The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Study says one fourth of Americans believe anti-Muslim stereotypes

Aishah Abdul Karin will never forget her first trip to St. Louis. She can still feel the chill of the winter weather and envision the glare from the Christmas lights.

More vividly, though, she can hear the van speeding away and the glass breaking as it hit her brother-in-law's head.

That night, the SIUC junior and her family were the victims of a hate crime. They were singled out, she said, because of their religious attire.

Since Sept. 11, members of the Muslim community have experienced both subtle and overt incidents of racism. According to the Illinois State Police, there were five hate crimes committed against Muslims in 2003.

A poll released earlier this month said one in four Americans believes anti-Muslim stereotypes. The study, sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, asked participants whether they believed Muslims taught their children to hate and valued life less than other people.

In part, the stereotypes can be attributed to violence overseas that's said to be done in the name of Islam, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the council.

"There is a veritable cottage industry of Muslim bashers in this country," Hooper said. "It's an unfortunate situation that the anti-Muslim rhetoric has gone up."

Lisa Gandy, a graduate student in computer science, said she was shocked and saddened by the thousands of death caused by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"It was a crazy people attack - not a Muslim attack," said Gandy, who follows the teachings of the Koran. "The Koran says if you kill one person, you're killing all of humanity. Those attacks don't represent our faith."

Education, she said, is the first step to changing those stereotypes. Several mosques, including Carbondale's Islamic Center, have held open houses, teaching the public about Muslim faith.

Nur Azza Abdul-Aziz doesn't need a public forum to discuss her faith. She said she welcomes impromptu questions people have for her.

"I've had people ask me about my head scarf - why I have it on and if it makes my head hot," said the sophomore in biological science. "I don't mind it though. Their questions are out of curiosity, not hate. And that's the difference."

After being raised in Saudi Arabia, Naved Siddiqui didn't know what to expect when he came to the United States to pursue his college education. He was surprised to learn how receptive American people were to other cultures. His biggest challenge has been the airport delays, which lasted more than four hours during one wait.

"It's something that you can't avoid," Siddiqui said. "They want to make sure to weed out any suspected terrorists. It's just frustrating when you keep getting singled out because of how you look."

Saleem Rasheed said religious jeers don't bother him. In fact, he said he uses incidents of religious bigotry to better himself.

"The best thing to do is live by example," Rasheed said. "If people with adverse views see me acting opposite of how they view Muslims, they can't put me in that box. I live by the truth. I live a Muslim life. I'm aware of the stereotypes, and I contradict them every day."

 

 

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