Zachary Marcum

CIS 110-007
11/5/14

Speech Outline
Introduction:
i.

Attention Catcher:
Imagine being judged everywhere you go based only on your
culture. Imagine getting strange looks every time you board a
plane or ride a bus. Imagine having someone hate you without
even knowing you, how would you feel? These are the things that
people in the Islamic community have to deal with every day.

ii.

Listener Relevance:

iii.

Speaker Credibility:

iv.

Thesis Statement:

v.

Preview:

Islam is the second most popular religion with over 27 percent of

the worlds population, Islam is prevalent everywhere. With such a
dominating Islamic population, people need to understand how to
combat the harsh stereotypes and form a nicer, more culturally
educated community.

After my research on the Islamic religion and the culture itself, I

gained knowledge about how people in this culture function on a
day-to-day basis. I was also able to interview two members of this
culture along with visiting the Islamic Center of Lexington to gain
first hand experience with this culture.

The harsh stereotypes about Islamic violence and mistreatment of

women are ignorant ideas that are frequently found in popular
culture and people need to be educated.

The two most common stereotypes about the Islamic community

are that they commit acts of terror and they oppress women.
These are rooted from ignorance and are not true about the
community as a whole. The Islamic community is peaceful and

Zachary Marcum
CIS 110-007
11/5/14

they possess many of the same values as other religious

communities.

(The largest stereotype about the Islamic community is that they

are associated with terrorism)

Body:
I.

With all of the conflict between the United States and the
Middle East, people have begun to associate the dominant
religion of the area, which is Islam, with acts of terror.
A. With all of the acts of terror that have occurred in the last
20 years, people are looking for someone to blame.
a. Americans assume that all terrorists are of Islamic
faith.
b. Some of the truly ignorant assume that all Muslims
are terrorists
B. The association between Islam and terrorism can be
found in movies and songs everywhere
(Show a clip from the show family guy)
a. There are countless examples of how Islam is
negatively portrayed
b. This type of cultural stereotyping is accepted by the
general public for some unknown reason
C. These Jokes affect how people interact with the
Islamic culture in the real world

Zachary Marcum
CIS 110-007
11/5/14

a. In my research, people of the Islamic culture have

reported that others will get nervous when they board a
plane or ride a bus
b. Muslims in America have also been the victims of
hate crimes and verbal abuse by total strangers.
(moving on to the second most prevalent stereotype, the
assumption that Muslim women are oppressed. )

II.

Women in Islamic culture are often seen as oppressed due

to their clothing and conservative attitude.
A. People associate Middle-Eastern culture with American
Islamic culture
a. Women in the Middle East do have limited rights, but
this does not mean that Muslims here are against
womens rights.
*Insert Zane quote: No one I know in my culture is
opposed to womens rights
B. People in Islamic culture all have to dress
conservatively, men and women alike
a. People of the Islamic faith have to wear clothes that
cover their knees for prayer
b. It is considered indecent to dress any other way.

( If I had to summarize my research with one statement it

would be that everyone deserves his or her own opinion)

Zachary Marcum
CIS 110-007
11/5/14

Conclusion:
I.

Thesis Restatement:

II.

Main Point Summary:

Looking back I have realized the true effect of stereotyping a

culture. The poor treatment of the Islamic people is rooted
from ignorance and there needs to be a dramatic change.

The main stereotypes of Islam are terrorism and mistreatment

of women. Society has created a cultural hatred that has been
accepted for some reason in America.

III. Clincher:

Shows like family guy and American dad can desensitize us to

the feelings of others. People need to see others views in order
to understand what the full affects of their prejudices are. We
can start a change today and create a more accepting campus
and eventually a more accepting country.

References:
1. Arub-Habar, A. (1996,). A BRIEF ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO
UNDERSTANDING ISLAM. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
2. Pluralism, S. (2014). Muslim Culture. Retrieved October 1, 2014.

3. Esposito, J. (1995, January 1). Introduction: The Islamic Tradition. Retrieved

October 1, 2014.

Zachary Marcum
CIS 110-007
11/5/14
4. Global Connections: The Middle East. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2014.
5. American Muslims in the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2014.
6. World's Muslim population more widespread than you might think. (2013, June
7). Retrieved October 2, 2014.
7. Slick, M. (n.d.). The Five Pillars of Islam. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
8. Salem, P. (2012, November 29).
.4102 ,3 rebmevoN deveirteR .
9. Index. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2014