Spread of Islam in America - Research Paper Example

? Islam in America I. Introduction Historical data show that several thousands of Muslims migrated to the United s of America, particularly from Ottoman Empire and South Asia between 1880 and 1914. Those immigrated Muslim population did not from separate settlements, but most of them assimilated into the diverse American society. The United States’ Muslim population tremendously increased during the 20th century. The rapid rise in their population during this period can be attributed to the increase in immigration, religious conversion, and a relatively high birth rate. Conversion to Islam in prisons and large urban areas is evidently one of the contributory factors to the rise in the US Muslim population over the last several years. In 2005, nearly 96,000 people from various Islamic countries were accepted as legal permanent United States residents. According to a 2009 Gallup poll, American Muslims are identified to be a significant racially diverse religious group in the United States. This paper will discuss the way Muslims are perceived after the World Trade Center attack of 11 September, and the factors that contribute to the numerous issues with regard to stereotyping Muslim community. It will also put forward some thoughts and strategies to address those issues. II. Causes of Stereotyping Muslims A. Radical Muslims and Extremists While analyzing Islamism in a religious, social, and political context, the acts of some of the Islamic extremists seem to be the major cause of stereotyping Muslims. The PBS television program “Jihad in America” and the popular movie “True Lies” depicting the terrorist group “Crimson Jihad” caused the Muslims to get a negative image in the American society (“Struggling against stereotypes”). Recently, the use of the term “Jihad” is found to be the central issue of Muslims stereotyping. According to the Prophet Muhammad, the extreme form of jihad is one’s personal struggle to make himself a better Muslim. On the contrary, today some Islamic extremists link the term “Jihad” to “Holy war”. Evidently, interest groups that intend to preserve their subversive ideas on the strength of religious beliefs negatively affect the Muslim community as a whole. B. 9/11 Attacks According to Ghazali, the September 11 World Trade Center attacks by al-Qaeda, which caused the death of nearly 3000 people turned to be the major cause of Muslims stereotyping in the United States. Although al-Qaeda is not an affiliate of Islam religion, most of the people believe that the whole Muslims had interest behind the attack. The attack raised dreadful socio-economic challenges to the nation, that the government adopted a strict approach toward the Muslim immigration. This shift in governmental stance also placed the Muslim community under suspicion. In addition, the al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had delivered a set of religious sensitive speeches followed by the attack, which also added to stereotyping Muslims. C. The Media showing Muslims as Terrorists One cannot undermine the role of media in growing Muslim stereotyping since the event of September 11. For instance, newspaper headlines regularly use the words ‘fanatic’, ‘militant’, ‘fundamentalist’, and ‘terrorist’ as next to the terms ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslim’. To illustrate; in 1995, the British newspaper Today (reported by Fatoohi) published heart-touching picture that depicted a fireman carrying burnt remains of a killed infant from the wreckage of a severe explosion. This picture was published along with a sensational headline: “In the name of Islam”. In addition, events such as Saddam Hussein’s wartime rhetoric and World Trade Center Bombing attained enormous media coverage as evidence of “Islamic fundamentalism” (“Struggling against stereotypes”). Media seem to have given intentional coverage to Islamic terrorism while ignoring rebellious activities of other religious groups. And, attacks against Muslim community often go unreported. Edward, the author covering Islam argues that stereotyping is reflected as “the last sanctioned racism” (“Struggling against stereotypes”). III. Effects of Stereotyping A. The distorted image of Islam Stereotyping of Muslims has distorted the image of the Islam by keeping them away from the mainstream of the society. As a result, the common people tend to frame a negative image of the Islam in their minds that the whole Muslim population is a threat to the humanity. Obviously, most of the Western and European countries have imposed strict regulations on Muslim immigration, which has adverse effects on the employment interests of the Muslim population. B. Stereotyping of Muslims In fact, since the beginning of the 21st century, stereotyping of Muslims has been rapidly increasing due to a biased mass media culture; and the September 11 World Trade Center Bombing worsened the situation. Many people today perceive the Muslims as violence makers. Since the attack of Sep 11, Muslim people have been facing more intensive security checks at airports and people often behave rudely toward them (“Airport security checks”). C. Harassing Muslims Muslim population in the United States extremely experiences the effect of stereotyping in myriad forms. Muslims face discrimination in housing and employment sector and they have often struggle with harassments and attacks in streets. A number of mosques and Islamic centers across the country were attacked as response to the 9/11 attacks. However, these