Arabs in America

Arabs in America

While reading the section in the text about the race and civil rights of Muslims in the United States pre- and post-September 11, 2001, I was surprised on how much terrorism by other types of religious-extremist groups there are that are not publicized. I think part of the reason that groups such the Jewish Defense League (JDL) don’t get as much attention in the press as Arab terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda is the nature of their terrorism. The JDL’s goal was to “eliminate perceived enemies of the Jewish people and Israel,” and they targeted specific groups of people who they view as threats. Mostly, the JDL targeted Muslims, and since the majority of the United States is not Muslim, most Americans did not see the JDL as a direct threat to their livelihood.

I think that another reason for groups such as the JDL not getting press coverage is because they are not seen a threat to all Americans, and because Americans do not see them as a threat, we passively sit by.

On the other hand, I think the vast majority of Americans have fear of Arabs is because terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda are willing to target any and all Americans, and they base this claim on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2009. On that day, thousands of people who had never voiced their hatred for Muslims, or for that matter even felt any sort of hatred for them, were attacked by surprise when they thought they were safe. I think that this nature of being attacked when a person least expects it makes people weary when they see Muslims in public. Additionally, since Al Qaeda is opposed to the American way of life in general, they target every American. Since Americans in general are the target of Al Qaeda, American pay more attention to (publicize more) the activities of groups that target them. If the JDL used the same tactics that Al Qaeda used, I would not be surprised if Americans felt the same way towards them as they do towards Muslims today. However, as the text states, there are many more factors to the racism towards Muslims.

While watching the episode of 30 Days, I could not help but notice how Dave seemed to be representative of how the American population views Muslims and their religion. While he is a practicing Christian, for the most part he did not know anything about the Muslim religion. Dave seemed shocked when he heard that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are all branches of similar beliefs. I think part of the reason many people who do not practice Islam are unaware of its beliefs is because many Americans do not look it upon with favor.

Another part in the episode of 30 Days I thought was intriguing was when people were asked how they felt about a local mosque broadcasting its call to prayer over a loudspeaker so people on the street could hear it. People claimed this action violated their religious freedom, and the mosque received bomb threats. I think these people who have issue with this broadcasted call to prayer hold Islam to a double-standard: that is, the same people who are outraged by the Islam religion’s call to prayer think church bells, which is their call to prayer, are perfectly acceptable.

I think the main reason behind this negative attitude towards Arab Americans stems from lack of knowledge and education on their culture. The only knowledge most people have of Arabs and their Muslim religion comes from the media, which obviously puts a negative “spin” on their religion. Once people become more educated, they will understand that the beliefs they currently hold towards Arab Americans are based on misconceptions; which will lead to more a more positive attitude towards Arabs and their religion in America.