Muslim in America – Voices

If you’re born as a Muslim in the United States, you never know what it feels like to be the norm. For immigrants, going from being a majority to a stereotyped minority is an even more alarming disparity.

I think this issue really draws attention to how your surroundings influence your identity, and highlights how important representation in popular media is. Seeing Muslim people on TV shows or in movies legitimizes the presence of them in America and makes Muslims feel less like outsiders.

I definitely feel like being Muslim leads to more discrimination, even it’s subtle. I also think it depends a lot on where you are in the country. For example, going to Georgia in a hijab feels a lot different than walking down the street in New York City.

The norm in this country is to be suspicious of Muslim people, or anyone who appears Arab. However, in the more metropolitan areas, you face less direct prejudice. It comes out in smaller ways, like when people don’t want to discuss current events or politics in front of their Muslim friend because it’s too sensitive of an issue.

I hope in the future that being Muslim does not affect your ability to prosper and live happily in this country. America is supposed to be a country of equal opportunity, but if Americans continue to go back on that promise, then there will be no room for diversity. You can’t turn your back on the foundations of your country just because it suddenly becomes inconvenient.