There have been many instances in history of members in a major or “dominant” group taking advantage, disrespecting, and belittling members in a minor or subgroup. Although there are many ways to prevent this and to create cohesion between members of these groups, the most important thing to consider and practice is: tolerance. No law or social pressure can create a person to be tolerant, for this is entirely on the individual to decide. For people to showcase some level of tolerance towards one another is the right step to guarantee a more civilized, peaceful state, but given that this all comes down to the individual rather than the society, it is greatly difficult to ensure that there will be acceptance for all people. The simplistic argument
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Because of this, there has been a great deal of xenophobia and fear of immigrants from different countries, especially from countries that are predominately Muslim. It can be argued that the US media has played a significant role in the perspective of the Muslim-American and of Islam. Regardless, the Muslim in America has been subjected to mistreatment, harassment, and absolute intolerance for decades, but this unethical treatment was amplified after the events of 9/11. In his article “Combating Islamophobia,” Douglas Johnston says that “since September 11, 2001, the phenomenon known as “Islamophobia” has swept across the United States, reflecting the growing concern among Americans that practitioners of the Muslim faith are fundamentally irrational, intolerant, and violent and that Islam has become inconsistent with the American way of life.” Since then, the Muslim has faced a plethora of racial discrimination that, in its core, goes against everything this nation was founded on. The United States was created with the principle of freedom in mind, particularly the freedom of religion and the right to practice that religion without governmental interference or mistreatment. However, this would not guarantee that the Muslim faith would be peacefully practiced, given the rise of xenophobia and Islamophobia in this country. Fortunately, these accounts of mistreatment are not carried about by even a majority of the approximate 310 million people in this country, so the challenge of combating Islamophobia is not so great, but it is still a great enough challenge that should, at the very least, be talked about openly and honestly. There is, unfortunately, this stigma when it comes to the Muslim in this country, but, if anything, this is why people should be more tolerant and
Because of this, there has been a great deal of xenophobia and fear of immigrants from different countries, especially from countries that are predominately Muslim. It can be argued that the US media has played a significant role in the perspective of the Muslim-American and of Islam. Regardless, the Muslim in America has been subjected to mistreatment, harassment, and absolute intolerance for decades, but this unethical treatment was amplified after the events of 9/11. In his article “Combating Islamophobia,” Douglas Johnston says that “since September 11, 2001, the phenomenon known as “Islamophobia” has swept across the United States, reflecting the growing concern among Americans that practitioners of the Muslim faith are fundamentally irrational, intolerant, and violent and that Islam has become inconsistent with the American way of life.” Since then, the Muslim has faced a plethora of racial discrimination that, in its core, goes against everything this nation was founded on. The United States was created with the principle of freedom in mind, particularly the freedom of religion and the right to practice that religion without governmental interference or mistreatment. However, this would not guarantee that the Muslim faith would be peacefully practiced, given the rise of xenophobia and Islamophobia in this country. Fortunately, these accounts of mistreatment are not carried about by even a majority of the approximate 310 million people in this country, so the challenge of combating Islamophobia is not so great, but it is still a great enough challenge that should, at the very least, be talked about openly and honestly. There is, unfortunately, this stigma when it comes to the Muslim in this country, but, if anything, this is why people should be more tolerant and