Islamophobia in America

Prejudices and stereotypes of certain identities in a society can give a good look at the society itself. Prejudices can often occur because of a single event and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 irrefutably led to some assumptions about a specific group of people in our society. An uncomfortably common and uneducated notion in our society is that the Islam faith is synonymous with terrorism. After that day in September, America was changed forever and an entire religion was alienated as if it had not been their country as well that had been attacked. Like judging a book by its cover, a nation judged a religion by its extremists. These prejudices show how collective fear and ignorance often lead to injustice, even a decade later. The Council on American-Islam Relations, or CAIR, is one of many Muslim groups trying to give Americans an accurate view of the Islam faith and its people. CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization, released a trio of public service announcements in 2010 addressing America’s growing Islamophobia and trying to bring an end to the irrational and bigoted prejudices that have been made and spread by Americans.

Two of the three public service announcements feature 9/11 first responders describing their actions and reactions that day with the theme of “9/11 Happened to Us All”. A medical responder says that she responded because she wanted to help her fellow New Yorkers and fellow Americans, emphasizing that she is “a clinical pharmacist, a first responder at 9/11, and a Muslim.” The second “9/11 Happened to Us All” PSA features a New York City firefighter and Muslim who describes his emotions after learning that his fellow firefighter and friend was on the list of those who died and the surreal feeling of it all. Both of these individuals show how the 9/11 attacks didn't just happen to one group of people, but to every American, all other identities aside. The third PSA entitled “We Have More in Common than We Think” features four religious leaders of different faiths, including Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, expressing the common message of love and respect in each of their religions. The leaders demonstrate how religions have similar values and should not have stereotypes associated with them or be privileged above one another. CAIR's mission statement is "to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding" and all three videos help to accomplish this task.

Each PSA is meant to challenge anti-Muslim prejudices and does more than so within the powerful thirty seconds it plays. The short but substantial videos greatly encourage dialogue about religious prejudice and help others see behind the stereotype of the Islam faith. They show how everyone, including Muslims, was affected on September 11, 2001 and Muslim-Americans should not be made out to be any less patriotic simply because of the identities of the perpetrators. A Muslim leader in the “We Have More in Common than We Think” PSA, says, “If we don’t have our rights, you don’t have yours”. This message expresses how prejudices not only infringe on someone’s welfare but also on their freedom and if a certain group’s rights are disregarded, then everyone else’s rights are just as vulnerable. The Islam faith is a peaceful religion with emphasis on respect, virtue, and charity, and these facts should be acknowledged before making any kind of judgment. Religious tolerance is a value that has, in the past couple years, been made more and more difficult but organizations like CAIR show that you don’t always have to sit back and accept the social injustice.

Videos:

“9/11 Happened to Us All”

Medical Responder- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVtup1bB7aM&feature=relmfu

Firefighter- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU5W-iUv8fg

“We Have More in Common than You Think”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhOi5gRkK0M&feature=relmfu