The concept of Islamophobia has been a widely controversial topic for many decades, however, with the emergence of the events of September 11, 2001, discrimination against people of the Islamic faith has become quite prominent in media all over the world. Following 9/11, Islam became known as a religion of terror and bloodshed and the media began to portray all Muslims as evil beings with a plot to destroy the country. Teachings of Islam were further picked apart and highly misinterpreted, women began removing their “hijabs”, or religious head coverings, and the occurrence of hate crimes against anyone who looked of Arab origin began to arise. Many individuals fail to realize that Islamophobia is indeed a big issue in today’s society, and with Republican Donald Trump being elected as our nation’s President, one can only imagine that the discrimination against Muslims will only become worse within the next four years. 

Trump’s plans of refusing Syrian refugees into the country and forcing people of the Islamic faith to wear identification cards shows that racial discrimination is still a common practice today. Due to these circumstances, one can surely see that the concept of Islamophobia is on the rise and has become a huge source for media stations everywhere. Due to these occurrences, the question of whether Islamophobia has reached its prime in today’s society is very self-explanatory. One can merely look at factors as a whole and see that Islamophobia is one of the top issues in our society and it continues to rise and worsen as the years go by. 

In regards to the history of Islamophobia, Carl Ernst further elaborates the concept in his book, “Rethinking Islam in The Contemporary World”. He uses both a sympathetic and critical approach when trying to explain Islam and its concepts to people of the West. Many people are unaware of the true teachings of the Islamic faith, and through knowledge and personal experience, Ernst clears up these stereotypes and informs readers about the actual purpose of the religion and its guidelines. He believes that the majority of people living in America firmly believe in the misconceptions about Muslims that are often offered by the media. He elaborates this point when he states, "Yet at the same time, it is commonly accepted among educated people that Islam is a religion that by definition oppresses women and encourages violence" (Ernst 12). By making this claim, it is clear that one does not have to be uneducated to blindly believe the misconceptions about a stereotype regarding a group of people. Ernst continues to support his claims when he says, "Muslims are the majority of the population in more than fifty countries [...], and they form significant minorities in many other countries. Why, then, should it be so natural for non-Muslims to assume that all Muslims act the same, regardless of the conditions in which they live?" (Ernst 12). By questioning the general idea of all Muslims being terrorists, Ernst causes the reader to consider this point and further analyze the false and fabricated Western media portrayal of the Islamic faith. Throughout the course of this book, Carl Ernst serves as a guide to the fundamental aspects of Islam, and the true nature of the Muslim people.

By understanding the ideals and views of Ernst, one can see by recent events that Muslims everywhere are constantly living in fear for the safety of themselves and their families. In the article “The United States of Islamophobia”, author Kim Ghattas further elaborates on the discrimination of Muslim-Americans. She believes that the disapproving views of Muslims play a big role in politics, especially within the Republican party. These views begin to translate into hate crimes against Muslims, who cannot publicly speak in a language such as Arabic, without having a fear of being attacked. The author supports her claims by providing video evidence of President Trump’s discriminative comments, and incorporating many quotes of him in her article. 

After Donald Trump’s move into the White House, it is unknown of whether his proposed Muslim ban will actually come into effect. With this in mind, however, it is still frightening that the idea of banning Muslims into the country was addressed in the first place. Trump’s plans of refusing Syrian refugees into the country and forcing people of the Islamic faith to wear identification cards shows that racial discrimination is still a common practice today. With Donald Trump in office, many Muslims feel the need to conceal their faith, or even practice in private. Following his winning of the election, a handful of Muslim women had removed their hijabs, or religious head coverings, in fear that they would be targets of many of the hate crimes that are occurring in today’s society.  

Many people in the media, however, have disagreed and have even protested Trump’s ideals regarding Islam and those who follow it. In the YouTube video, “Celebrities, CEOs, and Protesters Denounce Trump's Muslim Ban”, Complex News reporter Natasha Martinez talks about many public figures and celebrities disagreeing with Donald Trump’s ideas and views. This video addresses the issue of President Donald Trump’s recent Muslim ban, which prevents Muslim immigrants from entering the country. It also expresses the opposing views of many celebrities and CEOs from companies such as Netflix and Apple, and goes into depth regarding the protests that are taking place in many different and larger states such as New York City.   

