I feel the biggest misunderstood culture today is the Muslim culture. Muslims are always ridiculed and stereotyped as terrorists and are always getting racist jokes thrown at them. Whenever people see someone of the Muslim culture on the street, they’re so quick to judge them and give them dirty looks as if they are aliens from a different planet. Everyone thinks Muslims are terrorists that hate America, when in reality, that is just a big stereotype that is far from the truth. I feel most of these stereotypes and racist jokes about Muslim Americans come from the fact that we have troops fighting across seas against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and people seem to link all Muslims with those two terrorist groups, which is a very racist accusation of anyone who believes that. Muslim Americans are stereotyped as terrorists who hate America, when in reality, the Muslim people and culture are a very peaceful people.
A stereotype is a thought that may be adopted about specific types of individuals or certain ways of doing things (Wikipedia Mod 4). I feel like one of the most misunderstood things about the Muslim culture is why Muslim women wear head garments, or also known as the Hijab, meaning to cover or shelter. Many believe that they wear them because they’re either scared to show their face, or that they’re not allowed to show their faces. The truth about it is that the Hijab has a lot of different meanings to them. To some, it is because they believe that god requires them to cover their hair, but there’s even more meaning to just that alone. Head garments engender a certain spiritual state of receptivity and centeredness; it also conveys a message of purity and godliness to other observers. It also shows that the woman is identified...
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...n what you think and how you feel about what has been observed. Conflict can arise when inferences are made based on insufficient information (Josselyn Mod 5). These misconceptions can lead into many arguments between others if you just make assumptions instead of knowing the true facts. The truth is, Muslim religion gives respect and freedom to all religions and are a non violent religion.
Cooperation between cultural strangers evokes questions and emotions, as this can challenge many things we have previously taken for granted (Josselyn Mod 4). We as a mixed culture, tend to misunderstand people of other cultures and end up stereotyping them and label them as something they’re not. We as a community should take the time to learn about each others’ cultures so we do make those mistakes of labeling others as a bad culture or give them identities that aren’t true.
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 antagonism directed at her. “I don’t know how many times 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 Muslim population gets lumped in with the immoral acts of a few because of the lack of knowledge about their culture.
Living with different kinds of cultures around you is also very knowledgeable to many people. One could learn a lot about someone’s background or country just by interacting or spending some time with them. For example, you can learn about different foods, clothing, fashion, and the kind of lifestyles others might have. Living together helps keeps us in harmony and peace. If we didn’t get along or maybe even share some of the ideas we wouldn’t be such a diverse community. Knowing and underst...
All in all, Running into offensive stereotypes is common among Arab Muslims. People will not stop making new stereotypes, and the only way to stop them from being spread is by correcting them. Stereotypes are basically wrong information based on an sophisticated perception. It is critical to deal with these situations with reason and intellectuality. People may have different ways to solve these kinds of problems, but it is important to make sure it is in a healthy and effective manner. Stereotypes are wrong information that needs to be corrected, so it is very important to educate society about the misunderstandings associated with the stereotypes.
A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. There are many reasons why people stereotypes about certain groups of people form. Some believe stereotypes develop from parents, the first influential teacher in a persons life, but there is more to the puzzle than the individual’s parents. On Michigan State University website titled Stereotypes it states People feel like they need to categorize the world in neat groups that are categorized for three reasons. MSU website claims once an individual has categorized a group that individual no longer needs to consider other individuals information from the group. Secondly, it satisfies the human need to understand the social world; that individual no longer needs to worry about other individuals and the way those individuals act. Lastly, its a way to lift the individual above other groups in society. Most stereotypes derive from these three reasons; peoples insecurity and need to simplify daunting concepts lee...
This all started on September 11, 2001 when 4 airplanes were hijacked. Two crashing into the twin towers, one into the Pentagon, and one into a field that was either heading towards the White House or the Capitol. A total of nineteen terrorists from Middle East, who were a part of a terrorist group known as al-Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden, were involved in this attack. Killing almost 3,000 people and destroying some of America’s most known buildings left Americans hurt, scarred, and afraid. Since September 11, 2001, Muslims have been stereotyped as terrorists on daily basis and especially on every September 11th after the attack and while Americans fear Muslims, Muslims fear Americans.
