AnthonyNygren

Polls1100
Professor
Sowards
30January2016
LettertotheEditor

AnthonyNygren
1774EFaunsdaleDrive
SandyUT,84092
anthony.nygren@iechs.org

January30,2016

DearEditor,

Wehavemanyproblemsasacountry.Thesegofromaragingdrugwartoglobal
warmingandtoacripplingnationaldebt.Giveortakehowyouplease,Americadoeshave
problems.Amajorissue,onethattheUnitedStateshasfacedsincebeforeitwasevencalledthis,
hasbeeninequalitiestowardsminorities.ThefirstslavesthatlandedinAmericawereat
Jamestownin1619butevenbeforethistheWASP(WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant)mentality
hasheldoveralltrueinAmericanhistorysinceColumbusin1492.Addedtomigrationproblems
ofIrishimmigrantsinthe1800s,andthebadnamethatMexicanimmigrantsaregettingtoday,
itmayseemlikeyoucantgetafairshotatthelifeyoudeserveinAmericaunlessyouwerea
whitecitizenfromEuropeandescent(nottoevenstartonthelackofrightswomentodaystill
face).
Wellasyoucansee,thegroupsthatloveputtinglabelsonminoritieswereabletoadd
anothertotheirliststartingonSeptember11,2001.Onthisday,agroupofMuslim(This
mainlybeingthegenerallabelthatweputonanyonefromtheMiddleEast)extremistcommitted
anactofterrorontheWorldTradeCenterinNewYorkCity.Thisforeverchangedthelivesof
manyAmericanCitizensandlabeledandcharacterizedthetraitsseenofthewholeMuslim
religion.
NowIamnottryingtosoundignorantmyselftowardAmerica.Honestly,Ifeellike
there'salotofwonderful,amazingpeoplethatmakeupthiscountry.Therearealsothepeople
whodontfullyunderstandtheperspectiveofminorities.Forexample,onOctober9thof2015,a
groupcalledtheOathKeepersgatheredin20citiesforaGlobalRallyforHumanity(Oath
Keepers).Picturethis.ImaginegoingtochurchonSunday,Saturday,Thursdayorwhateverday
youmaygo.Enteringyourpeacefulplacesofworship,andcomingacrosshundredsofhostile
protesters,Somearearmedwithassaultriflesandallofthemaresurroundingyourchurch
screamingprofanitylacedslurs.ThisiswhattheseOathKeepers,comprisedofamerican
citizens,didduringaFridayprayerinfrontofMosquesaroundtheUS.Theseantimuslim
rightwingersareknowntofollowaneightstrategyprocess.First:FrameMuslimAmericansas
dangeroustoAmerica.Two:TwiststatisticsandusefakeresearchtoprovetheMuslimthreat.
Three:InventthedangerofcreepingSharia.Four:Defendlibertybytakingfreedomsaway
fromMuslims.Five:ClaimthatIslamisnotareligion.Six:MaintainthatMuslimshavenoFirst
AmendmentrightsundertheConstitution.Seven:LinkantiMuslimprejudicetoantiObama

rhetoric.Finallywitheight:ClaimanunholyallianceexiststhatincludesMuslimsandother
groupstargetedbytheRightWing(PeoplefortheAmericanWay).
Hadmuslimsdonethesameprotestoutsideanonmuslimplaceofworship,wouldthe
mediaregarditasexercisingtheirrightsorwoulditberegardedasapublicdisruption?Notto
mentioniftheyhadbeenarmedaswell!Wouldthemediastillportrayitasthemexercisingtheir
righttobeararms?
Althoughthisactwasdirectedtowardbringingdownawholegroupofpeople,therewere
manyarticlesrelicedonhowitactuallyhelpedsomeofthemuslimcommunity.Anarticletitled
SorryIslamophobes:YourAntiMuslimRalliesEndedUpInspiringActsofLoveandService
explainedhowalthoughthiswasmeanttohurt,thisprotestinspiredsomepeopletohelpthe
muslimcommunity(Kuruvilla).CNNNewsevencalledtheprotestAntiAmerican(Ellison).It
isn'tthesepeopleIamhopingtomovewiththispaper,itistheoneswhocommittedtheprotest,
whogetalittlescaredwhentheyseeamuslimmanorwomanatanairport.
Ironicallyenoughthough,themajorityofMuslimsaremoderateandsuffermorefrom
terrorismandviolencethannonMuslims(Swartley).AftertheattacksontheWorldTrade
Center,theFederalBureauofInvestigationreporteda1,700%increaseinhatecrimesagainst
MuslimAmericansbetween2000to2001.NotonlythatbutintheaftermathofSeptember11,
MuslimAmericansfacedanupsurgeinnegativestereotypesexpressedbythemajorityof
America.Ifyoulookfurther,racialandreligiousgroupsintheMiddleEasthaveleftMuslims,
MiddleEasterners,andanyonewhoresemblesstereotypicalphysicalresemblancetothesegroup
members,liveinasenseoffearbecauseofhateandsegregationtowardthem(Khan,Kathryn).
NinetythreepercentofMuslimsdonotsupportextremistviewsofterrorism.Thosewhodoare
mainlyfromradicalgroupssuchasIsisandTaliban(Swartley).Also,manypeoplebelieve
Muslimshavea
Jihad
(holywar)againstAmericaandsomeAmericanswanttodestroythe
Jihad.However,themeaningoftheArabicword
jihad
isstruggle.Itusuallymeansastruggleof
onessoulagainsttheselfandsinfuldesires.Muslimsrefertothisinnerstruggleasthegreater
jihad,notawaragainstus(Swartley).
Onethingaswelliswhensomeonethinksofradicalgroupsassociatedwithreligion,they
picturetheMuslimreligion,butinfacttheirarealsomanychristianradicalgroups.These
include,butaren'tlimitedto,TheChristianIdentityMovement,TheAryanNations,TheOrange
Volunteers,CatholicReactionForce/ProtestantActionForce,AntiBalaka,NationalLiberation
FrontofTripura,KuKluxKlan,LordsResistanceArmy(AATTP).Thesegroupscommitacts
ofterrorinthenameofaChristiangodandyet,ifsomeonefromthesegroupscommitanactof
terror,itisconsideredtobeoneradicalwhitemanorwoman,notawholeradicalgroupasthe
muslimreligionisportrayed.OnAug.5,2012,inOakCreek,Wisconsin,WadeMichaelPage
murderedsixindividualsduringanattackonaSikhtemple.Pagehadbeenamemberofthe
neoNazirockbandsEndEmpathyandDefiniteHate.However,thiswasawhitemalekills
peopleofcolor.HewasaChristianandpartofaradicangroupandyetitismorethemalewhois
blamed,nothiswholereligion.(Henderson)