The topic of Syria has been in the media for quite some time now. Susan Milligan goes more into detail regarding America’s views on Syrian refugees entering the country, and in her article “No Welcome Mat”, she argues that political figures such as Ben Carson and Donald Trump believe that these refugees are a threat to our country and have even gone as far to propose a law that only allows Christian refugees into the U.S., and prohibit Muslim ones to enter. This article was written to address the Syrian refugee crisis and it is clear that Milligan, a political and foreign affairs journalist, holds a disapproval towards the Republican party’s stance on Islam and Muslims in general. One can tell that Syrians are truly suffering at the hands of political leader Bashar Al-Assad. Many Syrian children are being ruthlessly murdered, separated from their families, and forced to witness traumatic events. Women are being raped and abused against their own will, and many others have been victim to severe torture. The fact that Trump does not want these refugees to enter this country because he believes that they may pose as a threat to Americans, is quite absurd. The only concern of these suffering individuals is to get away from all the war and gory trauma they are experiencing, and build a better life for their families. 

Hate crimes against people of the Islamic faith have become a very common occurrence in recent years. Author Samhita Mukhopadyay writes her article “Islamophobia in America is worse on 9/11/2016 than it was on 9/11/2001”, in order to inform readers about the rise in hate crimes against Muslims in today’s society. To further elaborate her claim, she gives the example of Mohammed Rasheed Khan, an older Muslim man who was beaten mercilessly outside of a mosque, all because he wanted to perform prayer. In a country that is known as the “Land of The Free”, it is quite contradicting and sad to see that racism and discrimination is still a wide spread issue in our society. With this in mind, Mukhopadyay elaborates this statement when she says, “The mainstreaming of Islamophobia signals the loss of something imperative to our democracy: our ability to see each other's humanity. And that is something to mourn on this somber day” (Mukhopadyay 15). 

Relating to the hate crimes and violence against Muslims in recent events, one can see that these occurrences are caused by the belief and misconceptions that many people have about Islam and those who practice it. Christopher Mathias, an author for The Huffington Post, talks about the huge increase in anti-Muslim activities in the United States addresses six

misconceptions that the majority of American people have about Islam and those who practice it. These misconceptions include the fact that people think that Muslims aren’t American. There have been many incidents around the United States where a Muslim has been told to “go back to their country”. What many of these individuals do not realize is that the majority of these Muslims are born and raised in America. They have adapted the American culture into their lifestyles, and have lived in this country all of their lives. 

They contribute to society, just like any other average American, by paying taxes, working in many different industries, and attend schools and colleges. Another misconception that people may have is that all people of Islam are terrorists and support groups such as ISIS. This statement makes no sense, due to the fact that Islam is the second fastest growing religion in the world, and that billions of Muslims have populated this earth and they manage to live together will all other races and ethnic groups in peace. It is wrong to apply a stereotype to a certain group, just because a few individuals who belong to such groups perform a negative and violent act. 

The belief that all brown people belong to the Islamic faith is another misconception that many individuals face today. Mathias gives the example of Khalid Jabara, an Arab-American Christian, was shot and killed by his neighbor, because he was believed to be a Muslim just because of his ethnic background. There have also been many recent incidents of people who practice the Indian religion of Sikhism, to be labeled as “terrorists”, solely because of the fact that their religion requires men to wear turbans. This ignorance and lack of knowledge by people all over the globe is a sad happening and the fact that these individuals blindly avoid the truth and base their opinions upon these stereotypes is very upsetting to many Muslims around the world. One can tell that Mathias sympathizes with Muslim- Americans in his article when he states, “It’s ubiquitous in the daily lives of Muslim Americans. It’s when a Muslim mom tells her daughter to maybe not wear the hijab today. It’s how almost every Muslim in a movie is depicted as a terrorist and it’s why cable news channels only ask Muslims if they condemn terrorism” (Mathias 12). 

