What Is Amna's Crime?

Amna walked down her school hallway, jostled by passers by during the busy passing period. Suddenly a male classmate shoved his shoulder into her with a force that almost knocked her down. “Terrorist!” he yelled as he walked away. She collected herself and without another word continued on with her day. What was Amna’s crime? What act of violence of terrorism had she committed? What did she do to warrant this action? She simply wore her hijab to school. We, as Americans, take pride in our freedoms, but followers of different religions have and continue to suffer from prejudice because of their beliefs. According to PEW research, 94% of religious Americans practice Christianity, but what about the other 6%? Are they allowed to freely practice
Islam, unfortunately has been a huge target for hate throughout history. Ever since 9/11, terrorism and Islam have gone hand in hand in the mind of Americans. A 2014 article written on The Daily Beast states that in the month following 9/11 there was a 47% favorable view of Islam, which is surprising, but in 2010 that number dropped to 37%, and even worse, today only a measly 27% of Americans have a favorable view of Islam. This viewpoint has decreased is because Americans associate all Muslims with terrorists from what they see in the media. On an episode of the Office that aired in 2005, Michael Scott puts the office into a code red when an arab man wearing a turban approaches the office building, we later learn this man is neither a terrorist nor Muslim as Michael had feared. When my family watched this episode we laughed at the absurdity of his actions, but later I watch the same episode with a friend who sympathized with Michael and told me quite seriously that she react the same way. Tv shows or movies that portray Islamophobia or display Muslims and terrorists as synonyms are harmful because they fuel the common stereotype which is the seed of Islamophobia. Muslims are also represented by the horrific news stories, but never do we see a muslim news reporter, movie star, or main character of a tv show who could stand as an example that more accurately
The realities of our prejudices still make it difficult for all religions to practice free of scrutiny even in the land of freedom. Media and ignorance are the greatest causes of Islamophobia but can be solved by being aware and accepting of the true teachings of Islam and adding religious studies to school curriculums to gain a deeper understanding of all religions. I hope for a day where people who bear a hijab, kippah, cross, bindi, or civara can worship in peace, knowing that prejudice is a thing of the past. That will be the day wear Amna’s children will walk the halls of their high school liberated from the shackles of religious