Thursday, June 30, 2011

Muslim Are Our Neighbors

With the recent events such as the September 11 attack, many Muslims have become a centre of fear and hate. Many Muslims become victims of stigma; Stigma is defined as an occurrence of labeling, stereotyping, and discrimination. Stigma is usually caused by lack of education or knowledge about the Muslim culture.

This is why My Fellow American is such a wonderful website. It helps people realize that Muslims shouldn't be outed because their culture and religion is a bit different. My Fellow American showcases many stories from real people whose lives were touched by Muslims. Here is a video of how someone helped a Muslim family helped feel more at home in their neighborhood:




Just like with any other group of people, it is unfair to be making generalizations and assumption about someone based on stereotypes. Sure, relying on stereotypes to help us make sense of someone is easier but it's just wrong. Take this for example, you go to a school with a really bad reputation like having really low grade averages. Just because you come from that school doesn't mean you are stupid, because you might actually have a 4.0 GPA (or A).

I have several Muslim friends, and I can honestly vouch that they are very different from stereotypes.