Last week I attended a Cultural Awareness meeting. The topic, of course, was about Islam and how Americans, and the French perceive Muslims. These types of meetings always begin the same way, with an explanation of the topic. With that being said Islamophobia is the fear of terrorists in America. I'm sure any of you can think of a better definition, but that's all I got. As the discussion directors talked more about it and what is currently happening in France, I became appalled. In France, there is a sort of rule/law that women cannot were Burqa (head to toe, one piece, garment that only reveals the eyes). Did it ever occur to anyone that those women chose to wear it, so it was not by force? Also, I have been told by several of my Muslim friends that it is an honor to wear one. In my opinion, what is happening in France is the result of ignorance. If the people in charge took the time to study the culture then they would see that there is more to the Middle East than terrorism. In my humanities class my professor posed a question-How long do you think this fear has been around? Obviously that question was rhetorical because only she knew the answer. The answer is since the 1400s. There was a time, believe it or not, when Bangladesh was thought to be the center of the world because many races traveled their in search of better lives (sound familiar?). At the time Bangladesh offered shelter, spices, and knowledge to those who sought it. Unfortunately there were countries who grew envious of that fact. I could go on, but then I would have to cite my college book. The point is fear of Islam, but more specifically Muslims have always existed, but it resurfaces in different ways. In my opinion, I do not believe that an entire race should be judged based on the actions of a couple of groups (ex: Taliban and ISIS). Feel free to disagree. I think most people would agree that fear makes people say and do stupid things. I am an American, yes that is true, but I say this because our country is far form perfect. We have proof in our history books about the horrors America has inflicted upon other countries, but why can this be justified?
Look at this chart. Notice how many Muslims there are compared to the minimal amounts of terrorists. I like to look at the facts. No one is perfect, so who are we to judge. What is happening in someone else country is not our concern. Before I close, let me ask one more thing. If you seen two families on an airplane, one Muslim and the other Black/ White, which one would you sit next to?
Last week I attended a Cultural Awareness meeting. The topic, of course, was about Islam and how Americans, and the French perceive Muslims. These types of meetings always begin the same way, with an explanation of the topic. With that being said Islamophobia is the fear of terrorists in America. I'm sure any of you can think of a better definition, but that's all I got. As the discussion directors talked more about it and what is currently happening in France, I became appalled. In France, there is a sort of rule/law that women cannot were Burqa (head to toe, one piece, garment that only reveals the eyes). Did it ever occur to anyone that those women chose to wear it, so it was not by force? Also, I have been told by several of my Muslim friends that it is an honor to wear one. In my opinion, what is happening in France is the result of ignorance. If the people in charge took the time to study the culture then they would see that there is more to the Middle East than terrorism. In my humanities class my professor posed a question-How long do you think this fear has been around? Obviously that question was rhetorical because only she knew the answer. The answer is since the 1400s. There was a time, believe it or not, when Bangladesh was thought to be the center of the world because many races traveled their in search of better lives (sound familiar?). At the time Bangladesh offered shelter, spices, and knowledge to those who sought it. Unfortunately there were countries who grew envious of that fact. I could go on, but then I would have to cite my college book. The point is fear of Islam, but more specifically Muslims have always existed, but it resurfaces in different ways. In my opinion, I do not believe that an entire race should be judged based on the actions of a couple of groups (ex: Taliban and ISIS). Feel free to disagree. I think most people would agree that fear makes people say and do stupid things. I am an American, yes that is true, but I say this because our country is far form perfect. We have proof in our history books about the horrors America has inflicted upon other countries, but why can this be justified?
Look at this chart. Notice how many Muslims there are compared to the minimal amounts of terrorists. I like to look at the facts. No one is perfect, so who are we to judge. What is happening in someone else country is not our concern. Before I close, let me ask one more thing. If you seen two families on an airplane, one Muslim and the other Black/ White, which one would you sit next to?
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