Islamophobi Memophobias In The United States

Islamophobia, the term that was not very well-known before September 11, 2001, is now known to almost any individual of any age. After September 11th, islamophobia became a part of many Muslims’ daily lives (O’Connor “How 9/11 Changed These Muslim Americans’ Lives Forever.”) Not only did Muslims have trouble going through customs and security at the airports, but they also encountered islamophobia in their daily routine. Since September 11th, terrorist jokes became popular among many non-Muslim Americans who oftentimes did not understand the seriousness and the offensiveness of those jokes. Some found the “Muslim terrorist” stereotype to be somewhat justified and did not consider it to be as insulting as, for example, the representation of Black and Asian Americans in 1920s and 30s cartoons. However, the two are equally abusive and it is horrible to realize that in some ways, the American

After the attack, hate crimes in the United States towards Muslim communities have increased by 1,600 percent from 28 hate crimes in 2000 to 481 in 2001 (Disha, Cavendish, King, 21-22). From the research done by Disha, Cavendish and King, with the data acquired from FBI, it is

Islam is a monotheistic religious teaching about God and his messenger Muhammad. Islam teaches people about God’s messenger Muhammad and his followers. The Islamic teachings started in Saudi Arabia and expanded to different places around the world. There are 5 different pillars to Islam and they explain the different teachings. The pillars are, Shahadah, Salat, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj. The meaning of Islam is “Peace through submission to god”. Islam rapidly spread because of trade, peoples’ beliefs and conquest.

Following the terror attacks in The Unites States in 2001, there has been an increase in Islamophobia in the Western World. Following 9/11, respondents indicate that levels of implicit or indirect discrimination in The United States rose by 82,6% and experiences of over discrimination by 76,3% (http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/21/3/317.short). A combination of how Arabs and Muslims are portrayed in the media, with the increase of organized terrorist groups and refugees since the Arabic Spring, makes this a big political challenge today. This bibliography is written to get an overview of why Islamophobia has increased and the challenges that comes with the rise of Islamophobia.

The teachings of Muhamad are based on brotherhood and the belief of all Muslims on a common faith. The Koran is the scriptural basis of Islam and it is believed to be the words of God delivered to Muhammad by Angel Gabriel. The five fundamental pillars of Islam are the confession, prayer, zakat, the haji and fasting. The haji is the prescribed visit to Mecca for all Muslims in a lifestyle. Islam also believes in the end of the world and Judgement day.

Although African Americans and women were being discriminated in the 19th century, in the 21st century, this type of attitude has now transitioned toward a specific religion. Islamophobia, also known as the fear of Islam, has become odiously popular after the despicable 9/11 attacks. Due to terrorists claiming they are of Islamic descent , society has

9/11 marked the beginning of the multitude of cases of Islamophobia. The actions of a few radicals shaped what is the false perception of Islam. Many Americans, especially New Yorkers, believe that Islam is a faith of violence, terrorism, and misogyny. Prior to 9/11 there were only 20 to 30 cases of islamophobia a year nationally (Wulfhorst, New York City Is Taking Aim At Islamophobia). In 2001 alone there were 481 cases of Islamophobia according to the FBI, which

Islam is a monotheistic religion, centered around the teachings of the Qu’ran and serving Allah (meaning God in Arabic). However, this Abrahamic religion has been harshly discriminated against in the United States for years. Most prominently throughout the last twelve years, post September 11th, 2001. Unfortunately, issues such as socialization through the media, power distribution, religious ignorance, stereotyping and visible differences have contributed to the ill attitudes towards Muslims. This paper will examine how Americans have been socialized in islamophobia within the United States.

Is America becoming more Islamophobic? Islamophobia is hatred or fear against Muslims. A A phobia is a fear or something or someone. This term entered into our English language in 1997 with, a published article by the Runnymede Trust announcing negative comments about Muslims. Some people define this as a type of racism, but it is still being argued. Islamophobic people also would target people who have Muslim names or people who look Muslim. This fear also depends on the state, not every state has this phobia. This term is described as an opinion that Muslims do not have common values with other cultures. According to author Dr. Aliya Saeed “In the United States,

Islamophobia is the fear of Muslims, or the religion of Islam, according to BBC (2017). Some people blame all Muslims for terrorist attacks, that are caused by terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, Isis, and Boko Haram. These organizations allegedly follow Islam, I say they allegedly follow Islam, because if they had indeed studied Islam, they would understand that Islam is a religion of peace, not terrorism. The word “Islam” means submission to God’s will and obedience to God’s law. It derives from an old Arabic word meaning “peace”. (What is Islamophobia? – CBBC News Round. (2017, June 19).

