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Ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Islamophobia has sprouted across the United States. There are certainly Muslims that have committed acts of
terrorism, but the general community is being painted with very broad strokes today. Though the United States has identified more that 160 Muslim-American
terrorism suspects and perpetrators in the decade after 9/11, only a fraction of the thousands of acts of violence that occur every year in
the United States.
Despite this, Islamophobia has not been decreasing in the United states; in fact, it seems to be worse than ever.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has used this as a valuable tool in his campaign. Fanning the flames of islamophobia, the many
people in our nation who kept their qualms with Islam withheld now have someone to stand behind. Ideas such as having all Muslims registered and carrying
identification cards and total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States are promoted by Donald Trump, with like-minded people rally
behind him. Many figures in media make calculated efforts to fuel intolerance of Muslim Americans.
I do not know much about the religion of Islam, and I don't know any Muslims personally either. Consistently, I see vitriol against Muslims on the
internet and in media, especially from Americans. As an American, I feel this is an injustice, and I am also interested in the religion itself.
The United States is a nation of immigrants. As an Italian, most of my great grandparents were immigrants that came to America in the early 1900s.
Just like today, these immigrants came here to find a better life. They were subjected to prejudice and discrimination very similar to what Muslims
go through today. Their religion, Catholicism, was looked down on, and they were profiled as low-life criminals. The largest lynching in the history
of the United States occurred when 9 Italian-Americans were found to be not guilty of murder. After this, a crowd dragged them into the streets and
lynched all of them. Although he was not yet President, Teddy Roosevelt said that this event was "a rather good thing". He too viewed Italians as
descendants of thieves and criminals. This bears a disturbing resemblance to Donald Trump and his followers. It is unjust and needs to be remedied
through education.
Hopefully, I can help give other non-Muslims a basic understanding of Muslim Americans through this website. Since Islamophobia is reaching an unprecedented peak in the United States, it is critical that we educate about these Americans however we can. With the information on this site, you can also help fight the intolerance towards this vulnerable minority.
– Chris Moretti