While on their trip to the Empire State building, a Muslim family was brutally

assaulted and removed from the observation deck of the monument, after quietly reciting
their ritual evening prayers. The family made the effort to move to the side and conduct
their prayers to prevent any commotion.
1
But when the security guards escorted the
family out of the building this not only caused the unintended commotion but also proved
that the guards had an illegitimate policy, whether express or implied, that subjects
Muslims to greater and/ or heightened suspicion security and/or surveillance compared to
other religious and non-religious individuals. To support the family, and their right to
practice their religion in public, The Catholic Leagues Bill Donohue stated that,
Muslims who pray in public, including in public accommodations, are simply exercising
their constitutional rights. In play are two First Amendment rights: freedom of speech and
freedom of religion.
2
This reference to the First Amendment speaks for all religions. On
September 11
th
, 2001, Muslim terrorists used their religion to defend their corrupt
actions, leading many to believe that all Muslims were capable of such violence. This
view of Muslims made people think they should take caution when around a Muslim.

1
"Long Island Muslim family escorted from Empire State Building for trying to pray:
lawsuit." NY Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/muslim-family-
escorted-empire-state-building-pray-lawsuit-article-1.1726571 (accessed April 3, 2014).

2
Blumberg, Antonia. "Amina And Fahad Tirmizi, Muslim Couple, Sue Empire State
Building Over Discrimination." The Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/19/amina-fahad-tirmizi-empire-state-
building_n_4993225.html (accessed April 1, 2014).




In this essay, I argue that when given the chance those that are powerless in
society, namely the low paid guards, will rise up to display superiority whenever they get
a chance. This power corrupts the individual to undermine an individual or group that
comes from an oppressed community, such as Muslims.
Often, the root of discrimination is fear. Thus, when people have a need to fear a
certain religion, discrimination unfolds so that the particular religion may be undermined.
According to a poll by the Washington Post-ABC News, more than half of Americans
believe there are more violent extremists within Islam than in any other religion and that
the faith encourages violence against non-Muslims.
3
After 9/11, fear of Islam and its
followers drastically increased because people were scared that another Muslim would
implement another attack. In the article the Roots of Discrimination it says, Its easy to
understand why minorities feel insecure and defensive. But why do majorities act as the
playground bully with weaker and smaller groups? The playground bullying, ensures
the implementer and the rest of the population that they no longer need to fear the less
powerful religion, as it is being suppressed and no longer will pose a threat.
4
Acting on
this fear to undermine and suppress other people based on their religion is ignorant and
disrespectful to the religion as well as the followers of that religion.

3
Goldenberg, Suzanne. "Islamophobia worse in America now than after 9/11, survey
finds." The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/mar/10/usa.religion
(accessed May 3, 2014).

4
"Roots Of Discrimination." New Internationalist All posts RSS.
http://newint.org/features/1983/10/01/roots/ (accessed April 10, 2014).




Many religions are poorly portrayed in the media and by society. If fear of a
religion exists it is because people do not fully understand the religion or its followers.
In the case of 9/11, the violence that erupted was the mere cause of beliefs of a group not
a religion. Islam does not believe in violence, despite what the media and society has
made everyone believe. There have been corrupt individuals that come from every
religion that make stupid decisions. The stupid decisions should not speak for the rest of a
religion, race, sexuality, socio-economic group or any other category a person may fall
under. Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr addresses in his book, Human Responsibilities and
Human Rights, that Islams goal is to serve as the middle people to the creation of
harmony between religions, peoples and civilizations the world over.
5
If this idea were
considered true by non-Muslims then why would a so-called peaceful religion as a whole
purposely harm their greater community? Therefore in my opinion, Islamaphobia, the
fear of Islam, is a big misunderstanding because people never really understood the
practices and beliefs of Islam well enough to know that the pillars of Islam do not
mention anything about violence. As I was reading an article on HIV/AIDS, I came
across a phrase that I was able to relate to fear being the root of discrimination. The
articles said that the cause of HIV/AIDS was, ignorance, lack of education and an
oversimplified message about HIV/AIDS
6
In the same way discrimination against

5
Brussat, Mary Ann , and Frederic Brussat. "Book Review." Spirituality & Practice:
Book Review: The Heart of Islam, by Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=5134 (accessed May 2,
2014).

