Muslim Stereotypes

Indian tribes, hurt and facing a time of poverty, hunger and disease, sought a means of salvation to bring hope to their traditional culture. The evolution of a new religion, the Ghost Dance, was a reaction to the Indians being forced to submit to white men government and reservation life. The Ghost Dance religion promised salvation in the coming years during which time the earth would be destroyed, only to be recreated with the Indians as the inheritors of the new earth. The ghost dance outcome

Imagine walking the same streets as a “sketchy” black man on a dark night, what do you do? Do you cross the street in hopes of avoiding the bulky man’s domineering demeanor? What about when you see a Muslim man walking the street, fully clothed in a thawb? Do you think that he may be the next terrorist to wreak havoc on America? Many Americans’ perception of people unlike themselves has been distorted by the stereotypes against diverse ethnicities and by the discrimination against specific religions. Muslims, among many other groups of people, have been targeted by everyday people because of the actions of people that are of the same race or religion as them.

Most people assume that because the Islamic prophet Muhammad is Arab, that all or most Muslims are Arab. This is however not true. Arab and Muslim are not synonymous. This perception comes from false stereotypes of the religion and people. Islam was first created in the Arabian Desert, now know as Saudi Arabia, and its first practitioners were Arab. This is a key factor as to why people believe this.

In this photo a Middle Eastern woman is pointing a gun directly towards the camera, symbolizing the way she, like many others, are stereotyped in America. The picture is clear and concise, with front view and level angles that let the viewers see the struggles she has gone faced. Her face and arms display Arabic writings that symbolize the stereotypes given to them in America: terrorists, muslims, extremists, and fanatics. The picture is limited to the colors black and white to represent the seriousness of this issue. Her eyes staring directly towards the viewer causes them to feel sympathy, leading them to wonder why there is such hate towards Middle Easterners. The concepts of this picture go back to the main idea of the research question

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.”

Following drastic events such as 9/11, national moral has shifted in terms of its openness towards foreign immigrants. Consequently, national security would be bolstered as more officials began to set ethics aside to allow room for prejudice and racial targeting. Just as African Americans were common targets of the early 20th century, Muslims have become the scapegoats for much of today’s issues, often being labeled as terrorists just because of their difference in looks and beliefs. It was unfair to the innocent majority of this labeled group, as many outsiders into the belief that “Post-9/11 Islamophobia demanded that all Muslims answer for the violent actions of a few extremists.” (O’ Connor). With this strict interpretation came the rise of many hate crimes, set to punish the whole Muslim race in efforts to scare off the few, actual terrorists. It has led to this back and forth growth in tension, as extremist groups have come to prominence in the Middle East to address such pressures. Just as the Brotherhood spoke out on their intolerance of their racial discrimination, vocal leaders have risen in today’s age, not just to discuss Muslim equality, but to give a say for everyone throughout the world. Continued progress is being made towards disregarding this sense of prejudice that is made that is solely based off of looks or

Although many Australian’s exhibit low levels of Islamophobia, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that there is growing discrimination towards Muslims in Australia, as the rate of terror attacks increases. As a result of lack of knowledge and close-mindedness, Muslims are wrongfully feared and blamed for the acts of Islamic Extremists. As explained, many religions do not support discrimination of any form; however, many people can disregard their religious teachings as they respond to the events that are occurring in the world. This is acceptable in a sense for the world to stand as one against terrorists; although, it is irrational to blame all Muslims for the actions of a selection of people. In today’s world the population may find it difficult to make distinction between regular Muslims and extremists, as well as all others in the world. Muslims do not necessarily have to have a particular racial background, as a Caucasian Australian with an Australia background can select to be a Muslim religion and can revert to a member of ISIS if intended. In retrospect, this aspect of the discrimination can be seen as there

