Bedwan 1

Ayah Bedwan

Professor Campbell

UWRT 1104

6 April 2018

I am a towelhead; mopping up America’s Bullshit Commented [SC1]: Capitalize title

7:00 am. My first day of my nursing assistant classes and I finally embarked on my

journey of becoming a nurse. It was a warm and sunny Saturday morning. Driving with the

windows down on the way to my class I could feel a nice cool breeze through my hijab. As I Commented [SC2]: Comma after class

stopped at the red light, I could hear the birds singing and the bustling of cars around me. All of

a sudden, I hear yelling behind me, but I couldn’t really hear what was said at first. Then he

repeated it “Fucking towelhead!”. And as I comprehended what he had said all I could think is… Commented [SC3]: comma
Commented [SC4]: take out, change to “As”
What would your parents think if they heard you saying that? I slowly looked up at my rearview Commented [SC5]: replace with comma
Commented [SC6]: italicise
mirror and there was he was laughing his head off… oh but who was that right next to him Commented [SC7]: comma

patting him on his back… his father. Commented [SC8]: reword, maybe add period after “off”
and then new sentence “He wasn’t alone. Next to him,
patting his back, was his father”
The reality of Islamophobia and its impact in the United States is vast and wide. For

clarity purposes, let us begin by defining what exactly Islamophobia is. “Islamophobia is defined Commented [SC9]: take out

as the irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against Islam or people who practice

Islam” (Islamophobia). Islamophobia is a stigma that has swept our nation leaving most

American citizens with a bad perception of who Muslims are. There is no exact answer as to

where the negative attitude towards Muslims stem from, but in this paper, we will discuss major Commented [SC10]: stems
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events that caused Islamophobia to increase, the impact Islamophobia has on the daily lives of

Muslims in the United States, and common misconceptions about Islam. The previous topics will

be addressed in order to paint a more vivid picture of what Islamophobia is and looks like. Commented [SC11]: maybe take out this sentence and
incorporate it elsewhere

Islamophobia impacts the daily lives of Muslims in the United States in many ways.

Islamophobia causes an invisible barrier between Muslims and the rest of society built out of

fear, curiosity, and hatred. I am able to identify with experiences surrounding evident prejudice

against Muslims due to the fact that I wear Hijab (Scarf/Modest wear) and it is easy to identify

me as a Muslim. For example, when I am out in public I often times get very long and Commented [SC12]: end sentence at hijab, add sentence
explaining what a hijab is and then add, “and also an easy
was to identify….”
sometimes hateful stares; that sort of reaction from the world around you can be hard for almost Commented [SC13]: comma

anyone to deal with. Islamophobia and hatred go hand and hand because people dislike what

they cannot comprehend. Being a Muslim in America forces me to stay alert at all times in hopes Commented [SC14]: I like this a lot

that no one will treat me unjustly due to my religious beliefs/affiliation.

One of the most well discussed terror attacks in United States history was 9/11. On

September 11, 2001, The World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York was struck by two flying

planes causing the buildings to collapse. The man said to be behind the attack was Osama Bin

Laden. Bin Laden claimed to be associated with Islam which then trickled-down to negative

stereotypes against Muslims as a whole. This caused Muslims to be referred to as terrorists,

animals, or violent people and were portrayed as such in the media. Former The Times

newspaper editor stated, “Britain is basically English speaking, Christian and white, and if one

starts to think it might become basically Urdu speaking and Muslim and brown, one gets
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frightened.” (Media, Racism and Islamophobia: The Representation of Islam and Muslims in the

Media). And ignorant people who were not educated on the subject of Islam, brushed a broad Commented [SC15]: Take out, capitalize i

stroke on the rest of Muslims which meant that people were being attacked for just being part of

a certain religion.

