Monday, October 5, 1998
Media, society perpetuate stereotypical view of Islam
ISLAM: Tying Muslims to terrorism, repression shows lack of
knowledge
By Ahmed Shama
What’s the first thing we think of when we imagine a Muslim?
Does the word "terrorist" ring a bell? Do we imagine countries
without women’s rights? Do we think of Louis Farrakhan? Do we only
see a man roaming the desert aimlessly? If these are the images
that immediately come to mind, then we have already fallen prey to
the misrepresentations of Islam and Muslims.
We live in a time when all of our information comes from five
minute sound bites and word-of-mouth. It seems that we have come to
accept anything that sounds "almost believable" and have used these
bits of news to shape our world view.
It’s similar to accepting the stereotype that all African
American youths are gangsters or that all Latinos are illegal
aliens. We simply take an exception as the rule and base our
judgements upon that.
These generalizations often run so deep that they influence our
behavior toward each other before any dialogue is exchanged. We
already harbor preconceived notions about people before they even
open their mouths.
In recent events, we have witnessed the bombings of U.S.
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. As a result of our ingrained
misconception, we automatically relate the word "bombings" to
Muslims. Without any evidence or eyewitness accounts, the U.S.
government, the media and the majority of the world have already
tried and convicted Muslims as the perpetrators of these
crimes.
The gravest aspect of this rush to judgment is that our
accusations rest entirely on generalizations and stereotypes. In
light of this, let us try to clear up a few of the misconceptions
about Islam and Muslims.
Islam, in meaning and translation, means "submission to one
God." Muslims, the followers of Islam, number about 1.6 billion
people worldwide and can be found in every corner of the Earth.
The prophet of Islam – Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) –
was the last in a chain of prophets that included Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses and Jesus (amongst many others). They each came with
the message of belief in one God and promoted righteousness and
justice among their followers. These eternal concepts are the very
cornerstone of Islamic belief.
A common misconception that runs rampant about Muslims in the
media and society today is that Muslims are violent terrorists who
have a blatant disregard for innocent lives. The truth of the
matter is Islam condemns random acts of violence against innocent
people. These acts are equated to vigilantism and anarchy.
Islam, however, does recognize a people’s right to justice and
freedom from oppression. Therefore, when an 11-year old child
watches his mother beaten mercilessly by an armed Israeli soldier,
he has the full right to defend himself and his family. If he hurls
a rock at the soldier, is he a terrorist? Or is the soldier?
When images are spoonfed to us by the media, all we see is a
violent youth attacking an unknown object with rocks. What we don’t
see is the circumstances that led to such behavior. We don’t feel
the oppression that he is undergoing. We condemn him for throwing
rocks, and we don’t ask why.
Another common misconception is that Islam mistreats and
oppresses women. What we don’t realize is that 1,400 years ago
Islam gave rights to women that are still being fought for in
today’s society. It gave women the right to hold property and
participate in their self-determination, something that the
American experiment has been grappling with for decades.
It gave women the right to their own money, which their husbands
could not touch. On the flip side, the husband’s money was used to
support the family.
Islam gave women a status of high intellectual and moral status
(that until this day) has not been not matched. Women are seen as
the backbone of society and are entrusted with the responsibility
of raising the next generation and shaping human lives. It is said
that when you have educated a man, you have taught an individual.
But when you have educated a mother, you have taught a nation.
All of these changes took place in a pre-Islamic society that
treated women like mere sex objects that can be traded or bought at
a man’s free will.
A parallel can be drawn from the pre-Islamic society to the way
they are treated in our society today. Women are only to be seen
and not heard. They are used to advertise everything from Cokes to
cars and thought of as mere decoration pieces for guys to gawk at.
A woman is given her status in society, not by the way she thinks,
but by the way she looks. In the attempt to free themselves from
men by throwing off modest dress, many women have in reality become
mere sex objects.
There are many misconceptions that run rampant in the media and
in our minds today. What we believe is what we have been told, and
most of that has been lies.
Issues such as terrorism and women are not the only topics that
require explanation. One could write entire books about the
misconceptions that are propagated against Islam and Muslims
today.
Interestingly enough, in Islam, stereotypes about a society or
people are forbidden, and it is incumbent upon us to think the best
of each other as well as to give each other the benefit of the
doubt. Islam teaches us to give each other 70 excuses before
passing judgement on a person who has committed a wrong action.
What it all comes down to is that the next time we hear a
blanket statement in the media about any culture or people, it is
important to distinguish between what is fact and what is mere
hype. We cannot simply take everything at face value, and it is our
duty to seek the truth.
As students here at UCLA, we have come to an institution of
higher learning to become educated. If we are sincere in this
endeavor, then we will do our utmost to educate ourselves about
each other and the world around us.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board