ThemainterroristgroupintheMiddleEastiscalledISISortheIslamicStateinIraqand
alSham(orIslamicStateinIraqandSyria).Theyarearadicalorganizationwhoseaimisto
restoretheSyria,Lebanon,Israel,Jordan,thePalestinianterritories,andSoutheasternTurkeyto
anIslamicState("Isis.").Now,whatrightwinghategroupstendtodoischaracterizewhata
MusliminIsisisanddon'trealizethatitistrulydifferentthantheviewsofAmericanMuslims
andoftheMuslimreligion.
Now,ifyoulookintotheissue,IsisiswrongfullyassociatedwiththeMuslimreligionin
themedia.TheyhavelittlecharacteristicsbesidesdressingthesamewayMuslimswoulddress.
IfyouwatchvideosofISISpraying,theydosoinmanydifferentdirections.Itisassumablethey
aremuslim,exceptmuslimsprayinonedirection,towardsthemuslimsholycityinMecca,
facingtheKaba.Also,ifisiswereactuallymuslim,theyshouldfollowthemuslimguidelines,
whichtheydonot.Oneespeciallysobyforcingreligionontoothers.IntheQuran2:257itsays
Thereshallbenocompulsioninreligion.However,hereIsisisthreateningpeoplewhorefuse
tofollowtheirideaofislamwhichisntevenaccurate.Isisalsohasblownupcountless
mosques,andiftheywerereallymuslim,whywouldtheyblowuptheirholyplaceofworship?
Noreligioncondonesthekillingofinnocents.Thesecondbiggestoffenceinthemuslimreligion
outlinedbytheQuranismurderandkilling.Islamismisunderstoodwithmanystereotypes
attachedwhichthenleadstomistreatmentofrealmuslimsinthiscountryandaroundtheworld.
Truemuslimthatfollowstheteachingsofislamhavedisavowedtheidealsandpracticesofisis.
(Noor)

Afull73percentofAmericansbelieveMuslimsfaceagreatdealorafairamountof
discrimination.ThattotaloutstripsbothAfricanAmericans,whom63percentofAmericanssee
asvictimsofbias,andMexicanAmericans,whoareviewedastargetsofdiscriminationby60
percent.(Sledge).ManyMuslimAmericansarealsovictimofcountlessrandomsecurity
checks.Duringatrip,aclosefriendofmine,whoismuslim,wasflyingtoLondonwhenshewas
aboutsevenyearsold.Shewaspulledasideandhadtostripalmostnakedinfrontoftwoguards
attheairport.Sheexplainedhowthiswasinawayscaringbutshewasatleastabletohaveher
sistertheirintheroomsoshewasntalone.EverydaysheseesexplainedhowpeopleinUtahwill
stareatherwhenshehangsoutwithherwhitefriends.Tothepeopleinthemalloronthetrain,
hefriendswillcomeoffasnormalcomparedtoher.(Noor)
Wehaveallgrownupinacountrywhereracialstereotypescanbeconsideredthenormal.
Iwilladmit,thefirstthingImaynoticeofapersonisthecoloroftheirskin,thewaytheydress,
theirhaircolor,ext.That'sallofourfirstinstincts,sameasifyouseesomekidsinhoodiesand
onskateboards,youthinknogoodteenagers.However,thesearejusttheoutwardappearances.
Itismysecondandthirdthoughtsthatmakeme,ordoesntmakeme,raciallyprejudiced.I
believethatignorancecanend,thestepsareeducationandknowledgeofagroupofpeople.Itis
thisignorancethatwillwrongfullydestroygroupsandcommunities.Ihopetoinformthepublic
ofthemisconceptionstowardmuslims.Mysolutiontothisproblem?Pleaseeducatebeforeyou
blindlyhate.


Sincerely,
AnthonyNygren
StudentatSLCC

WorkCited
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