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. It’s the second largest religion in the world with 2.1 billion Muslims all around the world, and one of the U.S top five religions (Pewresearch.org). Islam is supposed to mean peace, but some people forget or are just simply never aware/educated about the religion and so they are often mislead by different outlets which causes them to have a negative view towards the religion (Kurtishi, Ajdini, 2016). Islamophobia is dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force (googledictionary.com). A phobia is the fear of something or someone, so when we say Islam-phobia, were essentially saying that the Fear of Islam, Muslims, and anyone who are/is following Islamic rules. The problem is in the definition itself, the dislike and fear of Muslims. This phenomenon is a problem for America as a whole, but especially every Muslim in America.

The basic message of Islam was that there was one God who ruled over the other Gods and whose name was Allah. Muslim Prophet Muhammad was the last and greatest prophet of Allah. He believed that Allah had exposed himself in Moses and Jesus and thru the Hebrew and Christian traditions (203). The last revelations were given to him. These revelations were written down in a holy book that became the Qur 'an. The teachings of Muhammad formed the foundation for the religion of Islam. Islam means, "submission to the will of Allah". Allah was the almighty who created the world and everything in it (203). His worshipper 's were called Muslims. Islam was a way to set religious beliefs as well as a way of life. The Islamic society had a certain way in which they behave. They had their morals recorded in the Qur 'an and this served as their code of ethics and law (203). They has to followed a basic righteous code that was compose of the Five Pillars of Islam. These first pillar, was that there is no other God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet. The second pillar is that regular prayers to worship Allah are required 5 times a day and a public prayer on Friday at midday. The third pillar was that money must be given to the poor and needy. The fourth pillar was the observance of the Holy month of Ramadan with fasting from dawn to sunset. The fifth pillar was to make a pilgrimage to Mecca

Historians, specifically American historians of the 21st century have demonstrated an interest in the Middle East in Islam, due to Americans frequent contact with the Middle East in the early 1960s. Islam and the Middle East have played a remarkable role in Americans discussion and reaction to the events that took place on September 11th, 2001. During this time Americans were beginning to regard the Middle East, Muslims, and Islam as one entity. Americans and the world regarded the Middle East as Islam and Islam as the Middle East. Thus, this correlation between the two made Muslims say Muslim Americans and Muslims in America as less western and more of another, but they were also seen as untrustworthy individuals. Additionally, prior to the September 11th, attacks and an after effect of September 11, was that Muslim men were violent and Muslim women as oppressed individuals. Thus, the perception of Islamophobia and the threat it brings to western society has impacted the discussion of Islamophobia in America.

“Islamophobia is prejudice towards discrimination against Muslims due to their religion, or perceived religion, national, or ethnic identity associated with Islam because Muslims have different beliefs and values”. (Islamophobia wikipedia 1) Like anti-semitism, racism, and homophobia. Islamophobia describes mentality and actions that domain an entire class of people. Jews, African-Americans, and other populations throughout history have faced prejudice and discrimination. Islamophobia is simply another reincarnation of this bigotry. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary,a phobia is an exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. It may be difficult to determine or communicate the source of this fear, but it exists. From this definition we can see how is so unfair to connect the word phobia to Islam specially because the word Islam in arabic means peace and safety. All that means that a lot of people don’t know nothings about Islam and the unknown can easily provoke fear.

Before the September 11, 2001, hatred towards Muslims in the United States started in 1923, when Muslims started migrating to the United States, an unlike increased presence. The hatred towards Muslims, also known as “Islam phobia”, was first featured in The Journal of Theological Studies. Many Muslims were targeted, the religion of Islam, Muslims, or any ethnic group perceived to be Muslim were characterized as having “bad faith and cruelty”, according to prejudice Americans.