The word Islam derived from the word peace, depicting the Muslim religion. The Muslim faith is built upon acceptance, harmony, and contribution. Yet somehow, with time, the word Islam triggers negative vibes such as terrorism, violence and extremism. Dalia Mogahed speaks of the unforeseen change in the meaning of Islam and those who practice this formerly influential religion. Mogahed is an Egyptian-American that started her career as an engineer. She’s a Muslim that decided to wear her head covering by the age of seventeen. In the Ted Talk “What Do You Think When You Look At Me?”, Dalia Mogahed discusses the predicaments and accusations Muslims have encountered, including her personal experiences. Through the use of all three rhetorical appeals, …show more content…
She talks about how innocent Muslims were attacked after 9/11 where they were “being pulled out [of their houses], beaten in the streets [and mosques were being firebombed]” (3). According to Mogahed, people were treating Muslims as if they were a tumor in the body of America. “The only question is, are [they] malignant or benign” (3)? “A malignant tumor you extract altogether, and a benign tumor you just keep under surveillance”, just like the Muslims were treated (Mogahed, 3). Building up the argument, she illustrates her experience of driving across Middle America after the attack, crouching as low as she could in her seat, and for the first time ever, she was afraid to identify herself as a Muslim (Mogahed, 3). To finish it up, Mogahed tells a story of an unfortunate young married couple living in North Carolina, where their neighbor Craig Hicks murders them “in their apartment, execution style after posting anti-Muslim statements on his Facebook page” (5). Little did we know that such “[bigotry actions aren’t just immoral, they] can even be lethal”(5). On the other hand, not all Americans are against Muslims, some are actually rational and well informed. Mogahed illustrates this example, as she tells a story of Muslims congregating to the mosque, on a Friday, for prayer. On that Friday after the 9/11 incident, the mosque was filled with “Christians, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, people of faith and no faith, who had come not to attack [Muslims], but to stand in solidarity with [them]” (5). “These people were there because they chose courage and compassion over panic and prejudice”. With a sense of activism, Mogahed asks “what [would you choose at a time] of fear and bigotry” (6)? With that said, Mogahed enables a fourth rhetorical appeal known as kairos, encouraging people to take action and seize the opportunity to bring social
In the article “Modern-Day Witch Hunts”, Jamie Dailey focuses the attention on problems that Muslim Americans commonly face on a day-to-day basis. He first paints a picture by comparing the violent acts performed on Muslims to the Salem Witch trial in 1692. The Salem Witch trials resulted in 19 deaths of innocent individuals, because they were accused of witchcraft. Dailey goes on to explain in America, the type of persecution Muslims endure has many forms. A more recent controversy towards this religion involves the building of the Ground Zero Mosque in central New York. The name of this building is very misleading, especially to the eyes of an American. Even though this structure is actually built a few blocks away from where the former World Trade Center stood, problems have still risen from the public. Americans often mistake Muslims as the group of people who had performed acts of terrorism on American soil, when it was actually an Islamic group known as Al Qaeda. Mosques all across the United States started being vandalized by people protesting against their religion. This article shows how irrational fear can corrupt the thoughts of people.
They are a reminder of America’s long and deeply ambivalent history with Islam, Arabs, and the Middle East.” (Makdisi 1). Makdisi feels that the fear of Muslims was not always there; stating that Thomas Jefferson read the Quran and was very interested in the religion. Protestant missionaries wanted to save and convert the people that practiced Islam; the missionaries did not fear Muslims or Arabs (Makdisi 1). Makdisi goes on to say that the fear of Muslims did not start until the end of the 20th century mainly because the new wave of Immigration in the 1960’s. Makdisi says, “rather, the stigmatization of Arabs and Muslims occurred principally because of the politics in the Middle East and because of the enormously consequential United States role in the region” (Makdisi 1). Makdisi blames the United States ' involvement and support in Israel and states that the Iranian hostage situation was "similarly a direct response to the United States support for t he Shah of Iran” (Makdisi 1). Makdisi argues that the people of the United States were hurt by the policies our own country had in place. Both Lyre and Makdisi agree that the attacks on September 11th, 2001 only reinforced the stigma that was there and make it easier for the world to view all Muslims, Arabs, and all people from the Middle East in a negative
Ever pass by Muslim woman in a hijab at the mall or park and think how oppressive and restraining her culture must be? Maysan Haydar, a New York social worker who practices the Muslim tradition of veiling, believes otherwise. In her article, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering,” Haydar highlights on her experiences as a Muslim living in an American culture, where showing more skin is the “norm.” Haydar speaks specifically to a crowd who unconsciously makes assumptions about certain Muslim practices, in hopes of sharing the truth behind them. Haydar suggests that, contrary to popular belief, not all Muslim women cover themselves strictly as an “oppressive” religious practice, but that some women, like herself, find
On September 11, 2001, since the terrorist attacks, many American Muslims have been stereotyped negatively in the United States. Salma, a Muslim woman, says that the way Muslims have been recognized in the media has played a big role in the antagonisms directed to her. “I don’t know how many time I heard my classmates accuse me of being al-Qaeda or a terrorist” (Mayton 2013). Salma, along with other Muslims, even after a decade, are still struggling with trying to find their “American” and “Islamic” identities, while facing verbal attacks for their ethnicity. Too often, the general Muslin population gets lumped in with the immoral acts of a few because of the lack of knowledge about their culture.
