Nov. 19th: A sixth-grader in the Bronx was attacked by fellow students who called her ISIS and attempted to rip off her headscarf.
Nov. 21st: Armed Protesters stood outside of the Islamic Center of Irving.
Nov. 26th: A Muslim Taxi Driver was shot by his passenger after the passenger ranted about ISIS.
Dec. 2nd: The Manassas Mosque in Virginia received a hateful phone call stating “You all will be killed.” These attacks are just a snapshot of incidents that have occurred only recently after the tragic attacks in both San Bernardino and Paris.
Not only have attacks on American Muslims been on the rise, so has the hateful rhetoric spewed by the Republican front-runner Donald Trump. What seemed like comedic entertainment has quickly turned into a very alarming and terrifying agenda. In this month alone, Trump has called for the complete banning of Muslims entering the US as well as ID badges and tracking systems for the Muslims already here in the US. For any person who is running for office, these statements are not only extremely unconstitutional but should be condemned as both hate-speech and bigotry. To dismiss the ridiculous ideas of Donald Trump would be to ignore the fact that his words affect the minds of thousands of individuals who support his campaign and who already have suspicions and hatred towards American Muslims. The fact that Trump is the front-runner of the Republican Party not only showcases the indifference to his hateful rhetoric but the alarming fact that many Americans support his ideals and his agenda.
“Islamophobia is not just an ideology or fear of Islam. It is a system that weaves its way into our politics and our media. It is the system that allows ‘terrorism’ to have a religious identity. It allows our discourse on mass shootings to shift dramatically when a shooter is white versus when the shooter is Muslim. It allows our media to obsess over radical Islam while remaining silent to the fact that a majority of the 300-plus mass shootings this year were committed by white men.”
As an American Muslim, it has been nothing short of exhausting to keep up with current events. Friday Sermons across the country voiced concerns about being safe in the rise of anti-Muslim attacks. For the first time, I have had to remain conscious and diligent of the fact that my headscarf is an obvious sign of my religious identity. The concern that an individual fueled by the Anti-Muslim and Islamophobic rhetoric would lash out is sadly a concern that has emerged in response to all of the headlines that fill TV screens and Facebook feeds.
Islamophobia is not just an ideology or fear of Islam. It is a system that weaves its way into our politics and our media. It is the system that allows “terrorism” to have a religious identity. It allows our discourse on mass shootings to shift dramatically when a shooter is white versus when the shooter is Muslim. It allows our media to obsess over radical Islam while remaining silent to the fact that a majority of the 300-plus mass shootings this year were committed by white men. This vicious cycle is nothing new to our headlines. With the coverage of any attacks committed by a Muslim comes extreme detail and investigation into their religion: How many times did this person visit the mosque? Do they own a prayer rug? How Muslim were they?
Islamophobia has become a form of bigotry that is acceptable in our public discourse. Under the disguise of “fighting terrorism,” the lives and dignity of the American Muslim community is compromised. From the NYPD surveillance of Muslims in New York City to constant dehumanization of both Muslim and Sikh Americans in the form of hate crimes and hate speech, these incidences have occurred far too many times for far too long.
This is not to say that terrorism and the despicable acts of ISIS are not to be condemned or addressed. The problem lies in the way we are addressing these issues. Terrorism should not be linked with any race or religion. Acts of violence that threaten our livelihood and are used to terrorize innocent people should be labeled as terrorism, not just acts of violence committed by Muslims. Instead of pushing the hateful “us vs. them” agenda (of which ISIS uses to fuel their propaganda), we should be working together to combat the hatred that fuels ISIS as well as the bigotry that fuels Islamophobic attacks. We (as a nation and global community) can no longer afford to spread hatred and intolerance in the name of combating terrorism.
