September 11 will always be a day to commemorate in the United States after the attack on the Twin Towers. This memorable and heartbreaking event brought a wave of Islamophobia that has grown exceedingly in the past few years. With extremist groups such as ISIS making headlines currently, Islamophobia is at its peak. Unfortunately for Middle Easterners and Muslims, they have become targets of racial and religious phobia due to the horrible actions of a select few. Growing fear and paranoia toward Muslims has been evident to me in many occasions such as conversations I’ve had with one of my professors who happens to be from the Middle East, an incredible movie about the shift in American attitudes toward Muslims called “My Name is Kahn,” and more recently – interactions with Saudi Arabian students.
As an ESL mentor in my university, I have been blessed with the opportunity to interact with international students. This year, I got a Saudi Arabian girl in my group. I was incredibly excited to get to know more about her culture and her experience in the U.S., but it was apparent to me early on that she had already been a victim of Islamophobia. More than once we’ve discussed our religions (Catholicism and Islam) and many times we’ve stumbled upon many thing that overlap in both our faiths and our personal lives. This young Saudi woman has quickly gained my love because she is one of the sweetest, most awesome people I’ve met while I’ve been in college. What has unsettled me for awhile, though, is the fact that she feels the need to constantly remind me that her religion is a peaceful one. While I do not doubt that and, through our conversations, have learned much more about the Muslim faith and its peaceful nature, it saddens me because more than once have I encountered students here who hold all Muslims accountable for terrorist acts.
Perhaps the most important thing I’d like to share about my conversations with her is that she has stated to me time and again that terrorists are NOT considered Muslims. Extremists are shunned from the Muslim faith because they break the belief system deeply held by the Islamic faith. While I do not wish to negate the impact 9/11 and other terrorist acts have had on the US and the world, I do wish to take a stand and ask you to not condemn an entire faith and the entire Middle East for the acts of terrorist. We must shift from fear and hate to love and understanding. We need to not be afraid to talk to our Muslim brothers and sisters and truly learn about their faith. If the US really wants to continue to be able to call itself the land of the free it needs to be just to all and truly judge each man and woman by their actions and not the color of their skin, their faith or other’s acts.