As a little girl, I remember learning about Ruby Bridges. I remember being mesmerized; truly astonished by the amount of courage and strength that she showed when she persevered during times of racial discrimination, all at the age of six. During, that time America was in an era of flash points; the racial revolution of the 1960’s was televised. The image of Ruby walking up the front steps of William Frantz Elementary School sparked an interest in a famous painter Norman Rockwell, who created a blueprint that later evolved into the everlasting interpretation of that historical event for generations to come.
Ayoob, M. (2007) The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
Islam in America has historically been misunderstood, and this is due to the misconception of culture and religion as well as lack of education and incorrect portrayal in the media, which gives a skewed idea of Islam. Especially in the United States, Islam has been seen as the “terrorist religion” or a religion for the extremists and a religion in which freedom is not an option. Among the countless misconceptions, the basis of stereotypes by Americans is due to the mix up between religion and culture. Furthermore, the media only fuels fire to these misunderstandings and lack of factual information about Islam causing Americans to lash out on American Muslims without reason.
Elizabeth Glaser, co-founder of the Pediatric AIDS foundation, was infected with the AIDS virus during a blood transfusion when she was giving birth to her first child. Her daughter became quite ill in 1985 and after several tests and treatments the entire family was tested for the human immunodeficiency virus. Elizabeth, her daughter, Ariel, and her son, Jake, all tested positive. She then went to Washington D.C. to help fight AIDS and raise awareness for the cause. She met with several influential politicians, activists, and first ladies including President Reagan, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush to discuss ways to improve HIV care and research. She worked with congress and raised the budget to help fight pediatric AIDS from 3.3 million to
The speaker is Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl; she is sixteen years old. She was shot by Taliban in on October 2012. Malala was the first and the youngest person who received the biggest European human rights prize called "Sakh arov" Malala was received Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. She also received many other international awards such as women of the year 2013 by Glamour, Women's rights award "Raw & War (Malala yousafzai Web, 2013).
As she is forced to explore the differences between herself and her new community , she comes to a realization that culture isn 't a concrete idea or written down in a code of laws, culture is something that stems from ones imagination. Muslims have reasons to why they are skeptical and hateful towards Americans. When American expatriates go to Middle eastern countries to “help” and they are rejected they become “anti-Arab” pessimists. Wilson declares that people who have lost so much because of the Westerners can not be expected to believe that they are now going to be helped by the same enemy that destroyed them. She states “they fail to realize that people who have lost dignity and opportunities to the “clash of civilizations” can not be expected to welcome peacemakers who have lost nothing” (Wilson
Thomas W. Lippman gives an introduction to the Muslim world in the book Understanding Islam. He has traveled throughout the Islamic world as Washington Post bureau chief for the Middle East, and as a correspondent in Indochina. This gave him, in his own words, "sharp insight into the complexities of that turbulent region." However, the purpose of the book is not to produce a critical or controversial interpretation of Islamic scripture. It is instead to give the American layman an broad understanding of a religion that is highly misunderstood by many Americans. In this way he dispels many myths about "Muslim militants," and the otherwise untrue perception of Islamic violence. In this way the American reader will become more knowledgeable about an otherwise unfamiliar topic. However, the most significant element of Lippman’s book is that it presents Islam in a simple way that makes the reader feels his awareness rise after each chapter. This encourages him to continue learning about the world’s youngest major religion. Understanding Islam dispels many misconceptions about the Muslim world, and presents the subject in a way that urges his reader to further his understanding of Islam through continued study.
Robinson, B.A. (2002, October 14). Islam: Is it a religion of violence or of peace.
Post September 11, 2001 the life of a Muslim women living in America changed forever. Islamophobia is the prejudice against Islam or Muslims. Islamophobia is not a new concept, it has roots hundreds of years ago, however after 9/11 it became much more prevalent in America. Following 9/11 Western media used Islam and Muslim women who covered to inflict fear in American citizens. Western media framed Islam as a dangerous and hateful religion that needed to be stopped. At the same time the media became obsessed with Muslim women who veiled and wanted to save these women from their oppression. However, these articles written about the oppressed Muslim women did not feature Muslim women and their experiences veiling. They were not given a voice
F. Hasan, Asma Gull (2000). American Muslims; The New Generation. New York. The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.