The minority group that I choose was Muslim Americans. I recognize these people face a lot of discrimination in our society today. Even so, they are steadfast in their beliefs and I wanted to gain insight into their beliefs and lifestyle. I attended two separate events at a nearby mosque. The first was a prayer service and afterwards I went on a tour and talked with a few people in the library afterwards. One of these individuals was the leader who gave the message during the service, he is called the Imam (M. Syed, personal communication, February 4, 2016). The second event I attended was their monthly community dinner which included the fourth daily prayer, fellowship and a meal, and concluded with the final prayer of the day. Most Interesting …show more content…
My experience at the Mosque and with the Muslim people confirmed this. On my way to my first visit I was very anxious and nervous, but once I was there I felt very welcomed and accepted. It was apparent that they were glad I was there, even though they knew it was for a class assignment. This was a surprising relief for me. It made the remaining of the experience very positive and insightful. In much of my previous research it was apparent that Muslim Americans face discrimination and judgement on a daily basis (Eid, 2013). To gain a better understanding of what that feels like I decided to wear a hijab the entire day of my first visit. In my own town I experience many double takes, stares, and faces of disgust. I was really embarrassed and shamed even though I knew that the identity I was representing was not a true part of my identity. I think feeling this shame instilled in me compassion for the constant feelings of discrimination experienced everyday by the people I interacted with at the mosque, even though I recognized it was only a small measure of what it feelings like for
three subjects that are going to be discussed are sex slaves, health disparities in LGBT
In the mist of the countries involvement in one of the most grueling wars in history new barriers were broken to make room for an equal America. Although true equality was not reached, these short four years would lead to the turning point in American acceptance toward diversity, both in and out of the work place. The movement of thousands of men overseas create a substantial gap in the work place, creating a never before seen chance for women, Blacks, and immigrants to flood the many war based jobs. At the same time, the Japanese faced radical discrimination for the events in which provoked the United States entry in to the War. In the years incasing WWII opportunity opened to those who had been affected hardest but
During the last eleven years I have worked at the department of motor vehicles. I have met many people from different backgrounds and cultures. While I worked at the Tempe office, I came across many people from the Middle East, mainly Arabs and people from Pakistan and India. It was through my dealings with Middle East people that I notice how friendly and accessible they are. It was then that an interest in finding more about this culture started. When I decided to visit a mosque as part this project I was not sure what to expect. My experience is divided in two, as I ended up visiting two different mosques. On Saturday January 24 around 12:45 pm I arrived at a mosque located in
This summer I was challenged to take on a volunteer opportunity at a facility with children to learn about and experience encounters on diversity. I started volunteering with Mrs. Rodriguez at her home daycare center “Severina Rodriguez Family Home Day Care” on May 2, 2015. This institution’s mission is “Where your Child is our Priority.” I originally picked this daycare center because when I was a toddler I was a part of this institution. I wanted to give back to those who took care of me when my parents could not. This home daycare is located in Hialeah, a primarily Hispanic portion of Miami. Since the majority of the inhabitants of Hialeah are Hispanic the demographics of the home daycare was primarily Hispanic. Other races that were represented
On November 12, 2015 Friday evening I had the pleasure of visiting the Jewish Community Center which is part of the Judaism faith and is located in 1529, 16th Street, NW, Washington DC, 20036. Personally, I am part of the Muslim faith as well is my entire family. Throughout my childhood and teenage years my faith was strongly emphasized in my household. My mother would take my siblings and I to Quran teachings every day after school to learn more about our faith and learn the holy text. I try to practice the Islamic faith to the best of my ability. Praying five times a day in my faith has kept me close to my faith and has helped me come over any struggles or worrying I
Being a Muslim-American in post 9/11 America has been turbulent. Like most children, I longed to fit in and be accepted, but I also wanted to preserve my native cultural roots. The odds were against me as I struggled to find balance in a place that could barely tolerate me as a child, and would hold deep seated fear of me as an adult. In an attempt to combat this growing reality, I tried looking to the mosques. However, the local mosques were, instead of religious areas, cultural centers, and when the Afghan community in Chicago is non-existent, I remained confused as a Muslim in and out of the mosque.
