Rhetorical Op Ed on Islamophobia
In the Islamic Koran, it speaks of an inward quest called the “great jihad”. This is a journey to expel all that is evil within (wickedness, inhumanity, greed). It is considered the most important struggle that goes on within one’s self. It is very important in their religion to walk this path no matter the situation or environment. In Chapter 3, verse 172, of the Koran, it states, "Of those who answered the call of Allah and the messenger, even after being wounded, those who do right and refrain from wrong have a great reward." The Muslim community has often used this as proof that their religion should not be misunderstood because of radical views. This is showing that even in the face of certain death, if you do the right thing, you will be rewarded. It is a verse that even a nonbeliever of Islam would find inspiring.
As a result of this, Muslims are commonly regarded as friendly and warmhearted. Not only by foreigners who lived in the Middle East and have had plenty of experiences with them, but also from tourists that have had brief interactions with Muslims.
There isn’t just a peaceful side to this religion though. There never is. There is also what is referred to as the “lower jihad”, which is the most controversial part of this religion. It states in (22:39), "To those against whom war is made, permission is given [to fight] because they are wronged; and verily, God is most powerful for their aid" This has been interpreted many different ways whether it is beliefs within the religion or assumptions outside of it.
Muslim scholar Imam Sulayman S. Nyang of Howard University in Washington, D.C. interprets this verse to why it is a belief of most Muslims, saying, "if you are attacked by your persecutors, but don't fight back indiscriminately. Follow the rules of engagement. According to mainstream Muslim clerics, those "rules of engagement" are explicit: women, children, and innocent civilians are off limits.” This interpretation of this text isn’t usually common knowledge to people of other faiths. It forgives the use of violence in certain situations.
Most Islamic radicalists use these out-of-context verses to justify the use of cruelty towards innocents. They spread their message of violence using social media, news coverage, and propaganda. This radical promotion has used globalization to it’s advantage, but unfortunately has overshadowed what Muslims have been spreading for centuries; doing the right thing.
Although Muhammad was considered a military leader in his time, violence is present in most religions scriptures. In recent history though, Muhammad has been referred to more of a saint or guru. It reads, (8:67) – “It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had made a great slaughter in the land…”
David Rodier, associate professor emeritus of American University, is an expert on numerous world religions. He says, "If people are intent on using religion to motivate terror or violence, they'll find an excuse there no matter what the actual text says."
This could be applicable to any religion whether it is Christianity, Judaism, or Mormonism. Just as the KKK doesn’t represent Christianity, Muslim terrorism doesn’t represent Islam. One bad apple doesn’t have to ruin the bunch but we let it anyways.
World War II was a time of misery and strategic decision making. One decision that seems to haunt America during this time, and to this day, is the imprisonment of over 127,000 Japanese-Americans. Yes, it was a different time and a different situation, but that doesn’t justify the obvious xenophobia that was set in motion.
“Thousands of German and Italian aliens living in the U.S. would also be locked up, but millions of German and Italian-American citizens would remain free to live their lives as they always had. Only Japanese Americans were singled out.” says “The War” written in collaboration with multiple writers and PBS. This is a good example to why The United States is 85 on the cultural diversity list and has a cultural fractionalization of .27. Which means if you take two random people from the country, there is a 27% chance of them being culturally different, far lower than most developed countries. Is this not a testament to how American culture grows on immigrants? There are people of all races fighting for and growing our country, so it is a true disservice to the country to not allow certain citizens to broaden our demographic.
One might not think racism is a relevant problem in this country but Chris Allen, a British sociologist assigned by the FRA to investigate post 9/11 Islamophobia, had this to say in his 2010 report, “Immediately prior to the events of 9/11, the United Nations (UN) officially recognized the proliferating climate of anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic prejudice, discrimination, and hatred – Islamophobia – as being as equally repellent and unwanted as anti-Semitism and other global discriminatory phenomena. The 9/11 tragedy, however, somewhat overshadowed this recognition, resulting in the continued proliferation of anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic sentiment and expression.” This is not a shocking discovery because it would makes sense for a population to be afraid of an ethnic group after an indiscriminate attack by radicalists. What doesn’t make sense, is the generalization of Islamophobia and the genuine phobia of a whole race.