Many nurses treat each patient as they want to be treated and while this is the golden rule it is not always the best course of action when working with those who are of a different culture or faith. It is important to be open-minded and unafraid to explore our own feelings, biases, and correct misunderstandings to provide the best care possible. The following information is given to open an eye to the culture of Islam, an overview of the basic pillars and behaviors a nurse or medical staff could see or hear. When those in the healthcare setting have a good basic understanding of a culture it will become easier to treat the person as a whole, and to understand how to care for the patient and the family.
Arab Americans highly value immediate and extended family. They see education as an asset for the family, religion, and social status. Most look at family as the body of its existence and stress the importance and well-being of the group above that of the individual.
Some people fit the stereotypes to be true, but, I believe that one person doesn't prove a stereotype to be true. Sterling himself writes, “Like all American women, she was dressed in a way intended to provoke lust” 614. This stereotype was said by a Muslim about American women. He believes that all women dress to provoke lust. Women dress the way they want to dress for many reasons such as wanting to look good for themselves or even to be comfortable. Not all American women dress to grab the attention of men sexually. To the Muslim women, they are used to wearing full clothing and wearing the Hijab in their country. Seeing the way Americans dress to them is very shocking because of the differences in the way they dress in their countries. Sterling states, “They call the simple, modest clothing of Islam “bondage” while they spend countless hours, and millions of dollars, painting themselves” 616. This stereotype was said by an American addressed towards a Muslim woman. The bondage is referring the Hijab which is a covering for a Muslim woman's head. The Hijab is a religious clothing and has sentimental value to the woman of Islam.To an American, it's just a piece of clothing that covers their head and only some understand the meaning of the Hajib. Both of the people that made these remarks are from different countries so they don't have a full understanding of each
Did you know that there are currently 1.5 billion Muslims living throughout the world. One in every five people in this world is a Muslim nation. It is proven that Islam is the fastest growing faith in the world and also happens to be the most widely and openly misunderstood faith as well. Americans have misconceptions about Muslims concerning the rights of Muslim women and whether Muslims believe in the existence of Jesus. "When a gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, a Catholic IRA guerrilla sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian.
differences, it is easy to see each religion as a monolithic entity existing separate from
I built upon my cross-cultural experiences as I befriended exchange students from Belgium, Japan, and Korea. Each time, the friendships enriched my appreciation and understanding of not only my own culture, but the very concept of culture. What falls under the cultural blanket can vary from person to person, and I found it to be very interesting that while one person could claim lan...
With 1.5 billion followers worldwide, the religion of Islam is the second most popular religion over the entire globe, and follows a strict set of rules derived from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, a messenger of God, or Allah. Founded in 622 C.E. (also known as A.D.) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion that drew inspiration from earlier religions like Christianity and Judaism. It is divided into three different sections- the Sunni, Shi’a and Sufi sects. The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam, and is considered the unaltered word of Allah. All followers of Islam adhere to many high standards of living and daily practices meant to better their lives like The Twelve Imams, among others. Islam brings together many different aspects of peaceful and devoted living that bring together the billions of followers to one family.
In recent modern times, the Islamic faith and culture has been scarred by bad publicity and criticism worldwide concerning terrorism, fanaticism, and the treatment of women. All these issues have existed in most religions throughout time, but the treatment of women is different in which most other cultures and religions have minimized the issues and Islam, under its attempts to also end it, has failed to create a society in which the treatment of women is equal to that of men. The treatment of women, beginning from the time when they are born, to the time of their marriage, to the moment of their death, has not been equal to that of men despite the actions taken to end the injustice.
The use of the term “Arab World” can be offensive to people living in the Middle East. (14) There are people that would rather not be called that because they don't confine to the Arab people or religion. Another term that people use is an “another Arab ban. ”(17) This term isn't something people like because it makes it sound like they have been banned for many things and that they are bad people.
While growing up, one of my strengths was being able to get along with many different ethnic groups. At an early age, I was exposed to a wide array of different cultures since my school was very multicultural. Even to this day, I enjoy learning about new cultures because it allows and helps me to understand their way of life. Learning about new and different cultures other then my own makes me appreciate and respect others more than ever. Collaborating with people of different backgrounds allows me to work with a wide range of groups, which in return allows me to understand certain ethnic group’s approach on life. I appreciate the opportunities to collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds because it allows me to gain insight into other cultures and better develop my interpersonal skills socially and professionally.