Islamic Influence On America

Within the past twelve years, Islam has grown to be the second largest religion practiced around the world. Growing up, there weren’t many Muslim people that practiced Islam as there are now. Ten years ago, I would only see about one or two Muslims as I walked down the street, but now I see many more. In Philadelphia, there are more than 200,000 people who are Muslim, and 85% of those people are African-American. In this city when people see African-American Muslims who are garbed up they don’t discriminate against them. To be a Muslim in this society it causes controversy because people are constantly pointing out all of the flaws within them.

Legendary boxer and famous figure for the Muslim community, Muhammad Ali once said: “The word 'Islam ' means 'peace. ' The word 'Muslim ' means 'one who surrenders to God. ' But the press makes us seem like haters.” As Ali points out the United States public today has criminalized the religion of Islam and this has caused discrimination on the structural level. Citizens in the United States expect that they are not subject to marginalization and be treated equally. Instead what Muslim constituents are finding is that they are being treated unfairly by law enforcement. Undermining the laws of the United States sets a dangerous precedent for the future. Thus it is absolutely crucial that the United States federal

“All Muslims are now suspects” expressed Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. After 9/11 ethnic profiling was directed heavily toward people of Muslim or Arabic descent. Discrimination toward Muslims occurs in many settings and is often degrading and evil. The irrational fear and public mindset swing around the country was a huge consequence of 9/11. Politics, communities, and culture has shifted to where citizens do a double take on those who are Muslims because of the flashback they get when they remember where they were on 9/11. For some, just the sight of a Muslim in our country sends a shockwave though their mind. On September 11, 2001, the United States froze in fear as terrorist attacks

2. Ever since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, American sentiment towards Muslims has taken a drastic turn for the worse. Once lauded for its openness and acceptance of people of diverse backgrounds, America initiated a series of harsh security and immigration reforms to ensure another terrorist calamity such as 9/11 would never occur again. As time went on however, the boiling blood began to simmer down and America began to seem once more like a shining beacon of hope to immigrants from all over the world. Just as things seemed to reach

Prior to the attacks of September 11, 2001 most Americans knew very little to nothing about Muslims nor had an opinions towards them. The lack of knowledge quickly changed due to a combination of factors. Terrorist attacks against America have unfortunately persisted for years, the attacks of 9/11 were fundamentally different. Such attacks evoke a response and the response has evolved and transformed Americans attitude. Non-economic factors, such as prejudicial stereotypes, place a significant role in shaping intergroup relations and in influencing public attitudes. Negative treatment of Muslim Americans in the United States after 9/11 was not caused by the 9/11 attacks alone, but by pre existing social constructions that configured them as

Some young Muslims living in the U.S. experience discrimination in schools, public areas, or wherever an Islamophobic is present. Islamophobia is a term that has been described as someone who has hatred or fear of Muslims (University of California, Berkeley). In fact, 70% of American Muslim Youth have reported some form of discrimination due to being Muslim (Ahmed, et al. 161). Society and the media are sometimes the fuel of Islamophobia, which sometimes transmit from adults to younger generations, which spreads even more from that point on. Due to the negative portrayal of Muslims that is mostly spread through the media, many Muslims are discriminated against in schools; as there is often no real knowledge of Islam except the image that Society exhibits. Discrimination has developed

American Muslims are having their civil rights violated more and more and are constantly being discriminated against. Haddad says that “Post 9/11 American Muslims were linked to enemy others and were expected to prove their loyalty to the nation-state in ways other Americans were not expected to do. The trope of Muslims as enemies within lingers.” The national media still portrays American Muslims as enemies to the United States. These unquestioned beliefs about Muslims leads to Islamophobia and Said says “To most Americans, Islam is nothing but trouble. The use of the label Islam, to either explain or indiscriminately condemn Islam, becomes a form of attack.” Said goes on to say that “Islam is used to define a small portion of extremism instead of the billion Muslims

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

After over half a decade since the 9/11 terror attacks on American soil, the consequences of the devastating incident have continued to spread out on Muslims in the United States who have been subjected to harsh experiences because of association. These people have not only been held accountable for their actions but also for the actions of people with false banners in their name since the attacks. Before the 9/11 attacks, Muslims in America were mainly involved in developing institutions and had equal rights with other American citizens. As everyone was treated fairly by the law, Muslims were no exception making them to be optimistic and elated. The attacks had a major impact on the American Muslim community that was seemingly experiencing a successful integration into the country's political process. They not only lost their developmental impetus but also faced prejudice and hostility like never before as the media began to portray the strong link between Islam and extremist political violence.

