The events of September 11, 2001 haunts the lives of all Americans that were involved or had to bear witness to the catastrophe at hand. Everyone watched as Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda changed the course of America forever. With this one particular extremist group claiming responsibility for 9/11 and its horrendous results, why is it that the whole the religion of Islam and its two billion followers were all villainized, and continue to be seen as enemies twenty years later? Why are many Muslims facing discrimination and hate crimes in the United States today?
First, it is worth noting that Islamophobia can be characterized as a branch or descendant of Orientalism, meaning this sort of discrimination against those originating from the Middle East is not new. The images of Orientalism worked to originally paint Muslims as savages. Dr. Khaled Beydoun, a senior affiliated faculty at the University of California, Berkley Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project, explains how the shift occurred.
“The imagery out of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis was really potent, and modernized how we conceive of the Muslim threat today… The hostage crisis demonstrated the early stages of the development of the modern Muslim terrorist. You saw these turban-clad, beard wearing Iranian men carrying rifles handling these ambassadors and statesmen who were largely white”
(Elba).
This would become the image that comes to mind for some when thinking of “Muslim terrorist”, and for others, the image when simply thinking of “Muslim”. The events of 9/11 would only work to solidify these thoughts further. For those who are Islamophobic, their beliefs would seemingly be validated by certain governmental laws and policies, such as President Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban in 2017.
A report in 2019 made by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding showed that the discrimination against Muslims had been rising across the nation. Discrimination including hate mail, anti-Muslim graffiti, vandalization, shots fired, and death threats (Kang). It is worth noting the partisan divide on the perception of Muslims. Besheer Mohamed, a senior research focusing on religion, states that “Now, Republicans are far more likely that Democrats to say they believe Islam encourages violence more than other religions” (Mohamed).
A solution proposed by Beydoun deals with policy revising. “There isn’t an understanding, broadly speaking, that ties (Islamophobia) to laws, policies, and state structures, so the first step is to acknowledge that. That’s the primary catalyst of Islamophobia” (Elba). Policies, like the Muslim travel ban, are presented as if they are for the best interest and safety of the country, but they are rooted in bigotry and work against the country’s ideal of freedom of religion. The demographics of who people in the United States who commit the most violent crimes such as murder, aggravated assault, and robbery are not Muslims, which is important to note.
Hatem Bazian, another leader of the University of California, Berkley’s Islamophobia and Research Project, believes that the first step to ending the pessimistic perception is education. He says “we have been playing ignorant for some time, so education is still one of the primary tools to counter Islamophobia” (Alfonseca). There is merit to this, especially when considering 53% of Americans say they don’t personally know anyone who is Muslim, and 52% say they know little to none about Islam (Mohamed).
One other suggested method of combating Islamophobia is accountability. Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, explains:
“It is important to hold people who perpetuate racism, bigotry, and xenophobia accountable for their hateful words and actions in all sectors, whether it’s at the border, at the airport, by law enforcement, or by a politician”
(Al Jazeera).
Accountability is a plausible route that could possibly lower the acts of discrimination Muslims face and could also work to lower the comfort some Americans have when proclaiming their Islamophobia.
While these are all important steps in combating what is a dreadful and draining situation for Muslims both in the United States and in the Middle East, they are just steps and have to be taken one at a time. Because it wouldn’t be logical to tackle everything at once, the first step needed would be education, just as Bazian suggested. In order for lawmakers and the public to be open to letting go of their prejudices, they have to be educated and made aware of their ignorance. Once the fear is removed, citizens may be more open to electing Muslims into office and voting on policies that affect the Islamic community, which can open the door for the greatest changes.
Works Cited
Al Jazeera. “Decades after 9/11, Muslims Battle Islamophobia in US.” September 11 News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 11 Sept. 2022, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/11/decades-after-9-11-muslims-battle-islamophobia-in.
Alfonseca, Kiara. “20 Years after 9/11, Islamophobia Continues to Haunt Muslims.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 11 Sept. 2021, https://abcnews.go.com/US/20-years-911-islamophobia-continues-haunt-muslims/story?id=79732049.
Elba, Mariam. “How Islamophobia Was Ingrained in America’s Legal System Long before the War on Terror.” The Intercept, The Intercept, 6 May 2018, https://theintercept.com/2018/05/06/american-islamophobia-khaled-beydoun-interview/.
Kang, Esther Yoon-Ji. “Study Shows Islamophobia Is Growing in the U.S.. Some Say It’s Rising in Chicago, Too.” NPR, NPR, 3 May 2019, https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/05/03/720057760/study-shows-islamophobia-is-growing-in-the-u-s-some-say-it-s-rising-in-chicago-too.
Mohamed, Besheer. “Muslims Are a Growing Presence in U.S., but Still Face Negative Views from the Public.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/01/muslims-are-a-growing-presence-in-u-s-but-still-face-negative-views-from-the-public/.