Muslim in America – Voices

Whenever I hear about a shooting or violent act on the news, I often find myself saying, ‘I hope it is not a Muslim.’ Ever since 9/11, I believe that the media have programmed us to think Muslims commit violent acts in the name of our religion while everyone else who goes and shoots up a school or kills innocent is “excused” for having a mental illness.

How, then, can the same not hold for individuals who “think” they associate with the Islamic faith? Terrorists perform horrible acts that do not in any way portray the true beliefs of Islam. Double standards are applied all the time and it does not matter if it is the ‘conservative’ or the ‘liberal’ media, it has just now become the norm.

Even though I live in NYC, one of the most tolerant cities in the U.S., I still feel that Muslims are treated differently due to how the media and government perceive what it means to be Muslim.

This became more apparent after the election of our current President, who I believe has exposed the ugliness that was before hidden within people. I do not think that Islamophobia has necessarily gotten worse over the past years, but it is now more tolerable to expose your racist thoughts under the current President.

I remember that soon after our President was elected, I encountered multiple people that had refused to be treated by me because of my Islamic last name. I was constantly told to get out of this country.

I think seeing our fellow citizens behave towards others under the Trump administration is a wake up call to all of us to realize what the general public truly thinks of those who are different from them and to come back and reevaluate our values as a country.