Young Muslims Speak Up

Since 9/11, being a Muslim in the West has become exhausting. Islam as a religion became intimately linked to the terrorist groups and radicals that were continuously displayed in the media. Normal practicing Muslims are left with the task of figuring out where they belong among all the confusion and hatred aimed toward their religion.

Islam, as followers view it, is a way of life. It promotes doing good deeds, which, in theory, allows you to live happily and fully. Narmin Elfurjani, a 24-yearold from Libya, says, “It is a religion that responds to humanity’s search for meaning. The purpose of creation for all men and women for all times has been one, and it is a way of life. This demonstrates peace and tolerance.” Zaki Islam, a 21-year-old British student at the American University of Paris (AUP), regards Islam as “a monotheistic religion not much different from Judaism or Christianity.” Islam is part of the Abrahamic religions, therefore sharing similar beliefs and traditions to both Christianity and Judaism.

A certain stereotype has latched itself onto Islam, which manifests in society largely through certain questions that Muslims are frequently asked. These questions mostly regard stereotypes of hating women,

the “strict” nature of the religion and its supposed violence. Questions are evidence of curiosity and are necessary in order to learn. However, the reoccurring questions regarding Islam seem to be rooted elsewhere, rather than an actual quest to finding out more.

Many media outlets promote the idea that the hijab is misogynistic in principle, and that it is impossible to be a feminist and Muslim. According to the Cornell University Library page on Women in Islam, “The first convert of Islam was a woman, and women played an important role in the transmission of Hadith (transmission of prophetic sayings and deeds).” As twentyone-year-old Amal Fakir from Syria puts it, “Some women feel empowered through nudity while others find power in their Muslim identity and headscarves.” As a veiled woman herself, Elfurjani explains, “The Quran calls for both men and women to cover and be modest. I’m so comfortable wearing the hijab that I can’t imagine myself without it. And I wear it for religious reasons, not cultural ones.” For Zaki Islam, “Being a Muslim and fighting for equality where it is absent are not mutually exclusive affairs.” He takes the example of Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, which voted democratically for a female president, “Something which even America has failed to achieve.”

Regarding the view of Islam as a violent religion, Muslims students had similar views. Miron Shabani from Macedonia stated, “A religion can’t be violent. People can.” Zaki Islam explained, “If you start shouting at a mosque, Islam is not going to hit you, but a person might.” Finally, twenty-four-year-old Narmin Elfurjani from Libya explained that the religion itself is not violent, saying “It is misrepresented by those who have no idea what Islam is.” Frequently, people ask what Muslims’ opinions on ISIS is. Fakir says that fear of an extremist movement frightens everyone, including Muslims. “If anything, being a Muslim I am more affected and/or harmed by ISIS.”

Nowadays, the word most associated with Islam is “terrorism.” As a result of this, there has been a surge in Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims. It is clear that the 9/11 attacks led to a dislike toward Muslims. Through representations in the US media, many Americans began to resent Islam and 1.8 billion innocent Muslims were blamed for the actions of a terrorist organization.

The media has become such a prominent part of life, crucial in shaping public opinion. While many assume that whatever is published by the media is factual, there has been a dramatic rise in fake news as of 2016, some of which has contributed to the rise of Islamophobia that is largely present today.

Zaki Islam reckons that a surge in Islamophobia is a result of the “mass media portraying a very binary picture of Islam and its culture.” Elfurjani explained that ISIS has played a big role in the rise of Islamophobia, but the media perpetuates this further by only reporting stories that shed Muslims in a negative light. Fakir says, “A peaceful Islam-related story is not worth as many views as a violent one.” Shahad Al-Issa, a twenty-one-year-old from Saudi Arabia backed Fakir up, saying, “Western media doesn’t report on Islamophobia as much as it reports on attacks that were conducted in the name of Islam. I feel like people aren’t aware of how big of an issue Islamophobia is and how deeply it affects the lives of Muslims.”

Surges in crimes against Muslims took place after the 2015 Paris attacks and the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported that hate crimes dramatically spiked after 2016, “the worst year on record for anti-Muslim incidents.” During the first six months of 2017, the number of “bias incidents” rose by 24 percent. Trump’s presidency brought on a wave of hate and bigotry that has targeted Muslims. After the elections, CAIR reported that anti-Muslim hate incidents rose more than 40 percent compared with 2015. In 2017, a shocking number of 347 cases of Islamophobia were documented in the United States, “males accounting for 57 percent, and females for 43 percent.” This number is only a fragment of the real picture.

One might think being a Muslim in a cosmopolitan city such as Paris with so many nationalities and faiths exempts you from facing discrimination and abuse. However, it is still very common.

Whether it be the way you look, dress, or what your passport says, discrimination escapes no one. Al-Issa has experienced Islamophobia first-hand herself on several occasions, but admits, “Most of the time it happens to friends and family of mine that wear the headscarf.” She says that “Educating [those that discriminate] or correcting their statements usually never works, at least with the experiences I had.” Elfurjani relates to Al-Issa’s statement as she wears the veil, forcing her to standout in a Western community. She recalls, “After the Charlie Hebdo attack, I was on my way to AUP when a French woman in her 30s stopped me and shouted saying: after all these things you still wear it? She was referring to the hijab.” For Shabani, the only discriminative act he described was the “random” checks at the airport.

“Discrimination always helps alienate and isolate minorities,”says Fakir. “It can affect Muslim communities in several ways, from the little boy who sits ashamed in class when the teachers are subtly implying that all Muslims are members of ISIS or when his classmates look at him while discussing 9/11, to the men and women who are being denied basic job opportunities due to their beliefs.”

As Fakir, Al-Issa and Shabani all agreed: the best weapon against Islamophobia is education. “Educate,” says Fakir, “not just against Islamophobia but against hate in general. Hate generates hate.”

BY SALMA EL SABBAN

ILLUSTRATION BY HALID CHRISINAS AND MARIA PEREZ