September 11th holds many hard and upset feelings around the world today. The harsh actions of Muslim extremists unfortunately completely changed the way Muslims are treated, especially in the United States. These events, exacerbated islamophobia. Unfortunately, “the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, connect Muslims and Islam to terrorism within the geographical borders of the United States.” (Byng) Although it has been over a decade since the attack, many still feel racist and discriminatory attitudes towards Muslims. Muslims are the targeted minority in the United States, “the 9/11 terrorist attacks shifted the social and political context for Muslims in the United States. Terrorism within the geographical borders of the United States carried out by Muslims places an identity at the center of national and global politics.” (Byng) The blame of the horrible terrorist attacks, rather than be placed on terrorists or religious extremist, has been placed on Islam in America. After September 11th, hate crimes towards Muslims skyrocketed, “the most dramatic change noted by the report was a more than 1,600 percent increase in reported hate crimes against Muslims -- a jump from 28 hate incidents in 2000 to 481 last year.”

It's powerful to measure a sentiment like bias, the word for hate and concern of Muslims. but it is also challenging to escape the thought that being Muslim in America these days is becoming difficult. The anti-Muslim rallies, the vicious hate crimes, the racial discrimination, and the threats and taunts are very harsh. Scholars say bias looks to surge once attacks by Muslim extremists and through presidential campaigns, once candidates pledge to urge harshness on terrorists, typically by singling out Muslims. Simply in the week, once a Muslim man was charged with explosive bombs in the big apple and New Jersey and another was suspect of stabbing ten folks in Minnesota, political party presidential politician Donald Trump urged native cops

With the American people showing ever increasing interest in Muslims since the attacks on America, it was inevitable that this would change the way Muslims would be viewed in the United States. The 9/11 attacks - carried out by nineteen Islamic extremists - have no doubt changed how Muslim-Americans are perceived in this country, and those feelings have simmered for 15 years now. Even though a stigma against the Muslim American community had been growing in the US because of wars and conflicts, the attacks on the world trade centers in New york marked an era that ushered in mass stereotypes and disenfranchisement for Muslim Americans (Bakalian, Anny, and Mehdi Bozorgmehr). According to Mehdi Bozorgmehr and Anny Bakalian, an Associate Director and Mehdi Bozorgmehr is Co-Director of the Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center at the Graduate Center, immigrants from the Middle East are familiar with stereotypes and discrimination in the United States. In backlash 9 ⁄ 11, they examined the harassment, discrimination, and hate crimes committed by individuals against members of the targeted communities or people who look ‘‘Middle Eastern.’’Islam has established a niche in America. Estimates vary, but there are about 4 million Muslims in the United States and Canada. Although a major portion of this community is made up of immigrants, there has been a steady increase in the number of Americans accepting Islam (History of Islam). According to Karine Walther, an Assistant

Many believe that Islam is one of the world's greatest religions. Millions of men, andwomen have found comfort and peace with Islam, as well as people of different creeds have learned to live together. Islam has enriched and inspired the lives of people all around the world and most of its traditions are from the Qur'an. Unfortunately, some have taken the words to mean hatred, violence, and even a ground for the oppression of women. Women have often been on the receiving end of this interpretation. . Women in general, are still being discriminated against in the world today, but being a Muslim woman in America, have unthinkable consequences and daily hardships that many of us American’s could not begin to understand.

Cultural misunderstanding occurs when, a word, gesture, and social context; has different meanings in two cultures. Hence, different cultures have different lifestyles, and cultural practices. For instance, western culture, in other words, American culture represents and advocates for the freedom of speech and religion. In recent events, our former President Trump has attempted to implement executive order 13769, “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Entry into the United States” an act targeting the Muslim community base on their religious pursue. To deny entrance to a Muslim, Christian, or Jew is un-American. Hence, demonstrating the cultural misrepresentation of the Muslim community in American culture as “terrorist”. The term,

Muslim culture is becoming very wide spread throughout America, Europe, and other countries around the world. With their growth also comes misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and misconceptions. There are many stigmas that come with the idea of being of Muslim culture, however the dishonor of all Muslims being terrorists is by far the largest. Throughout the article titled, Understanding Islam, by the CQ Researcher, we learn in fact how quickly the Muslim culture is growing. The Researcher describes Islam as the second-largest growing religion. The culture itself has been known to teach virtue, patience, and faithfulness however, ever sense the attacks placed on September 11, 2001, most Americans and even other countries stereotype all Islamic beings as evil and promoters of terroristic actions.