Being Muslim in America comes with many challenges and hurdles, but the struggle has just begun. American Muslims have faced a great deal of discrimination from the public and the American government, as well as anti-Muslim sentiment from media outlets that depict Muslims in a negative light. Islamophobia has increased since the 9/11 attacks and Muslims have experience an array of hate crime throughout the years. Unfortunately, due to the ignorance of some and the lack of understanding of others, Muslims have become prime targets and the face of all that’s evil in the world. However, if Americans learn to put their differences aside and try to understand Islam for what it truly is, a religion founded upon peace and justice, they will see that

If one were to survey Americans about what they think a terrorist looks like, it is not surprising what the most common description would be. The majority of people would likely describe a bearded, turban-clad middle eastern man waving around an AK-47 while shouting, “allahu akbar!” Although there is nothing inherently frightening about bearded men and practicing religion, somehow being middle eastern and practicing Islam became one of the dirtiest crimes in the United States. After 9/11 it seems that almost overnight, America developed an irrational phobia of anyone who remotely looks middle eastern, and has since systematically oppressed and mistreated innocent

Ever since September 11, 2001 Americans along with the majority of the world’s population have been skeptical of Muslims. It’s a sad reality but it’s hard for people to think of a Muslim without linking them directly to terrorism. But these assumptions aren’t totally out of the blue—the Muslim’s religion, Islam, teaches a low tolerance for other religions and the Islamic government has no separation of church and state, so it’s only normal to assume that their government shall have a low tolerance as well—some however, immediately translate this into terrorism. Through the Islamic government and religion, relations with foreign countries, and separation amongst themselves it can be concluded that Islamic Fundamentalism is clearly a threat

These are some examples where some leaders have made discriminatory statements against Muslims and it doesn’t aim at Muslims only of certain region but, it points to Muslims all over the world. Leaders are chosen by the people to represent the people, but not to create hatred and fear amongst the people for political or any other reasons. Such statements made by great leaders have a great impact on the beliefs of people, as we believe in our leaders and therefore even theirs words are taken into consideration sometimes without a rational thinking. This doesn’t affect just the mindset of people but it terribly shapes the attitudes, behaviours, philosophy and even their idea of a religion. This affects the lives of Muslims all over the world; they are not just labelled as terrorist but even treated as one. Innocent Muslims are viewed with suspicion because of misinformation and prevalent stereotyping.

The Muslim women were meeting at an old warehouse in Chicago that was being used for a makeshift mosque on a night to do their daily prayers. On this night Dr.Ingrid Mattson was there and the women were talking about their experiences living here in the United States. She noticed on the way here there was a Muslim school located in an industrial zone. This school was located in this zone because of zoning laws and how the city won't allow the buildings to be built or where they are built. In this zone, it was allowed to be built in an industrial zone. The background of this woman is that they are all immigrants so the majority of this community is made up of immigrants. They are mostly from the Middle East or North Africa, the jobs of these ladies are that they either teach at a religious school but most of them are homemakers (housewives).

Today in America lies a problem that people don’t consider. For many genders, ethnic groups and races, there is a community. For Muslims, a community is non-existent. Ever since the horrors of September 11, 2001, The Middle Easterners have been targeted and stereotyped as people who are terrorists. Americans negatively stereotype Middle Eastern individuals while preaching the doctrine of “equality for all”, ultimately showing their own hypocrisy in regards to the Muslim religion.

Islam is one of the most misunderstood religions in the United States due to stereotypes. Not many Americans have actually taken the time to learn firsthand about the Islamic religion. Typically Muslims pray five times a day;however they attend mosque on Fridays. I have never been inside a mosque and I was very surprised with what I saw. Since visiting the mosque I learned important lessons that I will remember for years to come.

Stereotypes often determine how we see people who are different from us. Stereotypes play such an important role in our perceptions of others, but what exactly are they? A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing (Williams, 2013). In essence, stereotypes are not limited to different races and ethnicities, but also include: genders, social classes, cultures and even certain hobbies. In light of the increase of negative attention that Muslims have been receiving in the media, the stereotypes discussed in this paper will be centered on Muslims. Specifically, the stereotype that all Muslims are terrorists will be analyzed.