In addition to Mathias’ statement about women removing their hijabs in today’s society, due to their fear of being harmed and becoming a victim to an act of violence. The word “hijab” in Arabic translates to “barrier” or “partition”. Muslim women are expected to dress modestly as a form of protection for the evils of this world. What many people don’t realize that wearing a hijab is a choice of free will, and that there are many practicing Muslim women who don’t wear the veil on their heads. These unveiled women are not looked down upon in Muslim communities, but rather they are accepted as they are. The common misconception that wearing a hijab is forced upon women of the Islamic faith is completely fabricated and wrong. According to the Holy Qur’an, Allah (translates to the Arabic word for “God”), created human beings with free will and the ability to make their own choices and think for themselves. 

In the Islamic religion, “hayaa”, the Arabic word for modesty, is implemented upon both women and men. The religion teaches us that being modest is a desirable quality and it was one that Prophet Muhammad, the last and final messenger of Islam, was known for. Muslims are expected to possess humility and a certain shyness while in public or dealing with the opposite sex. This ensures that contact between any two people is kept strictly professional and polite. By possessing these qualities, it is important to realize that Islam is a religion that strives to keep people in a gentle nature and to eliminate any aggressions or animalistic desires that human beings are born with.  

By realizing this, we can eliminate the misconception of the hijab being a means of oppression. Neil Chakraborti and Irene Zempi address these misconceptions in their article “The Veil Under Attack: Gendered Dimensions of Islamophobic victimization”. We can see from this article that hijabis everywhere are falling victim to hate crimes and racial slurs, and the purpose of the headscarf they adorn so proudly is being tarnished and fabricated.

September 11, 2001 was a traumatic experience for many people across the United States. Millions of lives were lost, families were separated, and the state of New York was never the same after the destruction of The World Trade Center. This historical event is also very important because it marks the birth and rise of prominent Islamophobia. Not only were Muslims being feared in the West, but countries such as France implemented a “hijab ban” upon Muslim women, and many people who “looked Arab” were stopped and required to go under extra security at the airport. 

A country that suffered a great deal following the events of 9/11 was Britain, due to the high population of Muslims that reside there. Tahir Abbas talks about the struggle of these British Muslims in his article “After 9/11: British South Asian Muslims, Islamophobia, Multiculturalism, and The State. Due to this article being published only three years after this tragic incident, one can say that Islamophobia in the media was still facing a rapid increase at the time. These Muslims, who were once accepted by their peers began to become alienated from society and were seen as a threat to their country. 

Children were being bullied in school, adults were being fired from their jobs without reason, young men were beaten mercilessly while walking to the mosque, women were removing their hijabs in fear of being targeted, and parents had to explain to their children as to why they could not go out of the house as much anymore. The fact that a whole religion was being discriminated against, just because of a crime that two people whom had belonged to this religion had committed, is a very sad and ignorant deed that our society has allowed to happen.  

The discrimination against Muslims throughout the years is a huge indicator that we have not reached racial equality in this country and in many countries all over the world. Hate crimes and racial slurs can be mirrored to those of times of slavery. Even though the concepts of racism and discrimination isn’t as openly expressed or accepted as it was in the early 1900s, it can be said that both of these factors are still in existence to this very day. The bitter truth is that most individuals are scared and choose to be ignorant towards beliefs and practices that differ from theirs. People fear diversity and they do not accept any cultural norms other than the ones they are raised with. 

In the west, the Islamic religion can certainly be seen as “strange” or “different”, so it makes sense as to why many people feel quite uneasy about it. However, what many individuals must realize is that just because a certain group differs from theirs, it does not necessarily mean that they are harmful or will pose a threat. The fact that billions of Muslims are labeled as “terrorists” due to the horrible actions of a group of Arab men in 2001, proves that our society sees Islam as a threatening and demonic religion. Therefore, the question of whether Islamophobia is an issue in today’s age is thoroughly answered through this simple statement. 
