America is technically known as the land of the free, but why has there been so much conflict toward race and religion? Is it such a big deal that some people in this country may not be white, or associate themselves with Christianity? I guess it is to some people, and it's something I will never understand.
Just to get something straight before I dive into this subject, I'm Muslim, and come from a Middle-Eastern background. I'm very fortunate to live in an area that is very accepting for the most part, and where I feel safe. Some people may agree with me, and some people may not. But, I really hope this article brings a brighter perspective and clears confusion on Islam as an entirety.
It all began when I was a sixth grader at McAuliffe Elementary. I really had nothing to worry about in the world besides learning basic algebra and coloring inside the lines. This time of my life was around the time when Bush was ending his term in office, and elections were in the process of happening. Barack Obama was currently the talk of the election, and there was a speculation that he followed the Islamic religion, and was of course, a threat to the nation. My sixth grade class, for some ridiculous reason, began to talk about the election and who we wanted to have for our president... seriously? I mean, what sixth grader is going to care about taking a shower, let alone the presidential election? Thinking nothing of it because I was a sixth grader, I just sat back, and wanted to hear what everyone else had to say. I still remember this moment to this day, and the name of the kid in my class who said this, and it still makes me disgusted every time I think about it. He deliberately raises his hand and says "I don't think we should have Obama elected because the last thing we need is a Muslim president." As soon as I heard that word, the word that my family and I associate ourselves with, I was beyond furious.
I was mostly angry out of confusion, and just questioning why people had a problem with Muslims. As I look back on that moment now, it really didn't define that kid's overall morals, but it really shows the kind of influence parents have on their kids, and that's what truly scares me.
Sometime during that same year, as I was walking back home, my mom agreed to pick me up at my friend's house since she lived so close to our school. As my mom was waiting outside, a neighbor saw that she was outside, in her car, not harming anyone, and threatened to call the cops on her because she was an "alien." As soon as this incident happened, I really began to realize that the race and religion I belong to hasn't been fully accepted by American society yet. Really most of this has to do with 9/11, and listen, I get it. I get that losing your loved ones to terrorists is awful, and those people should be condemned, but one thing I feel that people sometimes forget is that terrorism has no religion.
The idea of Islam is quite peaceful, but people really don't take the time to learn, or understand the religion based on terrorist attacks that have happened. As a Muslim, I fast once a year for a month for the less fortunate (Ramadan), donate to charities in Middle-Eastern countries, pray, and just be the best person I can be. How is that harmful, or violent in any sort of way? Because of this ignorance, families who are having a tough life in Syria are not getting the help they need, people are not getting jobs because of their racial background, women are looked down upon for their hijabs (religious covering), and racial profiling happens every single day out of aggressive suspicion and vague assumptions.
I'm so sick of people trying to associate the religion with violence, oppression, and terror, because that is everything Islam isn't. Just because a group of people who claim to be Muslim, and perform violent attacks on innocent civilians, doesn't mean anyone should have the right to completely judge a religion, shared with 1.6 billion people of the world, as violent or dangerous. Islam is not the problem, ignorance is.
