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Defeating
Stereotypes - Muslims in America
"According to a recent poll
in U.S. News & World Report, more than half of people surveyed believed that
Islam was anti-American, anti-Western, or supportive of terrorism."
by Nancy Paik
On April 19, 1995, the deadliest terrorist attack ever in the United States
transformed Oklahoma City into the center of the media universe. Reporters from
all over the world swarmed to cover the bombing of the city's federal building,
where 167 people died.
But unknown to most people at the time was the tragedy that happened next. At
least 220 attacks were committed against Muslims and Arab-Americans after the
FBI said that three Middle Eastern men were the prime suspects in the bombing.
There was a rush to point the finger in the four days before authorities
charged former U.S. Army serviceman Timothy McVeigh in the bombing, and many
Americans were blaming Muslims.
In one case, an Afghan security guard was searched and fired. In another, a
pregnant Muslim woman's home was attacked by enraged Oklahoma residents, and
threatening messages were left on the answering machines of Islamic mosques
around the country.
Discrimination on the Rise
Such discrimination has been common for followers of the religion that
may be least understood by Americans -- even though Islam has three to five
million followers in the United States, the third largest number after
Christianity and Judaism. According to a recent poll in U.S. News & World
Report, more than half of people surveyed believed that Islam was anti-American,
anti-Western, or supportive of terrorism. Only 5 percent said they'd had much
contact with Muslims themselves.
"We face a certain level of stereotypes," says Chalid Turaani of
the American Muslim Council, who blames the media for distorting the truth about
Muslims. Keep feeding people racist ideas, bombarding [the public with]
misinformation, and it becomes so natural to have a feeling of disgust that it
becomes okay to violate Muslims.
Muslims themselves share the responsibility, says Muhammad Abdel-Baset of the
Islamic Center in Southern California. There is misunderstanding in part because
of our lack of proper approach and education. We don’t have much connection
with the media.
Though violence against Muslims has dropped, anti-Muslim discrimination
increased 60 percent to 284 incidents in 1998, according to the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
Muslims say mistreatment happens partly because unlike other religions, Islam
requires believers to show their devotion outwardly. And the images -- the
beards, the male headdress, and headscarf for women -- associated with Islam can
seem threatening to many Americans. In 1996, U.S. Airways refused to allow an
Islamic flight attendant to wear the traditional headscarf because the airline
claimed that it violated the company's rules.
Peace and Islam
President Clinton himself has asked Americans not to confuse terrorists
with Muslims -- especially when so many neighbors are Muslim Americans. Back in
August, after he ordered air strikes on suspected terrorist bases in Afghanistan
and Sudan, where most citizens are Muslim, the President said:
"...It is very important that Americans understand that the threat we
face is not part of the Islamic faith. Hundreds of millions of Muslims all over
the world, including millions right here in the United States, oppose terrorism
and deplore the twisting of their religious teachings into justification of
inhumane, indeed ungodly, acts."
WHO
AND WHERE ARE AMERICA'S MUSLIMS?
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