Muslim Discrimination in America

At a time of growing tension between religious groups in America, a record number of Muslims have reported religious discrimination claims. Although Muslims only make up roughly 2 percent of the United States population, they accounted for about one quarter of the religious discrimination claims filed last year (Greenhouse 2010). Most Americans reported a heightened distrust and hatred toward Muslim-Americans after the 9/11 attacks and the War on Terror in the Middle East. Islamophobia continues to be provoked by anti-Muslim extremist and tensions between evangelical Christianity. Anti-Muslim activists are undermining American values by devaluing the First Amendment, which protects the religious liberty of all Americans. America’s bias toward Christianity precludes the anti-Muslim prejudice issues from being resolved.

It has been over a decade since the shocking 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The attacks were a series of four coordinated suicide bombings, striking areas of New York City and Washington, D.C. Terrorist from Al-Qaeda, the Islamist militant group, hijacked four passenger jets, and intentionally piloted one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and two of those jets into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The hijackers intended to pilot the fourth jet into a target in Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field, in Pennsylvania, after its passengers took back control of the jet. Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks. George Bush swiftly responded by launching the War on Terror and invading Iraq and Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban, which was harboring Al-Qaeda. In 2004, Al-Qaeda ‘s leader Osama bin Laden, who initially denied his involvement, claimed responsibili...

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...ers in the United States. Opposition has also been fueled by aggressive anti-Muslim activist and Americans inclination toward hysteria in the news. Americans Islamophobia must first be combated by a shift in our core values before Muslim discrimination can be resolved. These changes can only occur if Christians become more tolerant of other religions in America, and are willing to expand on their traditional beliefs. Anti-Muslim activist should be silenced in order to expedite this shift toward equality. Furthermore Americans must realize that in order for Muslims to integrate into our Christian dominate society, we need to respect the establishment of Islamic religious centers, Muslim religious rituals, and Muslim holy days. America has successfully been able to overcome minority discrimination issues in the past, and will again with the evolution of core values.