The religion of Islam represents peace and submission, but why is that the religion of Islam is looked at as a threat? The actions of terrorist groups who claim to be practicing the religion have put a negative image on Muslims, and because of this image, the idea of Islamophobia has become a hot topic. This idea of Islamophobia has occurred due to misinterpretation and lack of knowledge of the religion Islam. The terrorist groups that identify as Muslims have revealed a negative image towards Islam, and this causes Islamophobia being the barrier for Muslims socially, emotionally and physically in regards to their everyday life.
Samantha Elauf, a 17-year-old Muslim woman was denied working at the brand Abercrombie and Fitch due to her headscarf. This action of denial has taken away Samantha’s equal employment opportunity. The hijab represents modesty and is worn for religious purposes. The hijab had drawn full attention to the company and refused to hire her, they claimed it violated the company’s dress code. The discrimination and prejudice brought upon the hijab bias because her opportunity to have a job she wanted was lost, and her physical appearance was the reason for this. The observance of Samantha's faith which is Islam should not have prevented her from getting the job. This job denial contradicts the 1964 civil rights act, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Many Muslim women have stopped wearing their hijab to fit into society, which is very heartbreaking because Islamophobia has led to Muslim women letting go of the clothing that represents Islam and hides the beauty of the women. This unjust situation reveals that Islamophobia exists in job opportunities, and the hijab worn by Muslim women triggers discrimination.
Similarly, a 10-year old Muslim girl is a 5th grader at Hemenway Elementary was receiving death threats in letters found in her cubby at school. She received these letters for the simple reason because she was Muslim. The 10-year-old received 2 letters the first one said “you are a terrorist” and the second one said, “I will kill you”. The 10-year-old was crying and was scared, and she has the right to be scared. It is devastating to know that kids at this age have to experience discrimination for their religion and it is heartbreaking that children this young can learn to be discriminatory at an early age in life because hate is not brought from birth it is embedded in a human being by family or surroundings. It does not add up to be scared of someone for their religion to make a whole phobia but threats aren’t something that should be just as feared of. This can cause children not being able to express their religion or even be happy for their religion if they are being disliked so early in life. This affected the 10-year-old socially because her peers view her as “terrorist” she is viewed as something she is not, which will lead to isolation and disconnection to society. Islamophobia has been brought upon the younger generation and has taught children to view Islam as a threat.
Lastly, Muslim women named Aniso Abdulkadir and her friends have been allegedly attacked, and Aniso’s hijab was pulled off by a man in London, and also attacked one of her friends by pinning her to the wall. This man at Baker Street station not only forcefully attempted to remove Aniso Hijab, but he also verbally abused her friend and spit on her face. There are no words to describe this hateful incident that has occurred. It is disgusting and very foul to see a man commit these horrifying actions. Behavior like this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated because no one should be attacked for their physical appearance. This crime that was committed was because of the suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester that claimed 22 lives, and an attack in London by three terrorists, who drove a van into pedestrians and then went on a stabbing spree, killing eight people before being shot dead. Innocent Muslim people should not be punished for the poor decisions other Muslim people have made it is wrong. These innocent Muslim people have no control over other Muslim people’s decisions, therefore getting revenge for the attack that was committed by other Muslims should not be pinned on the innocent ones. Attacking Muslims like this makes them feel alienated and unprotected in their own home, it leads to a decrease in their everyday social life because people see the reputation of terrorism when viewing a Muslim. This takes away their opportunity of expressing themselves, having equal opportunity and a healthy social life. Islamophobia has taken away human sense from humans, increase hateful judgments, and caused crime.
In summary, Islamophobia has impacted how adults view Islam and how children view Islam, and with no knowledge of Islam. The media portrays the negatives about Islam which gives a bad image to Islam which is damaging and devaluing. The terrorist groups that Identify as Muslims have revealed a negative image towards Islam, and this causes Islamophobia being the barrier for Muslims socially, emotionally and physically in regards to their everyday life. Society needs to make changes because this is separating Muslims from the world, we should be unified. Islam should not be blamed for terrorism based on others' irrational decisions because, “blaming Islam for terrorism is like blaming Christianity for colonialism; residential schools, slavery, patriarchy, genocide world wars, famine, and oppression”. These were all actions that were committed by people too instead society wants to hurt those who are different. What society must remember is that every religion has its extremists and others who have no control should not be punished. End Islamophobia.
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Islam Does Not Represent Terrorism.
(2022, February 24). Edubirdie. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/islam-does-not-represent-terrorism/
“Islam Does Not Represent Terrorism.” Edubirdie, 24 Feb. 2022, edubirdie.com/examples/islam-does-not-represent-terrorism/
Islam Does Not Represent Terrorism. [online].
Available at: <https://edubirdie.com/examples/islam-does-not-represent-terrorism/> [Accessed 20 Apr. 2024].
Islam Does Not Represent Terrorism [Internet]. Edubirdie.
2022 Feb 24 [cited 2024 Apr 20].
Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/islam-does-not-represent-terrorism/
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