When coming across mentions of violence in a religious text, it is important and essential

to study the background and context of the verse. When reading the Quran for example, it is

important to know when and where the specific verse was revealed. A verse that is usually

cherry picked from the Quran that mentions violence is in Surah 9 verse 5 which states, “And

when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and

capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they

should repent, establish prayer, and give zakat, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is

Forgiving and Merciful” (Al-Qur'an Al-Kareem). Most Islamophobist critics of Islam will look Commented [SC16]: Take out

at this verse and only notice, “Then kill the polytheists wherever you find them” and promote

that this is the one and only message of Islam. However, after more research, because it is at first

shocking, you find out that this verse was specifically sent down during a specific time period to

the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Taking a look back at some verses in that chapter of the Quran, verse 1 states, “This is a

declaration of disassociation, from Allah and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made

a treaty among the polytheists” (Al-Qur'an Al-Kareem). There was a contract agreement formed

between the Muslims and the non-Muslims that was eventually broken by the of the non- Commented [SC17]: One of the
 Bedwan 4

Muslims leader. So, in reaction to that occurrence, God revealed verse 5 as an ultimatum and Commented [SC18]: In reaction, no “so”

declaration of war. God does not request for immediate action but rather He states, “and when

the sacred months have passed” (Al-Qur'an Al-Kareem), referring to the four-month time period

that God allotted the polytheist to either leave or seek asylum, even though they broke the

contract. Following the end of the four-month time phase, God calls on the Muslims to fear no

one, but him, and to fight on the battlefield. Whenever you see the enemy, kill them (Naik).

In comparison to any army general, a general will not tell his soldiers to be kind to the

enemy and surrender over their lives, but rather will boost the morale of his soldiers by telling

them to fight without fear and fear no fight. Therefore, this verse is in context of the battlefield.

Furthermore, many critics, after citing verse 5, will conclude to verse 7 of the same surah. This is

due to the fact that verse number 6 is the answer to their issues. Verse 6 expresses that if the

enemy looks for asylum, don’t just let them go, but to go with them to a place of security so that

they may hear the revelation of God. The previous sentence is a great example of Islam

promoting mercy even in times of war, and against an enemy. What is also intriguing being that Commented [SC19]: This is

typically in war, if the enemy wants peace, the enemy will be let go. However, when dealing

with Islam, in His verses God is teaching a message that one needs to take care of individuals Commented [SC20]: comma

who want peace even if they caused mischief and war before (Naik).
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There are a number of popular misconceptions about Islam that accompany the dislike

that society shows towards Muslims. My own personal experiences that I deal with on a regular Commented [SC21]: have dealt

basis prove my previous statement. There was one incident when I was confused about a concept

I was learning in a class that I was taking, and my lab partner told me while simultaneously

laughing that I did not understand because “maybe you have been around too many bombs

clouding your brain.” My lab partner made that statement without considering how I would feel

about it, she treated the topic as if she was discussing the weather and not blatantly calling me a

terrorist. Commented [SC22]: too long break up, add period after
class and remove “that I was talking and”
make new sentence from “my” and remove “that I did not
It is rather ironic that a religion that puts such an emphasis on peace and mercy receives understand because”

such an extreme amount of hate from society. The negative attitudes shown towards Muslims

has a lot to do with the hand full of individuals that have tried to use Islam to justify their evil

actions. The verses explained previously in my writing and many others in the Quran go to show

that Islam promotes peace. There are so many verses in the Quran that place an emphasis on

practicing peace and mercy through patience, justice, and respect towards parents. When words

from the Quran or any other religious book are read, there should be an established amount of

understanding behind what you are saying. People will often take verses from the Quran that

they do not completely comprehend and try to re word them until they come across as extremely

negative. However, once more exploration of these verses is done, it is obvious that they are

specific to a certain location and time period. Whether you are discussing how to treat injustices

or dealing with parents of old age, Islam advocates mercy and peace to all.
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Works Cited:

“Al-Qur'an Al-Kareem” Surah At-Tawbah [9], quran.com/9. Accessed 4 April 2018.

“Islamophobia.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/Islamophobia. Accessed 4 April 2018.

"Media, Racism and Islamophobia: The Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Media." -
Saeed. John Wiley & Sons, INC, n.d. Accessed 4 April 2018.

Naik, Dr. Zakir. "Quran Says "Kill the Disbelievers Wherever You Find Them".YouTube.
YouTube, 04 Sept. 2011. Accessed 4 April 2018.

Commented [SC23]:

I really enjoyed reading your EIP. I think your topic is very powerful and the addition of
personal experiences really helps to support your points. As someone who is not educated on the
Muslim religion or Islam culture, I was a little confusing for me when reading the various
passages and understanding what some terms meant. Make sure to define any terms that are
specific to the religion or culture and approach it more as if the person reading has no knowledge
about your topic. Overall I think this was very well written and a great topic.