Non-traditional students of color are often faced with obstacles that make life that much more challenging as compared to traditional students. Rendon (1994) labeled “non traditional students as those that attend affordable community colleges and minority serving institutions, and traditional students are those whose families have a history of college attendance, come from middle and upper class families, and typically feel confident about attending college”
1.Model Minority Myth: Asian Americans have generally been typified as the model minority which refers to a perception of them being “naturally gifted, hardworking and socially passive” (Asian Americans in Higher Education 13) Their ability to perform well academically and to remain passive in the larger social scheme makes them less threatening than other minorities, especially African Americans but the model minority myth may have worked against them, especially in the field of educational attainment. It is believed that due to the model minority myth, Asian Americans are victims of “political exploitation” (Chun 1980, p.7) and in education they are denied certain services which are readily available to other minorities such as preference in higher education systems. 2: Race: The concept of race is more often than not used as a social construct and it has been historically used as a means of making laws for the minorities and for the purpose of denying them certain rights which are easily given to the majority. Social construction of race has also been used as a means of denying citizenship and marriage rights to people and in the case of Asian Americans, Critical Asian Theory is
If racial minorities are more likely to be held for trial than White Americans it could indicate several different problems. First, it could be an indicator that Asian Americans, African American and Hispanics are being racially profiled and being stopped, questioned, searched, and ultimately arrested, for being a minority. It could also indicate that minorities are having higher bond amounts set. Minorities in America have a lower median income that White Americans (McNamara & Burns, 2009). The same bond amount for an African American is going to be more difficult for a member of a minority than it is for an average White American. Both of these situation could come under what McNamara and Burns (2009) termed overpolicing (p. 224).
“Since 9/11, Muslims in America are living in fear” (“In a virtual internment camp: Muslim Americans since 9/11”). When our World Trade Center came crashing down, American had one more enemy, Muslims. 9/11 was a tragic act of terrorism and those victims will not be forgotten, but because of the Muslims that did this terrible act most Muslims in America were grouped into one category, evil.
Voters make choices that work against them because they are unaware of systems that give them privileges like the model minority myth. For example, Latinos voted for Trump, who made racist comments about Mexicans and threaten to build a huge wall across the border. These are Latinos that have acquired citizenship which “proves” that racial uplift by non-whites [is] possible” (Jung, 2014). Therefore, they can feel as if other illegal immigrants just are not working hard enough. This, as Jung puts it, is a way to make them feel like the perfect minority and to participate in “the exclusion and exploitation of others”. By voting for Trump, they are excluding Muslims, Mexicans, and gay people. These Latino voters believe that they are now accepted
On September 11th, 2001, a terrible event in history took place. With thousands dead and many more injured, the shocked and horrified US citizens looked for someone or something to blame. All Muslims ended up taking the blame for the actions of a small, radical, Islamic group called ISIS. The whole Islamic community shouldn’t receive hate and discrimination, just because the terrorists acted under the same religious beliefs.
Out of the 318.9 million people that currently occupy The United States of America, more than 41.3 million are immigrants. Even though many have contributed lots to American culture, they are stereotyped and hated on by lots of people. A large portion of people who are victims of this hate are Muslims. They face lots of judgement, stereotyping, and prejudice. In order to rid the modern challenges that Middle Eastern people and Muslims face, America needs to teach one another to promote respect for Muslims and Middle Eastern people, reduce public misconceptions about Middle Eastern culture, and eliminate hate crimes against them.
The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the diverse experiences that I have had in my personal and professional life. Fortunately, I have had a large mix of diverse friends and experiences in my life. This paper will discuss those diversities as well as the plan to expand on my current knowledge.
By the year 2050, nonwhites will represent close to half of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau projections. By 2005, the ethnic minority share of the workforce is expected to grow to 28 percent, up from 18 percent in 1980 and 22 percent in 1990. Although the African American population is now the largest minority group, the Hispanic and Asian populations are growing much faster. In 1994, the African American population was estimated to be 33 million, or 12.7 percent of the total population, up from 11.7 percent in 1980.