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How Western Society Views Muslims Today
Lina Hashem
Why is it that Muslims in today's society are labeled? They are judged by their appearance. They are stereotyped by the bad deeds committed by a small percentage of the vast population of Muslims in today's world. They are judged by all the misconceptions about Islam mostly spread by Hollywood movies. Muslims in Western society are especially ridiculed, stereotyped, misunderstood, and put down by the media today. In all the movies the U.S. has produced, I haven't seen one good comment or act carried out by a Muslim. Either the Muslims in the movie are terrorists, wife beaters, or oppressed women. This is so untrue for the whole Muslim population in the real world. Yes, it may be partially true, but what religion does not have terrorists, wife beaters, or oppressed women, and it doesn't speak for the religion, it speaks for the culture or the individuals. There are so many misconceptions of Islam, that it's sad to know so many people view Islam in a negative way, or are falsely informed of its practices. Islam is a peaceful religion; many do not know, because they do not take the time to actually understand the concept of the religion. They just listen to what they hear on the radio, what they see on the television set, or what they read in the newspaper. What this society needs to do is open their eyes, reach out, and actually talk to a respected Muslim and see how at peace the religion and the people really are, instead of taking everything they view and hear literally and perceiving Muslims in a negative way. The number one stereotype is that Muslims are looked upon as terrorists. The wrong actions by a few Muslims are attributed to the whole population of Muslims. No, all Muslims are not terrorists! The Muslims who carry out these acts are extremists. The religion does not accept terrorism as an act of faith. Ask yourself what religion does not have extremists who perform dangerous acts towards society. This society needs to stop focusing on all the bad points committed by these Muslim extremists and start focusing on the good that the majority Muslims have accomplished. Pointing fingers every time a bomb goes off, as the media did for the Oklahoma bombing, is getting kind of old. Terrorism isn't the only stereotype that Muslims have to face; there are also many other stereotypes and misunderstood concepts. Jihad (struggle) is probably the most misunderstood religious word in today's society. It is often mentioned on western TV and radio during news about the Middle East, where it is implied to be a synonym of "holy war" - a call to fight against non-Muslims in the defense of Islam. The vast majority of Muslims have an entirely different definition of Jihad. It is seen as a personal, internal struggle with one's self. The goal may be achievement in a profession, self-purification, or accomplishing some other noble goal. 1 Muslims are careful in trying to purify themselves spiritually. Muslims are to be honest, forgiving, just, kind, modest, humble, good to their parents, their relatives, their neighbors, etc. They are not allowed to backbite, slander, lie, steal, fornicate, commit adultery, etc. Muslims continually strive to purify themselves physically and spiritually for the sake of Allah alone. They act in the way of the Prophets (may peace be upon them), not in the way of terrorists.1 Another one of the most widespread misconceptions about Muslims is that the majority is Middle Eastern. Fewer than 1 out of 8 American Muslims (12.4 percent) are of Arab descent. Around the world, there are about 100 million more Muslims on the Indian subcontinent alone than in all Arab countries combined. The two largest Muslim groups in the United States are native-born African-Americans and immigrants from South Asia.2 Aside from the fact that western society thinks the majority of the Muslims are from the Middle East, the Muslim women of this society have to face more than this misconception, they have to face discrimination and they are sometimes looked down on. Westerners tend to feel sorry for Muslim women because they think they are oppressed, forced to wear hijab, or set at a lower standard in their Muslim community. Westerners tend to think all of this because of the wrong information that has been fed to them by the media. Probably the biggest problem Muslim women who wear hijab (headscarf) have to face everyday is discrimination or people staring at them walking down the street. Why? The western world has come to see hijab as symbolizing forced silence. Why does western society look at the Muslim women as being oppressed? The Muslim women who cover themselves, not showing anything except their hands and face, are looked upon by westerners as oppressed, when in fact Muslims look at it as a sign of liberation from the male scrutiny and the standards of attractiveness. In Islam, a woman is free to be whom she is inside, and immune from being portrayed as a sex symbol and lusted after. In the western and eastern cultures where so much emphasis is placed on being beautiful or attractive, a Muslim woman does not feel that pressure. She does not have to worry about living up to that expectation of what is desirable or what is not. Her main goal is her inner spiritual beauty.3
It's sad witnessing a woman wearing hijab walking down the street being stared at because of her appearance. What is hard to understand is that she is covered; yet people tend to stare. The point of wearing hijab is not to be viewed as a sex symbol, but to be looked at for her mind and intelligence. What kind of message is the media sending out to all the non-Muslims in this world? After watching movies such as: "Not Without My Daughter," "The Siege," "The Three Kings," and all those Chuck Norris flicks, Muslim women are being viewed as women who are beaten by their fathers, brothers, or estranged husbands. People watching these movies also have it stuck in their minds that every Muslim they come across is a terrorist or that there's an Uzi hidden under the jilbab (long gown Muslim women choose to wear) of a Muslim woman. There are so many stereotypes in the present media that need to be corrected. If the media only knew how much it hurts to see one's own religion being falsely criticized and ridiculed. Western society view Muslims in a negative way according to the media. Muslims are viewed as Arab terrorists, wife beaters, oppressed women, etc. People don't take the time to really see Muslims for who they are; they stereotype them from what they see on the movie screen, the news, and from what they hear on the radio. They view the actions of the few Muslims who commit these unspeakable acts and generalize the religion as a whole. Not all Muslims are alike; there are Muslims all over the world who come from different cultures, traditions, countries, etc. So one cannot generalize Muslims based on the actions of one Muslim. It is true many Muslim women are being oppressed, but that has nothing to do with the religion; unfortunately that is how some cultures in the east treat women. Western society needs to stop viewing Muslims as cruel, violent people and start viewing them for who they are as individuals. ENDNOTES:
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