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Islamic Values vs. Popular Media in America

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Islamic Values vs. Popular Media in America
Running head: Research Paper

Islamic Values vs. Popular Media in America Cecilia Brown English 122 Nathaniel Millard Ashford University August 29, 2011

Values are those things that matter most to an individual. They are the ideas and beliefs that shape an individual’s actions, character, and how they perceive the world. Popular media can have a great impact on a person’s values. Media such as music, television, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, movies, and news reports all can shape a person’s ideas and beliefs. For Americans, values come in the form of freedom; the ability and right to freely think, speak, choose and practice their beliefs without opposition and oppression. American Muslims can have great difficulty in exercising their right of freedom of speech and religion along with the opposition of practicing their beliefs due to the nation’s perspective of Islam portrayed by popular media. To understand Muslims’ challenge in holding Islamic values in America, once must identify what their values are. Muslims are those that are an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion. Their beliefs and values are based on Holy Quran, which confirms the previous scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. Islam is also shaped by the life and saying of the Prophet Muhammad who was a slave and messenger of God. Once a person’s understands the correct meaning of Islam, they will clearly see how it is misrepresented in popular media. Islam is a religion of peace and believing in one God. Islam is very tolerant of other religious beliefs and its adherents are not cruel, evil, and violent terrorist as often portrayed. Because of the terrorist acts of 9/11 against the World Trade Center, Americans have grown hatred towards Muslims, even those who reside and are born in the county. Popular media in general goes against the values


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