There are many words in the world that is used to offend others. I was a victim of one of those words. It was during lunch during my 2nd year in high school. I remember the area was crowded with many student trying to get lunch. All I could hear was chatter from everywhere. The smell was not pleasant at all and plus the food wasnât that good either. I was with my friends on one side of the lunch room. The table was a round table so I was just surround by all my friends.We were just talking about something and then suddenly one of my friends came and called me a terrorist and made gestures of what they would do as if I do it. I was pissed at him so I cursed him out for it because that was totally inappropriate to say to me and plus I’m not even a Muslim, Iâm a fucking Hindu. I even ask him why did he say that and he said it because I looked like one. This is a prime example of people assuming something you are not. People don’t think to ask what you are before opening up their mouths. I believe that assuming of what someone is not is wrong in many ways and also just cruel to think that way. This can lead up to discrimination of one race which is happen toward Muslims, Middle Eastern, and even people who skin color is brown.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a terrorist âis a person who uses violent and intimidating methods in the pursuit of political aims; especially a member of a clandestine or expatriate organization aiming to coerce an establishment by acts of violence against it or its subjectsâ. The word terrorist has lost its original meaning and turned into something different. Instead of the word being used correctly it is being used simply because if the person might look like one. People are identifying that Muslims are terrorist because of what happened on 9/11 After 9/11, the people hatred grew more against terrorist. This surface a new definition to the word âterroristâ where if you are a Muslim or even look like a terrorist you are consider a terrorist.
Muslims Americans have it the hardest. I say that because many assume that terrorist are only Muslims because ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Unlike me, I did get some people assume that I was a terrorist but it was rare. Muslims Americans are faced with people who are constantly criticizing them for the way they look and even speak. People are with disgusted face toward them because they are assuming they are something that they are not. The President supposed to be the person who is to guide this country in the right direction but I believe he is driving us to the wrong way. Trump is just making this problem even worse. According to the Atlantic written by Emma Green, âPresident Trump may have said he wants to ban Muslims from entering America,…â(Green 1).Trump is setting the wrong example for the people of the United States. Trump is not trying to resolve this problem but he making worse. I believe Trump is a true dumbass to think that all muslims are terrorist because you are basically assuming that an entire race is all terrorist just by oneâs action. With Trump as our leader I donât see discrimination against Muslims American ever going away. They were many cases where they were even beaten and harassed by other to go back where they belong. Muslim are being belittled by other for something they are not at all. According to the Washington Post written by Abigail Hauslohner, âThose who appear Muslim-either because of the way they look,dress or speak-are significantly more likely to experience discrimination for being Muslim, and women overall are mostly likely to report discrimination than  menâ(Hauslohner 2) and âSix percent said they were physically threatened or attackedâŚâ (Hauslohner 2). All of these violent action are just simply cause by the way they are dress and so on. This is unjust to just banter on someone on what they look like and call them what they are not. We are so blinded by hatred and fear that we canât see what is the right and wrong. We just assume because they look like a terrorist. Such a small thing can turn into something violent.
Muslims are not only people face with this discrimination. Middle Easterns and Hindus are caught up in this mess. Since we are the same color and might look the same as Muslim we are automatically assume that we are Muslims and therefore seen as a terrorist. Some of us have faced discrimination from other where we are looked with a face of disgust or even search because of the way we looked. My father was an victim of assumption. My father is a plumber and he carries a big bag because he has tool and clothes in their for work. Although my father is Hindu he was still ask by officers to come over and to be searched. We are being wrongly convicted by just the way we look and not even by our action. The word âterroristâ have changed drastically into looks and not by actions
The group that have caused this uprising hatred towards Muslim Americans is Al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda is the terrorist group that is responsible for 9/11. According to The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica,âAl-Qaeda began as a logistical network to support Muslims fighting against the Soviet Union during the Afghan War; members were recruited throughout the Islamic world. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, the organization dispersed but continued to oppose what its leaders considered corrupt Islamic regimes and foreign (i.e., U.S.) presence in Islamic lands.â(Britannica 1) Al-Qaeda started as something small. We were once even allies with this group since because we had an common enemy at that time. After Russians left, Al-Qaeda want to get rid of this foreign presence which it was the U.S. We didnât back out of Afghanistan. This caused the leaders of Al-Qaeda to declared war against the U.S. This didnât end well for both sides. The U.S involvement in the middle east cause many lives to be lost on September 11,2001. Â After this attack against the U.S, they came back harder where they killed dozen of Al-Qaeda and Taliban members. The U.S involvement inside the Middle East caused the creation of this group. Fear consume us to the point where we didnât even trust each other. It came to the point where the people didnât even trust Muslim Americans anymore.
There are many incident where Muslims are not the ones who caused terrorism. There was incident that happened recently in Pittsburgh which is classified as domestic terrorism. There was a shooting in a synagogue where it left 11 dead and some in critical condition. According to New Hampshire Public Radio written by Dan Tuohy, âItâs an act of violence coupled with a mental state, and so whether itâs motivated by race or a political ideology in sort of how we define terrorism,..â âWe also have to be very clear that the majority of these attacks are coming from white supremacists who are America’s,âhe said.âThese aren’t Islamist terrorists, these are empowered racists in America who are white with that agenda.â(Tuohy 1). A white supremacist is the cause of this attack. We are living in a country that even own people are terrorist. Whites are committing these types of crimes. This one of many attacks committed by âAmericansâ. Now who do we think is a terrorist, a person who look like one or a person who commits horrible actions to get their point across?
The United States have turn blind to the truth. They canât see what right in front of them and see who are the real threat. They are so scarred from the past that they forget the meaning of a âterroristâ. We need to overcome this fear and become more open and see who is the real threat to our nation. We need to see the difference between the people who look like them and have done nothing wrong or the people who are American and committed crimes that is identified to be a terrorist. If we donât we will never beat terrorism and overcome this evil that have shroud over the U.S.
