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Exploring Culture Essay: Muslims

The University of Kentucky

Exploring Culture Essay: Muslims
Meghan Taylor

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Exploring Culture Essay: Muslims

Abstract

Muslim is a label for Islamic religion, not race. This is often misunderstood by many
Americans. Most would disagree with this statement but the media plays a huge part in our
negative sterotyping towards them. Attitudes and perceptions that Americans have towards the
people of the Muslim religion are very negative and sometimes wrong due to the lack of
information. The events that took place on September 11th, 2001 has affected out view on
Middle-Eastern people. Islamophobia is a term that refers to the hatred or fear of Muslims. Many
Americas lack knowledge of the Muslim race and Islamic race and this leads to many
misperceptions of them. After research, interviewing, and even making friends with people of the
muslim race or Islamic religion can give you a better understand of their culture and religion.
This may also cut down on the misperceptions and hate crimes towards them.

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Exploring Culture Essay: Muslims

Muslims
On September 11th, 2001 at 8:45 a.m. Americans perception of Muslims changed
forever. Deciding what culture this assignment should be over was a very difficult decision.
Growing up in this ear there was no desire to learn about the Muslim religion and
teachers preferred not to teach about it in school. Many Americans still hold the events that
occurred on September 11th heavy in their hearts and many hold grudges. Many of the victims
were parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives. We all know
that the hijackers of the planes were of the Islamic race. Knowing that, Americans perceive all
Muslims and Muslim-looking people as a threat and potenitail terrorist.
After that unforgettable day in September hate crimes, racial profiling and discrimination
against Muslim-Americans increased dramatically. Many hate crimes are because the assulant
mistaks the race of the victim. Like the one that took place on December 30th, 2004. On that day
a Muslim woman wearing a hijab was pushing her baby in a stroller when a man in a truck
almost ran them over near a gas station. When the woman cried, "You almost killed my baby!,"
the man responded, "It wouldn't have been a big loss" (State Demographics, 2005). Knowing that
is hate crime took place make me cringe. One crime that really stood out to me was one that
occurred on a beach on Lake Tahoe in 2007. Vishal Wadhwa, 38, suffered fractures of several
facial bones and an orbital fracture in one eye after being kicked and beaten by Joseph and
Georgia Silva. Wadhwa approached the Silvas after they called him, his fiance, and her cousin
"terrorists," "relatives of Osama Bin Laden," and other slurs. The Silvas mistakenly believed the
three victims "were Iraqi or Iranian or Middle Eastern" in fact, they are all Indian American

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(The Leadership Conference). This hate crime stood out to me not only because hate was the
reason behind it but also because the assultant was wrong with his judgment. The Slivas were
wrong and because of that people were harmed. My interviees were Ilshat and Hashim. One of
my questions was what were their opinions about this hate crime. They both answered that it
made them sick knowing that just because the victims looked Islamic they were attacked.
Hashim and Ilshat are both Muslims and both attend The University of Kentucky. They are from
Saudi Arabia and have been living in Kentucky for over a year. They both like America and the
people who live here. Knowing about these hate crimes they still do not hate or fear Americans.
They know that because of the events on 9/11 Americans perceive them as harmful and fear
them. In the interview they said that just because the hijackers were Islamic doesnt mean all
Islamic or Muslim people bring harm to America. They have not been in a situation where an
American or Americans have used racial slurs or discrimination towards them. They do have
friends that are Muslim and they told us that they have encountered Americans that have used
racial slurs towards them.
One example of a hate crime and racial profiling is one of an American-Muslim who
chose not to give out her name but when she told her story she said On October 2, 2006, one of
my employees sent me a very, very hurtful letter at my office where she tended to say
that...remember 9-11, you and your kids we'll tie to the fence and you will die. So my first
reaction was to call the Police Department of the city which I reside in, and they pretty much told
me that if I wasn't shot or dead, there's not much they can do for me (FBI, 2008). Although this
lady survived a hate crime she will never be able to forget it. In 2001 it was reported by the FBI
that 481 hate crimes against Muslims took place.

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Hashim answered my question of how do you feel about people who dislike Muslims?
He replied They have the wrong idea about it. They dont know and they only know what
they hear from the media. And the media tells everyone what they want to tell them. Ilshat
and Hashim believe that if the ones that dislike Muslims were more educated that they
would change how they feel about them. Lacking knowledge makes them more likely to
misperceive and judge their race and religion in a negative way.
Beating Islamophobia is very hard to some people. It is hard for them get. In an article
about Islamophobia it says People can beat this if they really want to. It may be out of our
comfort zone, it may be really award, and you may not want to do it but it is for the best. We
would not want people to people to misperceive us so why should we misperceive them because
of our stubbornness.
After we got through all the tough questions we asked about the lifestyle and culture they
lived in. Ilshat and Hashim told us about how different the dating and relationships was here
compared to Saudi Arabia. He told us that they are not even allowed to look at the woman, hold
hands, have sexual relations or even kiss them. He shared some personal information with us, he
said that just recently he held hands with a girl and still has not had his first kiss. My next
question was about the marriage process over in Saudi Arabia worked. He told us that parents or
sister picked a woman and then talked with their parents to set up a meeting with just the boy and
the girl and they then decide if the have anything in common. If they do have things in common
then they get married and if they do not then they never talk to one another again. He told us that
he will be picking when and who he gets married to.
To Ilshat and Hashim going up and just talking to others is very weird and unusual. They
explained that over in where they lived you do not do that. If you dont know some one you do

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not just go up and start a conversation. Many think that because of how different their lifestyle is
refuse to look more into it or just simply refers to it as stupid and lets it go. Understanding why
Muslims do what they do would cut down on hate crimes, racial profiling and even cases of
Islamophobia.
Their perception of Americans was very positive espeacially the ones here at the
University of Kentucky. Ilshat told us that everyone is very nice and very welcoming. He along
with Hashim like when people come up and talk to him. They do not like to drink or smoke
because it is against the Muslim religion. Socializing can happen even if you are not high or
drunk Ilshat says. Being in a co-ed is very different to them because they are not allowed over
in Saudi Arabia.
Doing this interview with Ilshat and Hashim was very difficult. It was difficult because of
my perception of the people of the Muslim religion. It was very wrong but after attaining some
knowledge and even building a friendship with Ilshat and Hashim my perception changed for the
better.

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Exploring Culture Essay: Muslims

References
Islamophobia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2014.
http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/library/islamophobia/

(2008, April 15). Retrieved October 14, 2014.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/videos/i-survived-my-hate-crime
The Pluralism Project at Harvard University. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2014.
http://pluralism.org/reports/view/104

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http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/fbidramatic-spike-in-hate-crimes-targetin
http://www.civilrights.org/publications/hatecrimes/arab-americans.html
http://www.fbi.gov/news/videos/i-survived-my-hate-crime
http://pluralism.org/reports/view/104