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Julieta Chiaramonte
ENGL-2010-400-Su16
Instructor Courtney
1 July 2016
A Dangerous Trend: Islamophobia in Americas School System
In light of recent national crisis, such as the Orlando shooting earlier this month,
Young Muslim Americans face more scrutiny than ever. In society they face the term
coined Islamophobia meaning: Dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims
(Center for). Even worse, this scrutiny holds a high place in the school systems kids
face everyday. From the generalization of a religion, non-stop bullying, threats, and even
exile in school system, the situation appears to worsen. Through this report we will be
analyzing the treatment of young Muslim students in the American school system. How
does the generalization of a religion hurt our society? What are Muslim students doing to
combat stereotypes? The analysis of a few situations listed below will help us understand.
The very relevant start of discrimination towards the Muslim demographic came
post 9/11, which has been made common knowledge in society. Conducted by Islam
extremist, many Americans generalized the religion of Islam, concluding that all were
involved. Very similar discriminations towards a group of people can be seen in the
history of America. In World War One, Russians were held to the highest threat, starting
the Red Scare, or better known as the fear of communism. Many were accused of being
Pro-Communism or Russian spies (Red Scare). A similar movement was seen in World
War 2 towards the Japanese, post Pearl Harbor. Japanese internment camps were built to
keep the race contained for the tragedies caused in Pearl Harbor (Pearl Harbor). This

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generalized a whole group of people who were not directly involved with the horrible act
committed against Pearl Harbor. These historical trends of discrimination against a group
are no different than the discrimination seen against Islam today. Terrorist attacks have
sparked a wave of Anti-Muslim Mentality. As pictured below, Muslims are the #1 religion
to experience discrimination.

Photocredit: www.Gallup.com

To add on to the graph above, there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, but what
percentage really carry out these brutal terrorist attacks? As McGrath showed in his
article ISIS vs. Islam, the stat of average 0.00065% show the small amount actually
involved in terror (McGrath).
In the above paragraph we discussed the trends in U.S. society towards a group or
race of people. During each time period, why were Americas people so quick to fear?

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Why do the American people feel the right to fear and stereotype Islam in America?
During an interview with community Muslim leaders regarding the Africa U.S. Embassy
bombings in 1999, Frontlines interviewer Lowell Bergman brought up a valid theory to
why Americans feel the right to generalize Muslims. Bergman probes: The suggestion
is that U.S. is at war with Islam, that there is a psychology that all of you who adhere to
this faith are our enemies (The Questions). This validly explains why Americans
may fear Islam, since America is at war with the Middle- East, along with multiple
attacks from those who happen to be Islamic extremists. In the same interview, Yasmin
Khan insists that these views could be changed through educating the public that Islam
means peace and all Muslims around the world feel offended when terrorism is
immediately thought of as an Islamic behavior pattern. Through using the school
systems in America to educate young people, who can make the change to this trend,
Islamophobia could come to a revolutionary halt. The downfall of this historical timeline
is that American school systems actually became one of the breeding grounds for Islamic
generalization, making Muslim students feel discriminated against.
With the spark of discrimination starting immediatley after 9/11, the first students
to take the hit were those in New York. The harassment began when Muslim students
attended school, tying those of Islam religion directly to the attacks. These students faced
bullying, solidarity, and sadly many received death threats on a daily basis (Ahmad).
With such high discrimination targeted towards these students, America had to take
necessary steps to protect them. For these students, grades started suffering, as well as
attendance plummeting.

Photocredit: www.Dawn.com (Munir)

The American Board of Education issued their concerns, asking all employees to fully
protect their Muslim students from experiencing discrimination at school (Blad). To make
matters worse, not only did the students receive harassment from fellow students, but also
their school board members. Many students who are Sikh were commonly confused with
Muslim due to their physical appearance. These events promoted inequality and fear in the
school systems, although the American Board of Education tried to stop it.
With such high tension in the school systems, young Muslim Americans have
started taking action to discredit stereotypes of the Islam faith. A group by the name World
Changers created by Ranny Badreddine, is being used to fight terrorist propaganda that
harms the view of Islam. These students have taken to the Internet, answering questions
about their religion. The Internet is quick, offers viral exposure, and supports audiences
around the world. The group of teenagers answers public questions in regards to Islam,
terrorism, their personal life, and public misconceptions (American Muslims). Romaze
Akhram describes in perfect context the problem Muslim students are facing: The
problem is, when they talk about Islamic terrorism, people aren't necessarily seeing, like,
ISIS and al-Qaida. Like, they're seeing me (American Muslims). These students have

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truly become young activists to protect the name of Islam, while promoting a safe and
communicative school environment.

Photocredit: www.wired.com (Ackerman)

In conclusion, another very big wave of group discrimination is something we see

every day from walking the street, being in school, or even shopping at the mall. Although
discrimination has affected all those who identify as Muslim American, the kids who are
well submerged into the school systems take a hit. Schools and school boards openly
identify that this is an ongoing issue that must be resolved with protocol of education, and
hopefully respect. As seen in history with the Russians or the Japanese, it was not
successful holding a whole group of people hostage to the ideology that they all hold ties
with worldly events. Certainly, the people connected to these events are taken seriously to
make out the groups, such as identifying groups of the Taliban, and not labeling them as
just Muslim. We are very fortunate to live in a country of diversity, care, and compassion
that should be extended to all members of this nation.
Works Cited
Ackerman, Spencer. "Next-Gen Terror Watchers Go Deep Into Al-Qaida, Tweet a Lot."

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Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 01 July 2016.
Ahmad, Iftikhar, and Michelle Y. Szpara. "Muslim Children In Urban America: The New
York City Schools Experience." Journal Of Muslim Minority Affairs 23.2 (2003): 295301. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web. 28 June 2016.
"American Muslims Tackle Terrorism With Teens' Best Tool: The Internet." All Things
Considered 27 Jan. 2016. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 June 2016.
BLAD, EVIE. "Feds Urge Schools To Shield Muslim Students From Harassment."
Education Digest 81.9 (2016): 26. TOPICsearch. Web. 28 June 2016.
"Center for Race & Gender." Defining "Islamophobia" N.p., n.d. Web. 01 July 2016.
"Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West." Gallup.com. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 01 July 2016.
McGrath, James F. "ISIS vs. Islam." Exploring Our Matrix. Patheos, 15 Nov. 2015. Web.
01 July 2016.
Munir, Syed Rashid. "Im Frightened, Im Frightening: Im a Muslim in America."
Dawn.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 01 July 2016.
"Pearl Harbor." History. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 01 July 2016.
"Red Scare." History. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 01 July 2016.
"The Questions and Fears of One Muslim Community." Interview by Lowell Bergman,
Yasmin Khan, Khalid Y. Hamideh, Ibrahim Salih, and Cherie Lyle. Frontline. PBS, 1999.
Web. 5 July 2016.