If our common goal in life the the betterment of mankind as a species, then why, WHY do we have to blatantly push one another away for authentic differences, when we should be taught to embrace what this can contribute to humanity. Whether it is skin color, religion, origin, sexual orientation, or even ideologies? It doesn’t seem to compute to me as to why this is a recurring factor in the very miniscule history of humans. It is a true disservice.
As a result of this, Muslims are commonly regarded as friendly and warmhearted. Not only by foreigners who lived in the Middle East and have had plenty of experiences with them, but also from tourists that have had brief interactions with Muslims.
There isn’t just a peaceful side to this religion though. There never is. There is also what is referred to as the “lower jihad”, which is the most controversial part of this religion. It states in (22:39), "To those against whom war is made, permission is given [to fight] because they are wronged; and verily, God is most powerful for their aid" This has been interpreted many different ways whether it is beliefs within the religion or assumptions outside of it.
Muslim scholar Imam Sulayman S. Nyang of Howard University in Washington, D.C. interprets this verse to why it is a belief of most Muslims, saying, "if you are attacked by your persecutors, but don't fight back indiscriminately. Follow the rules of engagement. According to mainstream Muslim clerics, those "rules of engagement" are explicit: women, children, and innocent civilians are off limits.” This interpretation of this text isn’t usually common knowledge to people of other faiths. It forgives the use of violence in certain situations.
Most Islamic radicalists use these out-of-context verses to justify the use of cruelty towards innocents. They spread their message of violence using social media, news coverage, and propaganda. This radical promotion has used globalization to it’s advantage, but unfortunately has overshadowed what Muslims have been spreading for centuries; doing the right thing.
Although Muhammad was considered a military leader in his time, violence is present in most religions scriptures. In recent history though, Muhammad has been referred to more of a saint or guru. It reads, (8:67) – “It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had made a great slaughter in the land…”
David Rodier, associate professor emeritus of American University, is an expert on numerous world religions. He says, "If people are intent on using religion to motivate terror or violence, they'll find an excuse there no matter what the actual text says."
This could be applicable to any religion whether it is Christianity, Judaism, or Mormonism. Just as the KKK doesn’t represent Christianity, Muslim terrorism doesn’t represent Islam. One bad apple doesn’t have to ruin the bunch but we let it anyways.
World War II was a time of misery and strategic decision making. One decision that seems to haunt America during this time, and to this day, is the imprisonment of over 127,000 Japanese-Americans. Yes, it was a different time and a different situation, but that doesn’t justify the obvious xenophobia that was set in motion.
“Thousands of German and Italian aliens living in the U.S. would also be locked up, but millions of German and Italian-American citizens would remain free to live their lives as they always had. Only Japanese Americans were singled out.” says “The War” written in collaboration with multiple writers and PBS. This is a good example to why The United States is 85 on the cultural diversity list and has a cultural fractionalization of .27. Which means if you take two random people from the country, there is a 27% chance of them being culturally different, far lower than most developed countries. Is this not a testament to how American culture grows on immigrants? There are people of all races fighting for and growing our country, so it is a true disservice to the country to not allow certain citizens to broaden our demographic.
One might not think racism is a relevant problem in this country but Chris Allen, a British sociologist assigned by the FRA to investigate post 9/11 Islamophobia, had this to say in his 2010 report, “Immediately prior to the events of 9/11, the United Nations (UN) officially recognized the proliferating climate of anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic prejudice, discrimination, and hatred – Islamophobia – as being as equally repellent and unwanted as anti-Semitism and other global discriminatory phenomena. The 9/11 tragedy, however, somewhat overshadowed this recognition, resulting in the continued proliferation of anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic sentiment and expression.” This is not a shocking discovery because it would makes sense for a population to be afraid of an ethnic group after an indiscriminate attack by radicalists. What doesn’t make sense, is the generalization of Islamophobia and the genuine phobia of a whole race.
If our common goal in life the the betterment of mankind as a species, then why, WHY do we have to blatantly push one another away for authentic differences, when we should be taught to embrace what this can contribute to humanity. Whether it is skin color, religion, origin, sexual orientation, or even ideologies? It doesn’t seem to compute to me as to why this is a recurring factor in the very miniscule history of humans. It is a true disservice.