As President Barack Obama's term
comes to an end, he is still struggling to gain liberties from the
court system that would allow him to protect established immigrants with
American-born children from deportation. The success of this proposal
would, presumably, give the president greater authority regarding who to deport
and why deport them. As a result, concerns arise in lieu of the
presidential campaign and Republican nominee Donald Trump's harsh immigration
stance.
If executive authority were
increased, the fate of immigrants and refugees would depend greatly on the
views of the incumbent president. What happens to those who left the destruction
of war in the Middle East to establish a safer future for their children in
Western countries? How could refugees expect to be treated fairly among U.S.
citizens while a widespread case of "Islamophobia" is sweeping the
country, leaving boils oozing hate and discrimination?
Tensions between cultures find
themselves clashing in the remains of the American melting pot as Islamophobia
increases, especially following radical Islam-rooted tragedies (such as last
week's Orlando shooting). Media coverage of these events has the exact opposite
effect of uniting a country to counter terroristic ideals. The large
majority of Muslims are peaceful people who condemn the behaviors of the
extremists; however, protest events are not covered by the media. The media wishes to instill fear
and anti-Islam sentiment in order to attract more readers and gain
subscriptions. The general welfare of entire societies is not their
priority or concern.
If American Muslim individuals and
communities were given a voice in the media, much of the Islamophobic sentiment
would diminish. Fear stems from mystery, a lack of information or
understanding. Americans are quick to draw conclusions about an entire
religion based on the actions of the few. The land of religious freedom
has quickly turned intolerant. Threats are real. Actions must be taken to
prevent further attacks. However, progress will fail to occur without the
mutual support of native and foreign peoples living in the United States.
1 comment:
“Islamophobia and Social Thought”, a blog posted by fellow classmate Madeline S., really stood out to me in its straight forward and honest approach. I’m surprised on a daily basis by some of the remarks and opinions of people that I believed were more nondiscriminatory on issues of faith. Many of them follow and develop their opinion, solely off what they hear and see being offered through mass media. They are being presented with only the information that makes headlines; which in turn is hampering their ability to offer a truly informed stance on immigration. Although some media outlets attempt to show a full picture, that is not what is popular in the mainstream. The statement from Madeline’s blog, ”Fear stems from a mystery, a lack of information or understanding”, is spot on. When I have conversations with conservative peers that have a negative perspective on the Muslim community, it is almost always due to lack of knowledge. They do not have Muslim friends or acquaintances nor are they interested to. The statements they offer to support their perspective are often in the realm of, “well my friend said”, or “I saw in my newsfeed”. They are often referencing an opinion based editorial that offers only the authors perspective. But, because they see the article associated with an established news source, it becomes fact to them. We need an educated public in order to see progress. It’s important for us to seek out opportunities to give possible insight to our community and peers; not in an attempt to ridicule or discredit, but to show other aspects of the issue.
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