muslims have created negative perceptions. This paper will discuss the West’s perception of Islam and how the media has defined Islam and Muslims.

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