attacks on Islamic religious centers obtained little media coverage. In addition, Muslim communities face harassment of neighbors and zoning board, and they even experience difficulties with establishing places of worship. In addition to mere difficulties, this type of harassment raises numerous ethical questions regarding the identity and sustainability of the Muslim population. D. Wars Experiences show that extreme discrimination to Muslims can cause wars. To illustrate, as Dyer points out, the United States of America attacked Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks. Although the stated goal of this war was to dismantle al-Qaeda, the US military devastated the whole country killing thousands of people. Many people are of the view that the hidden agenda behind the military operation was ‘Muslims dismantling’. There are people who argue that the American invasion in Iran was the clear indication of Muslim misanthropy. The supporters of this argument point out that the US government hanged Saddam Hussein even though it had no sufficient authority to perform such an act. Another major reason pointed out is that in the current global political spectrum, the US does not keep a close relationship with any Muslim country. IV. Solutions to Stereotyping A. The media should confirm the real Islam As already discussed, the wrong mass media culture is a contributory factor to stereotyping of Muslims. Therefore, media should be willing to highlight the Muslims’ humane acts also. The media have to be ready to deliver the messages to people that the one or two individuals who committing terror activities do not represent the whole religious group (“Islam and the Western media”). It is advisable for media workers to telecast shows that portray the core values of Islam religion. In order to change the adverse situation of stereotyping, media may focus on Muslim people who have significantly contributed to humanity. Moreover, media must be careful of distinguishing religion and its followers while reporting terrorist attacks. B. To change the way people think about Islam In order to reduce the stereotyping of Muslims in United States and other Western countries, it is necessary to convince people that Islam and Muslim population are not ideologically supporting terrorism. Actually, Islam is a global religion that encourages tolerance and respects individual differences. According to some Islam conventionalists, Dawah work (Dawah means passing of Islamic knowledge to others) would resolve people’s misunderstanding about Islam (“Spreading Dawah”). Anyhow, Islam has a great role to play in correcting people’s misapprehension about the religion. Islamic leaders have to adopt a strong approach towards its followers who commit violence in the name of Allah. It is recommendable to make movies that show the basic principles of Islam, because it is observed that movies can have a great influence on people, especially those in Western countries. C. Treating people equally regardless of their religion “As our world becomes a global village, with technology bringing cultures together and increasing interaction among civilizations, we must embrace religious tolerance as one of the basic principles behind flourishing democratic societies” (Al-Idrisi). It is necessary to give primary emphasis on man rather than religion. Similarly, people have to understand the fact that the key goal of every religion is the same; spiritual uplift of humans. Every religion including Islam teaches to love human beings and the nature. Therefore, people have to be willing to mingle with everyone regardless of their religious views. Moreover, people must understand the fact that when someone discriminates a group of people on the ground of their religion, this act involves the violation of basic human rights. Conclusion In total, extreme level of stereotyping raises a range of challenges to Islamic communities across the United States. Media’s biased approach toward Islam has largely contributed to the growth of misanthropic ideologies towards the Muslims in the country, notably since the 11 Sep 2001. Distorted image of the Islam, harassment against Muslim population, and wars are some of the most notable effects of Muslim stereotyping. However, this adverse situation can be resolved only and if the way people make out Islam is changed. For this purpose, it is crucial to ensure the genuine involvement of the government and the support of media. Works Cited Al-Idrisi, Hind Al-Subai. “Media should get Islam right.” Bikyamasr. (01 May, 2010). Web. 17 October, 2011. Dyer, Gwynne. “Gwynne Dyer: The strategy of 9/11.” DNA: Daily News & Analysis. Diligent Media Corporation. (2011). Web. 17 October, 2011. Fatoohi, Laoay. “Ignorance and the distorted image of islam.” Qur’anic Studies. (04 January, 2004). Web. 17 October, 2011. Ghazali, Abdul Sattar. “Islam & Muslims in the post- 9/11 America: A source book.” Eagle Enterprises. (April 2008): 1-148. “Islam and the western media: Stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam in the media are rooted in prejudice, and ignorance, says Bassil Akel.” Islam for Today. (n.d). Web. 17 October, 2011. “Struggling against stereotypes.” The Pluralism Project at Harvard University. (n.d). Web. 17 October, 2011. “Spreading dawah.” Turntoislam.com. Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. (23 August, 2007). Web. 17 October, 2011. White, Michael. “Airport security checks: More offensive to some than to others.” The Guardian. (May 24, 2011). Web. 17 October, 2011. Read More