Fear of the muslim culture

Fear of the muslim culture

Fear of the muslim culture

When you have a discussion about the Muslim culture or religion with non-Muslims it provokes an emotion of fear. Why? Because of bad press or publicity or because non- Muslims are ignorant about the Muslim culture. They are reminded of all the violence, the terrorist attacks committed in the name of the Muslim religion.

There is a general lack of understanding about the Muslim culture and the little that people do understand or know gets lost in the negative aspects portrayed through the media especially when our TVs are filled with images of violence, suicide bombers fearlessly wreaking havoc. Muslim fanatics like Al Qaeda have openly declared war not only on Americans but non-believers or infidels in the world at large. It is a campaign (jihad) to flush out evil in this world so they believe. The truth is many Muslims are peaceful and want no part of the extremism and fanaticism.

So why do the actions of a minority terrorize and create that atmosphere of fear towards the Muslim culture. The values, beliefs that the west holds dear at heart are certainly not the same values that the Muslim culture appreciates but there is definitely room for compromise. Non believers most times view the Muslim culture as one that barely holds compromise, it appears as an inflexible culture, with stringent norms and rules to follow. To the outside world the terrorist or suicide bomber does not appear any different from the innocent young Arab who lives down the street or who is not a fanatic. Yet this is not true since countries like Turkey have managed to find a compromise by accepting the Islamic religion while enforcing a secular state. Prophet Muhammad is quoted thus "all mankind is from Adam and eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action"

However Wahabbism which is viewed as a fanatical Islamic cult which believes in the annihilation of non-Muslim cultures has Osama bin laden as a follower the founder of Al Qeada.

The good deeds of Islam do not get publicity only the bad which fosters the bad image and reputation thereby creating fear within the outside community of non-Muslims. Islamaphobia leads to Muslim communities suffering from hate crimes, discrimination. There is a tendency to view Muslim culture as lacking the values held by the western world. In addition the dogmaticism in the Muslim culture does not make it any easier to understand for instance when caricatures of the prophet Mohammed were released in Holland there was an outcry, banning of Dutch products, all this for making fun of the prophet Mohammed. This is the kind of reaction that enables people to fear the Muslim culture.

Islam maybe the fastest growing religion but it is also the most misunderstood, misrepresented and under represented. Islam has over 1.6 billion followers. It comes in second after Christianity.

There is a tendency to make generalizations concerning Islam which also causes fear, because people make the assumption that all Muslims are terrorists which is probably why going through an airport in the United States with a Muslim name or the appearance of an Arab gets you eyebrows raised in suspicion.

Ignorance creates an air of confusion which is why the west may view the Muslim culture as violent, aggressive and terroristic. Let's face it, after 9/11 it is going to take a lot of convincing and some brainwashing to erase the fear of the Muslim culture from the western world. The Muslim culture is viewed as a threat to western democracy and the ideals of freedom the western world holds dear

POST COMMENT

The Answers of Social Media Consultants Social Media Consultants: What Do They Know? Searching For Great Social Media Consultants The Hidden Secrets of Social Media Consultants Ask Social Media Consultants The Search For The Best Social Media Consultants for 2011 Social Media Consultants And The Top 4 Things About Them Social Media Consultants: The Search Is On! What Social Media Platform Should I Join? Social Media Can Help a Medical Practice What You Need To Know About Islamic Theology What People Need To Know About Muslim History Saratoga Radiant Heating More Enlightened Selections