6
Joshua, Mario, Thussy Kakujaha, Matjua Kauapirunra, Errol Evert Kazondu,
Jariretundu Murangi, Konstantinus Shiweni, and Bonnie Sylwester. "Stigma, Fear and
Discrimination." Stigma, Fear and Discrimination.
https://org.elon.edu/summit/essays/essay6.pdf (accessed May 1, 2014).

Muslims is the ignorance, lack of education and an oversimplified message about
Islam.

In history, there have been situations where a group of ordinary people acted in
violence to justify their superiority over another group of people. But is this solely
because the superior group fears the uprising of the smaller group? Carl Jung presents
another argument, but what if I should discover that the very enemy himself is within
me, that I myself am the enemy who must be loved-what then?
7
If I were to analyze any
dictator or power-hungry individual from the past, keeping Jungs argument in mind, it
appears that the superior did not fear the smaller group gaining more power, but rather,
the superior feared losing power.
The sudden dislike for Muslims caused many young believers of the faith to reject
their religion, because they just wanted to fit in with the American culture. Selcuk R.
Sirin, PhD, co-author of Muslim-American Youth: Understanding Hyphenated Identities
Through Multiple Methods, stated that the strong sense of American-ness gives young
Muslims resilience. They feel that they are Americans, they have certain rights and can
stand up for their rights.
8
On the converse, I believe that they feel that their Muslim-
ness inhibits them from expressing themselves freely because that side of their identity
has already been stereotyped as dangerous. Even before the terror of 9/11, many


7
"Roots Of Discrimination." New Internationalist All posts RSS.
http://newint.org/features/1983/10/01/roots/ (accessed April 10, 2014).

8
Clay, Rebecca A.. "Muslims in America, post 9/11." http://www.apa.org.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/09/muslims.aspx (accessed May 5, 2014).


Muslims, both American-born and immigrants were already seen as outsiders because
they did not blend in with the normal American figure. But after the terrorist attack,
Muslims throughout the United States rapidly became the most feared individuals.
In the story with the Muslim family conducting their evening prayers in the
Empire State Building, and the way in which the guards reacted to the situation represent
how many people in America react to seeing Muslims in society. The guards were
probably thinking that the family posed a threat and would conduct another attack. In a
New York Times article, Remziya Suleyman discusses her multiple encounters of
discrimination. She goes on to say, in the public restrooms I have seen people yank their
kids awayand I am like, Really? Do I seem like that big a threat?
9

Islamaphobia, fear of Muslims, is just an excuse many people have created
because a handful of Muslims made the mistake of acting in violence towards a portion
of the country. People like the guards, represent many of the people in this country who
share a dislike for Muslims because they fear that another Muslim might pose a threat to
society, in planning another attack. While in reality, any person can attack the country at
any time. When writing this essay I wondered why Muslims are so hated because of just
one incident. How can an entire community be punished for the actions of a handful of its
members? This is the question one should consider when they choose to oppress another
group of people. Americans need to consider the effects their hatred for Muslims can
have on the lives of many innocent people and as a whole on the rest of the country. After

9
Elliott, Andrea. "9/11: The Reckoning." The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/us/sept-11-reckoning/muslims.html (accessed April
4, 2014).



9/11, there have been a handful of attempted attacks on the USA, which have proven that
the USA is not on the track to a fully accepting and integrated society. The future of the
country lies not only with those that practice Islamaphobia, but also the Muslims
themselves. If they continue to prove their violent stereotype correct, other Americans
will continue to suppress them.