The Effects Of Swimming Through A Lake Of Blood

After September 11, 2001 I’ve had trouble finding what makes me more angry; the way the authorities handled the hurricane of Katrina or the way the Arabs were treated. I have herd countless stories related to the 9/11 attack and until today I see the way that has affected the lives of many. Through Eggers story, I was able to comprehend more about the tragedy in New Orleans and even though I thought I already knew about the aftermath that Katrina brought, Eggers grabbed my attention by introducing me to the story of a Syrian-American middle aged man named Abdulrahman Zeitoun. He was a father of four, married to an American wife Kathy and owned a

After the events that took place in 2001, the idea that Western Countries declared “war on terror” was proposed and a new awareness of Islam emerged.

This was the day in which a boy named Gavin was the first of many to associate my last name and distinct features with the war in the Middle East as he proceeded to accuse me, my family, and my religion for the collapse of the World Trade Center. Gone was the once scorching flicker of pride in my belly as the label “terrorist” dripped off the edge of his lips—smothering the flames and filling my heart with smoke. I was no longer captivated by the beauty woven into the stories of my mother and father’s past, and was instead humiliated to be seen, heard, and known as the foreign child with an identity that did not belong. In place of self-love, I found diffidence, as I concealed my mother tongue and removed my hijab at a time when every other Muslima had the courage to keep hers on. This cowardice mentality that left my soul hidden and my body aching with fear of rejection latched on for nearly five years. It wasn’t until around seven months ago, when I finally discovered the spark that would allow me to fall madly in love with my identity and ignite my inner flame once

I was awoken with a thunderous bang that made the ground tremble and the house shake. Things were falling off shelves, crashing and shattering onto the floor. I dived under a table until the shaking stopped. Slowly and carefully, I peeked out the window and watched as the soldiers broke their way into each and every house, gathering up everyone who didn't go to the Commemoration Day Show. I ran for my hunting gun and considered my options, run or fight. I decided to run and strap my gun across my back but quickly realised I was surrounded. I formulated a plan as I rushed up the stairs to my brother's bedroom. As I reached his room, my front door was burst open and the soldiers' carefully entered my house. I locked the door behind me and for

In an article entitled “Ahmed Mohammad, handcuffed for making clock, Is Suing,” Daniel Victor investigates how muslim people are often discriminated and called bombers and terrorists. First, Victor discusses the facts of the case and how Ahmed was arrested. The reading also describes the fact that people often think that the words muslim and terrorist coincide, a form of discrimination. In addition, Victor tells us that Ahmed’s school suspended him, and he was getting countless death threats. Moreover, Victor states that the Mohammad family is suing Ahmed’s high school for falsely getting him arrested. Finally, Victor concludes that Ahmed along with his family moved to Qatar to turn over a new leaf and start a new life free of hatred and discrimination.

Throughout the depths of recorded history Muslims have constantly committed mass murders upon innocent people in the name of Islam. According to long established conventional Islamic views, Muhammad’s revelations start the Qur’an off in 610. Dating back to as early as 627, the Prophet Muhammad’s followers have been recorded of murdering large numbers of “non-believers” and even believers for that matter (Ye 'or, 1985). While researching wars declared in the name of Islam, the words “convert” or “die” (more often than not they surfaced together making the claim “convert or die”) surfaced exceedingly often. Despite the common belief imprinted into the minds of nearly every United States citizen/civilian whom attended or is attending public school with the U.S., oppressing a people based off of their religious beliefs has the ability to be beneficial to the world on a global scale. Muslims should not be allowed to act as political advocates considering Islam gives approval of segregation, provides obligations of the religions followers to commit senseless acts of violence, and because of the fact that Islam allows systematic lying as a religious policy. Throughout this research essay we will discuss facts in regards to traditional and modern Islamic ideology while deciding whether someone of such beliefs has a place in a position

In 2010, women stood in around 25 percent of the positions within Iraq’s parliament. Even with these prestigious women holding high political statures 1 in every 5 reported suffering violence at their husband’s hands. Recently a high level of insecurity has pushed women out of public society and has forced them into their homes. With seemingly spontaneous uprising of ISIS, women’s rights are once again at the forefront of danger. Extremists are using threatening tactics to frighten society. One of these horrifying tactics has been to burst into families’ houses and demand their unmarried daughters; if a family refuses they could be beaten or even killed. ISIS is currently targeting professional, educated, and any women with convictions to stand against them women to murder them. These violent actions are justified by the radicalized ISIS as an act of devotion in Islam. The poverty and human conditions in Iraq have grown insurmountably worse starting in1990’s and has not improved in recent years. Iraq’s employment rate was mind bogglingly miniscule at 38 percent in 2008 and in the past 2 years and has since plunged significantly lower. 20-25 percent of Iraq’s estimated 27 million population lives below the country’s poverty line, a government survey released on 21 May has found (“IRAQ: Over 20 percent of Iraqis live below the poverty line”-irinnews). Iraq has massive amounts of petroleum and a

