American Vs Muslim Views on Islam and Its People

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Turbans, terrorists of 9/11, and men with multiple veiled wives; a common American viewpoint of people practicing the Islamic religion lies on the foundation of stereotyping and the assumption that all Muslims observe radical proceedings. A recent emergence of interest in this ancient faith spawns from extremists flooding the news with bombings, intimidating threats, and the likes. As in many cases, no news is good news, and increased media attention drew the public eye toward what appears to be sectarian societies with outlandish and uncivilized ideals. Report after report documented oppressed women of the Middle East, blaming their religion for their lower stature in society. Images depicting a firmly male-favoring culture flashed across televisions internationally, branding Islam as the source of this inequality. Although an outsider’s viewpoint of gender differences in the Islam faith differs from the ideas presented in their sacred text, the Qur’an, culture of the area in which it is practiced also greatly affects its followers.
After witnessing the purported mistreatment of women in aforementioned societies, one finds oneself questioning why they endure such injustice. The answer to this inquiry, it seems, reveals itself in that these women do not view themselves as oppressed, but instead look upon the women of the western world as those who are victimized (Beyond the Stereotypes). In his article “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim” Tariq Ramadan, the professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford University, explains that a major difference between Americans and those who follow the Islamic religion is that fundamentally, Islam makes no distinguishment between religion and politics (24-25). Mrs. Shamrah Sher notes in ...

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