First of all, researching this made me totally sick because of how wrong and uniformed so many people are. I won't get on my soapbox about it, because this isn't the assignment, but my topic was "all Muslim people are connected to Isis."
The topic is portrayed mostly by political candidates, but is not limited to such people. Frequently the posts and shares were clips, videos, or article summarizations of something Trump or someone else has said and then their own stories or plain opinion supporting this "single story."
It was interesting how much the argument appeals toward emotion. Not the emotions of the Muslim people, unless it is to show that they are harsh and violent, but the emotions of Americans, many of whom are scared for the safety and unsure about the situation in the Middle East. Trump and countless others are appealing to this fear and sometimes selfishness that a lot of the American people are feeling, by fueling the stereotype and suggesting closed borders, strict monitoring, and any other extreme measure that could be taken.
Never is the story told from the other side. The Muslim people aren't given a chance to tell about their lives, who they are, why they don't (or even do) identify with terrorist groups. Many don't have the option to stay in their homes because of the danger or possible destruction of their home in Syria or middle eastern countries. They're not begging to come to America to be terrorists, they want to live. Of course you can't blanket statement any type of group, Muslim or not, and be entirely correct.
I know there's an argument on both sides. I myself have an argument against this and studied it somewhat extensively in my world religions class. I know there is a lot about Trump and political parties but there were posts all over Facebook, Twitter, and the News with people supporting these videos, articles, and statements. There was also a lot of bad language so I chose to leave out a lot of posts that I found. The intriguing thing to me is that whatever side you're on, there is content out their in the media world to support you, regardless of the validity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJFEBthh21c
This is such a prevalent issue, thanks for sharing this. It is a scary and intimidating topic to discuss but it really needs to be talked about more!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I do feel like their story is not told enough and we as a nation are definitely not as informed as we should be on important issues like this. I've seen a lot of support for Muslims though as well through various memes and articles, but still their story should be told more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I do feel like their story is not told enough and we as a nation are definitely not as informed as we should be on important issues like this. I've seen a lot of support for Muslims though as well through various memes and articles, but still their story should be told more.
ReplyDeleteFear promotes ignorance and unfortunately, it seems like this fear has caused Muslims to be "single storied" in such a terrible way. There are extremists in every religion, culture, etc. but that should be no excuse to judge the rest of the group based on the extremists actions.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very relevant and timely issue, and hopefully the media will soon shift their story on what it truly means to be Muslim instead of making drastic and incorrect assumptions.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people can be entirely insensitive and ignorant. It's similar to saying all Mormons are polygamists or other things like this. Unfortunately saying this religion is all part of a terrorist group is far more damaging than being a polygamist.
ReplyDeleteThis single story that the media has developed around Muslims is so frustrating to me. Thank you for touching on this issue. There's so much more to their stories than the extremists.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend in 5h and 6th grade who was Muslim. One of the nicest and most spiritual guys I knew.
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