The media displays muslims as many different things.First let me start off with something that should be obvious to the public. Muslims are not terrorists. We are people. I am a person. A person just like you. I have rights and I should not be treated differently based on my beliefs. Now something else I want to get settled. Islam is not a religion of violence. By the dictionary, the definition of religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. The religion of Islam states nowhere in the Quaran that violence is correct and that is just one of the many stereotypes.
The second is that Muslims wear turbans. This seems foolish to point out, but Sikhs wear turbans. We’re not Professor Quarrell in Harry Potter. Theres no Voldemort on our heads. Muslim women wear hijabs, and some Arab Muslim men wear a headpiece called “keffiyeh” or “shamagh” or “ghutrah” depending on your location in the Middle East. My mother had warn a hijab from the age of 15 but when she came to America, she was in a way “forced to take it off”. Her profession allowed her to wear it, but because she works in a restaurant/bar she felt that it wouldn’t be appropriate in her work environment. However, before doing this she consulted a Sheikh who then told her in this case, as long as she wasn’t disrespecting herself or God it was okay.
The Islamic religion is one that puts women below men. The Quran explicitly states that men and women are equal in the eyes of God As a muslim this cracks me up. Islam commands kindness, respect and obedience to parents and specifically emphasizes and gives preference to the motherThe Islamic Religion is one that puts women as queens. Mothers. If your mother approves of you as a human being and what you are doing, then you will be placed at the highest position. It is said that your mother is the greatest person in your life and you shall love her to the highest extent.
Dear Farah :
I am frustrated by your post, “Media to a Muslim,” because it discussed many stenotypes people have about Muslims which are especially popular because of the claim that terrorists are Muslims. You prove this not to be true. You show how Muslims are regular people, just like everyone else.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “Islam commands kindness, respect and obedience to parents and specifically emphasizes and gives preference to the mother”. I think this is good because it shows how despite Islam is depicted as being in relation to terrorism, it really stands for everything against it.
Another sentence that I liked was: “The second is that Muslims wear turbans”. This stood out for me because similarly people often assume this wrong idea.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. One time I was walking down the street in Manhattan. On the block there was a bust stop, where a Muslim women was waiting. I noticed that as each person walked past the block, all their heads turned to that women because of the headscarf she was wearing. This wasn’t very nice.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because you provide light on a very universal topic. It deserves more attention. Also certainly it is a common problem that needs to be fixed.
Dear Farah :
I am upset by your post, “Media To A Muslim,” because I hate that we live in a country where you have to say, “Hey, maybe everyone in this entire religion doesn’t want to kill you” and that we have a president who probably believes this. This whole idea that people are evil because they believe in a certain God (Which is the same God as the christian god but I guess Christians don’t care,) is more disgusting, and hurts more people than the average Muslim person.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “Muslims are not terrorists. We are people. I am a person. A person just like you. I have rights and I should not be treated differently based on my beliefs.” I think this is beautiful because it is emotionally charged and makes the issue much more personal. Now, while I do think that it is usually bad to make an argument about personal things, here, it makes it more persuasive because you imagine an individual’s rights being subverted, a child no less, (I am saying this in an impersonal way because the impact is better felt on a reader who doesn’t know you.)
Another sentence that I thought was powerful was “There’s no Voldemort on our heads.” This stood out for me because it showed an inherently evil character from an iconic book series and connected to a larger audience in that way. As a result, more people would think about and understand this point
Overall this article was a really interesting in depth look at Islamophobia in this country.