Essay on Muslim Terrorism in the United States

The Nation of Islam empowered many blacks in a time and place where the concept of power was used to oppress. Christianity being a white man’s religion in the eyes of the oppressed, Islam was used in America as a tool for confirmation of beauty. The reminder of inner beauty for the people of color caused substantial growth and powerful movement that impacted American history for generations. The same principles that hoped to empower and give freedom towards African Americans is the same principles that continue to mask the beauty of the Muslim woman. How can two oppressed groups of people, blacks and woman, find two very different outcomes when practicing the Islam faith? Recognizing the differences between the Nation of Islam and the other sects of Islam faith, there is still a center focus on self identity and living into that mold. For some, that means taking back what has been taken away from them, freedom. For others, it continues to mean denying inner desires for something greater than following social norms.

Americans often say that Malcolm X was ¡°the angriest Negro in America¡± (p. 366). They assume that Malcolm X emphasized only violence to the white and separation of the black from the white. However, is this assumption about Malcolm X really true? Not, at all. The image of Malcolm X as an icon of ¡°black power¡± is not a truth but a myth made by media. Although I grant that Malcolm X had been a radical activist who had tried to improve life of the black and to separate the black from the white before quitting the Nation of Islam, I still argue that Malcolm X eventually realized that the white and the black could exist together with harmony under GOD, Allah, after Hajj.

Historians have often divided the life of Malcolm X, also referred to as El-Hajj Malik Shabazz, into 3 periods. First, from 1948 to 1964, he was established in the Nation of Islam. Then, in 1964, he went through the Black Nationalist Period of his life. Lastly, prior to his assassination, from 1964 to 1965, Malcolm X evolved through the Universalist Islamic Period. I, however, have chosen to divide his life into two major periods from which his most poignant ideologies were formed. He demonstrated that reading, learning and reason were indispensable qualities for the economic and social development of the masses. Within these two distinctly opposing periods of Malcolm X’s life, his ideologies, prior to and following his holy pilgrimage to

A more recent conflicts have occurred after 9/11. Mosques have been vandalized, bombed and burned; and Muslim and Americans having the perceived appearance of “Middle Eastern” continue to be attacked and harassed. And when critics condemned the proposal of a mosque at “Ground Zero.” “A national controversy erupted when New York Muslims announced the “Cordoba

Since its founding in 1930, the Nation of Islam has grown into one of the wealthiest and best-known organizations in black America, offering numerous programs and events designed to uplift African Americans. Nonetheless, its bizarre theology of innate black superiority over whites, a belief system vehemently and consistently rejected by mainstream Muslims, and the deeply racist,

The message of liberation is addressed quite often the book Islam in Black America. Unlike the scholarly articles, this book goes into depth on the subject of viewing Islam in a broader sense. This allows Curtis to include the Nation of Islam in what Sunni Muslims would consider non-traditional. By doing so, it allows Curtis to portray the Nation of Islam in regards to developing a strategy of liberation for all Muslims around the world.

“The natural religion for the black man”, is what Malcolm described as the Nation of Islam (179). The Nation of Islam taught Malcolm to be a racist, in my opinion. The Nation made Malcolm’s hatred towards white people worse because Malcolm was told by Reginald that the white man is the devil, and that black men were brainwashed. I still do not understand how any religion could represent and preach such hatred. I feel that Malcolm used his new religion as an excuse to hate white people. The only good that the Nation did for Malcolm was it gave Malcolm motivation to live a better life. Otherwise, the Nation, along with Elijah Muhammad, was ultimately the death of Malcolm.

In contrast, Malcolm’s goal was for African-Americans to gain control of their own lives and separate from white folk. He became a spokesman for the Nation of Islam, (NOI) an African-American Muslim group that “taught self-help and preached self-respect.” (“Malcolm X – His Legacy,” 2005, para

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.”

The mention of the word Islam in the American soils evokes mixed reactions, especially after the September 11 attacks that left the American security agencies at the edge of confusion. Islam is equated to terrorism by most none Islam Americans. This is the general notion that was left in the minds of many westerners. Though not all Muslims who are terrorists, the people who are normally perpetuating in terrorist’s attacks purport to profess Muslim faith and often they are heard chanting “Allah Kubar” messages implying God is great after every attack. To the east, where Islam is well rooted, the case is very different in the sense that perpetuators of this act are regarded as heroes who were just conforming to the teachings

The Nation of Islam was founded by Wallace Fard in the 1930’s (Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam). It was claimed by Fard that Islam was much more related towards the African roots compared to any other religion, therefore, whoever had identified as a part of the NOI had practiced their membership by worshiping Allah as their god, and accepted Muhammed as their prophet. The group attracted many followers who were mainly branded as African Americans in search for direction. The NOI was focused on black pride, and black nationalisms, allowing them to be known as black Muslims.

In the United States today, Islam is a highly accepted religion in the African American community. Since the beginning of the American slave trade, Islam has had a

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

In the days after September 11, 2001, American leaders rushed to portray Islam as a peaceful religion that had been "hijacked" by a fanatical band of terrorists. One hopes that these assurances were merely tactical—that nobody was meant to believe them and that they were meant to assure the Muslim world that the inevitable American

According to Haddad (1986) in her discussion of the history of Muslims in America, the earliest recording of the arrival of Muslims to America was in 1717 as slaves. Many of these individuals either left for South America or were converted to Christianity. Following this, there have been a few different groups and movements that have been part of the Muslim community. Practitioners must take the history and characteristics of these groups into consideration in order to understand their mental health needs.