The Burden on Muslim Americans
By Rori Picker, Associate for Interfaith Relations, RFP-USA
On September 11, 2006 approximately 200 individuals from a myriad of faith and cultural traditions came together for the second 9/11 Unity Walk (the first in New York City). The walk began in Union Square Park at the Gandhi statue with a celebration of the centennial of Gandhian nonviolence and ended at the World Trade Center with a memorial for the victims of the September 11th tragedies. The message was one of peace, love, hope and unity.
Throughout the closing ceremony in St. Peter's Cathedral in downtown Manhattan I watched with a sense of awe and inspiration as one religious leader after another stepped forward to deliver a prayer or message of peace. As the Muslim representatives stood, I felt their extra burden as they tried to grieve along with their fellow attendants at the horrors of that day while trying to grapple with the discrimination they now face as a result. When a representative of the Sikh faith rose to deliver his message, he moved the audience, recounting the violence Sikhs have also faced since September 11th by individuals believing them to be Muslims. The first victim fell only five days after the planes hit.
As he spoke I could not help but
look at some of the Muslims sitting around me and wonder what they must have been feeling at that very moment. What must it feel like to live with the knowledge that not only would someone harm you purely based on your faith tradition, but that others have been killed because someone believed them to be like you? Is it really possible for a group of people to live with the burden placed on them by the American public?
Thirty-nine percent of respondents to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll said they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims. The same percentage favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID "as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States." About one-third said U.S. Muslims were sympathetic to al-Qaeda, and 22% said they wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors.
That burden is taking its toll. According to a study of 611 adults by Mona Amer of the Yale University School of Medicine, about half of Arab-Americans had symptoms of clinical depression, an impressive number compared to the 20% in an average U.S. group.
However, the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll also indicates that Muslims in America might be treated better if Americans knew them. 58% of respondents said that they had never met a Muslim, and those who did know Muslims felt a lot better about them.
On November 16, 2006 The People Speak is going to host an online discussion of Muslim-American college students from all across the country to confront these issues and many more. You can post your question or comment any time before or during the November 16 chat.
(Please note: you must be a registered user of The People Speak site to participate in the forum. Register online today.)
On September 11, 2006 approximately 200 individuals from a myriad of faith and cultural traditions came together for the second 9/11 Unity Walk (the first in New York City). The walk began in Union Square Park at the Gandhi statue with a celebration of the centennial of Gandhian nonviolence and ended at the World Trade Center with a memorial for the victims of the September 11th tragedies. The message was one of peace, love, hope and unity.Throughout the closing ceremony in St. Peter's Cathedral in downtown Manhattan I watched with a sense of awe and inspiration as one religious leader after another stepped forward to deliver a prayer or message of peace. As the Muslim representatives stood, I felt their extra burden as they tried to grieve along with their fellow attendants at the horrors of that day while trying to grapple with the discrimination they now face as a result. When a representative of the Sikh faith rose to deliver his message, he moved the audience, recounting the violence Sikhs have also faced since September 11th by individuals believing them to be Muslims. The first victim fell only five days after the planes hit.
As he spoke I could not help but
look at some of the Muslims sitting around me and wonder what they must have been feeling at that very moment. What must it feel like to live with the knowledge that not only would someone harm you purely based on your faith tradition, but that others have been killed because someone believed them to be like you? Is it really possible for a group of people to live with the burden placed on them by the American public?Thirty-nine percent of respondents to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll said they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims. The same percentage favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID "as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States." About one-third said U.S. Muslims were sympathetic to al-Qaeda, and 22% said they wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors.
That burden is taking its toll. According to a study of 611 adults by Mona Amer of the Yale University School of Medicine, about half of Arab-Americans had symptoms of clinical depression, an impressive number compared to the 20% in an average U.S. group.
However, the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll also indicates that Muslims in America might be treated better if Americans knew them. 58% of respondents said that they had never met a Muslim, and those who did know Muslims felt a lot better about them.
On November 16, 2006 The People Speak is going to host an online discussion of Muslim-American college students from all across the country to confront these issues and many more. You can post your question or comment any time before or during the November 16 chat.
(Please note: you must be a registered user of The People Speak site to participate in the forum. Register online today.)
Labels: 9/11, interfaith, interreligious, islam, peace, sikh, the people speak, unity, violence
posted by Rori @ 11:12 AM
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