How was life in Iraq and how is it in the United States. I am writing about this topic because it´s important to me. I came from a place that is different from where live today. And also where I was born. Life there was different then here by the streets. The environment there was different. The people all talked the same language. Here in the united states most people don't talk the same language. Everyone knew each other in the neighborhood. All parents trusted their kids with their neighbors if they were gone for hours. Its different then here. In Iraq all the neighbors would give each other food or feast together. If someone had a problem with their house or with their life. They would all help out each other and through no matter

Throughout America’s history, Americans have seen waves and waves of violence. The bloody American culture has taken away any sense of security that Americans may have had. Due to media coverage we are now more in the front lines than ever. Which means that we now feel personal connection victims that are on the news coverage because we know that in one way or another we all share the same characteristics.

Breath in, breathe out. Don't worry; you are safe and sound. Let peace flood your soul, Hami because your life is everything it was meant to be. These are the words I tell myself every day as I wake up with the sun shining on my face. They are a reminder to be thankful for the life I have right now because truthfully, I should be back in Africa living amongst my family. Yet, I was blessed and given the opportunity to live most of my childhood in America with amazing parents who have taught me what it means to have faith and persevere through life's struggles.

Following the creation of Iraq in 1932, the Iraqi government has continued to this day to check any Kurdish advancement in the political spectrum. The Iraqi government uses many tactics to do this including cultural discernment, murder, and genocide (“Prejudice in Iraq” 9). In the 1960s the Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKDP) led by Mustafa al-Barzani led a failed insurgency against the newly established Ba’ath Party(“Kurd” 4; “Prejudice in Iraq” 10). The repercussions of which resulted in the deaths of sixty thousand people and forced hundreds of thousands to leave their decimated villages. In the mid-1970s another resistance formed that included Iranian support. But after an agreement between Iraq and Iran, the Kurdish opposition crumbled (“Kurd” 4) resulting in over 200,000 Kurds displaced. Iraq also sent captured Kurds to concentration camps and destroyed their villages (Goldman

The neighboring country was in war with us, they had invaded the border cities, and coincidentally, the one where we lived in. My parents where working the fields, but despite that, our country was slightly larger than this one, it's name was 'Barda'. The people moving from here to there, and they were all busy, but from a distance you could see a massive army approaching under the brightness of the daylight. You would've thought that this were the allied army coming to reinforce the cities near the border, but I was wrong. I stared, and watched as our town was ravaged in an instance, burning the village. People's lives were taken easily because there was no one to defend them, but there was one. He was the bravest of us all, and he was my

A group that was primarily in the background and silent became the face of terrorism and fear in the United States. Unlike the black population in America, hate and fear for the unknown created rhetoric of despair in America. In a hostile environment, Arab Americans are trying to define who they are, what they stand for, and what they want in life. The story of Akram as a Palestine American creates an interesting dynamic in society. As a person that has pride in his culture and heritage, the media and society he always loved and believed in has turned a target and a problem that Islam should be feared. From a family that came form nothing, they created their own identity and the American Dream by owning a Food Center. However, Akram father had a new image of America post 9/11. Moustafa asked Abdel why he didn’t want to stay in America anymore and he answered,” What’s America to me (page 125)?” Sadly, this shows the turn of events in his view of America. Once a land of hope and aspiration was now turned into a dark vision. America that once loved and trusted his people have gone against every other Arab person due to the actions of a minority on September

Imagine that you’re on the prairie, with your family and friends, having the time of your lives, but suddenly, a police just come up to you. He calls your name and brings you over to the side to talk about the new laws that Donald Trump had assigned, like the immigration law. You're a Muslim, so this law affects you the most, and causes you and your family to move out from the U.S. Not knowing how to tell your family this, you walk out to your family with a disappointed face, with them asking, ‘What happened Jamir?’, and you have no answer. You see your grandpa and grandma who came just for this picnic, and right away, you know that you definitely can’t tell them, so you go to your siblings and tell them the problem. They also look around for

That morning my husband got a call from the American Embassy in Jerusalem ordering evacuation of American citizens. They told him that he could bring me with him. They told him that we had to evacuate quickly as we had little time. We gathered what we can and headed toward the border with Egypt. Then we were transported to Cairo where we stayed for 10 days before we flew to Miami. We could not believe that we made alive through this three-week of bloodshed when thousands of innocent people had perished. I have lived to tell the story of my experience and to speak of that menacing war. Not a single day passes without being reminded of the horrific atrocities that I had witnessed during those three