Muslim Culture, they are not the Enemies - Essay Example

? Muslim Culture: They Are Not Our Enemies of Muslim Culture: They Are Not Our Enemies According to the Pew Foundation (2010) the number of Muslims in America will raise by 2030. Within 20 years, the number of Muslims will double. Many international Muslim students come to America to enhance their education as Islam states that Muslims are to seek knowledge everywhere (Kahn, 2012). Unfortunately, because of the events of September 11, 2001 (9/11) many Americans hate Muslims and fear them at the same time. Although many may think that hate is a strong word, in cities like New York and Dearborn, Michigan, hate is the word that is used. As an example, in Dearborn, many people actively show negative feelings toward Muslims and do not want them as a part of their communities, based on the events of 9/11(Denvir, 2012). Many right-wing Christians in Dearborn speak out on a regular basis against Muslims and state that they are attempting to take over the United States (Denvir, 2012). In New York, policemen were monitoring the activities of Muslim students on various college campuses beyond the jurisdiction of the New York City Police. In particular, they were monitoring students in Pennsylvania and at Yale (Associated Press, 2012). These and other situations like them have created a situation for Muslims that has had them attacked, monitored, and shunned by Americans for one reason or another. Because of the difficulty that Muslim people have and because Americans seem to have a problem with anything or anyone that is different, I wanted to research a group that was totally opposite from my own. Although we both have a religion that we believe in, I thought it would be interesting to explore a group that many people hate. After all, as a Native American student, I understand how difference can be perceived in America especially when people are fearful. This paper will focus on those people who have been raised in the Muslim culture. Islam, The Foundation for Muslims Islam is the religion that most Muslims have been raised in and many still practice it daily. According to Al-Thani (2013) Islam is both a religion and a way of life. As a religion, it is one of “peace, mercy, and forgiveness” (para. 1) and Muslims attempt to live quietly and peacefully in the United States. The lifestyle of Muslims is based on their belief in only one true God and the idea that the Prophet Muhammad brought information to them from God. There are many rituals associated with Islam that are based on the Qur’an, the book that Muslims believe is the one true place for messages from God. In Native American religion, we also attempt to live our lives in peace and harmony though we have gone through many challenges in our history. We believe that there is a Great Spirit that governs everything in the world and that we are all one with the world. In looking at Islam, I did not see this specifically said but Muslims do try to live together with others without fighting. Just like there are many different types of Native American tribes, there are many different types of Muslims. However, there are two major believe systems: The Sunni and the Shia. They are different because of the part of the Qur’an they think are correct. For example, the Sunni believe that orthodox part of the Qur’an called the Sunna is the most important aspect of the religion (Jenkins, 2007). They believe that the laws for men and women (the Haddith and the Shari'a) are based on this part of the Qur’an. In contrast, the Shia believe that only those decedents of Mohammad should be allowed to lead Islam (Jenkins, 2007). In Native American religion, we do not have this type of difference and we understand that everyone is a part of the world. In other words, “we are all one” is a phrase that we hear our elders say many times. It was easy to see that culture as it relates to communication is important in the Muslim culture. They believe that the Qur’an is the only holy book that was sent to them from God. Through the teachings of Mohammed within this book, the culture has adopted a religion and made it a lifestyle. Those people who practice Islam in its entirety seem to have a connection with each other and know what is expected in their actions and in their relationship to others in the community. Nonverbal Communication When looking at nonverbal communication, it is important to look at the different countries in which Muslims live. Many come from the Middle East or the lower Gulf regions, which means that many are from African countries, and Arab countries. In researching these aspects, I found that much of the culture is based on roles for males and females. As an example, eye contact is not seen as appropriate in Muslim culture especially between a man and a woman. Eye contact is also seen as rude by this culture, especially when it is direct eye contact (personal communication, A. Obedi, February 5, 2010). One of the reasons that Muslim women dress in plain clothing is because clothing sends a non-verbal message to others. Women are to be modest and do not wear clothing that may attract males. Personal space is different between women and men. We might observe two men standing nearer each other who are from a Middle Eastern country than we would in America. We also would see that women and men do not stand near each other because it is seen as immodest unless they are family members. Language and Dialectical Differences For the majority of people in the Middle East, except for areas of Africa, the major language is Arabic. All Muslims who practice Islam are required to learn Arabic so they can read the Qur’an in its original form. There are several differences between English and Arabic. The alphabet is one of the first differences because it has 28 letters and eight vowels. It is written from right to left, and it only is written in cursive. There are no capital letters in Arabic like there are in English and the letters change their shape depending on where they appear in a word (e.g. beginning, middle or end of the word) [Al-Muhtaseb and Mellish, n.d.]. In order to show vowels, Arabic uses diacritic marks above some letters so they can tell what those letters are to sound like. There are some sounds in Arabic that are not sounds in English. As an example, Americans talk mostly from the front part of their palate and there are no guttural sounds. In Arabic, the throat, the upper and lower palate and the tongue have specific sounds that are not heard in English. Arabic is also heavier in consonants than it is in vowels, which makes it difficult for English speakers to learn Arabic and Arabic speakers to learn English (Payne, 2013). Also, speakers of English may sound differently depending on the region they come from. In Arabic, there are many accents that can make it difficult to understand (Al-Muhtaseb and Mellish, n.d.). Social and Gender Roles In Muslim culture, men and women have distinct roles. They are traditional in values and in their way of thinking. Although it may seem that women have no say in what they do in this culture, this is a stereotype rather than a reality. According to Al-Mannai (2010) women have many rights according to the Qur’an. As an example, women have the right to have their own money and to an education. In some countries women have less opportunity than others, but this depends on the way that the men in the country think (Al-Mannai, 2010). Some men believe that they should hide their women or make their women submit to their will; this is not what the Qur’an says (Al-Mannai, 2010). Family Differences Muslim men are considered the heads of their households and they must take care of the family financially. In a community, men and women do not mingle as this can lead to challenges between the sexes (Dhami and Sheikh, 2000). Family is very important in the Muslim culture and men and women have their roles within the family. The male in the family often takes care of both his immediate and his birth family (Dhami and Sheikh, 2000). According to Hall’s high and low context cultural taxonomy, the Muslim culture would fall into a high context culture. They are close knit, everyone knows how they are expected to act and they understand the cultural codes. As an example, Arabic is a language that is full of metaphor and reading between the lines. Communication is very polite and colorful in its expression (L. Ahmed, personal communication, February 7, 2013). This suggests that it is a high context language and available to people within this culture more readily than to other cultures. Native American families, traditionally, are matriarchal rather than patriarchal like in Muslim culture. Native American men do have the obligation to take care of their families like Muslim men. Also, we believe that the family is very important to our well-being. We believe that all people are related to each other in the concept that we must love and respect everyone. Prejudice and Discrimination in Muslim Culture There are many facets that go into prejudice and discrimination against Muslim culture in the United States. Stereotypes promote the ideas that many Americans have about Muslim culture. Generally, when we see women who are veiled or who dress in modest clothing that we associate with the Muslim culture, we as Americans can have mixed feelings about what we see. because of 9/11 many people think that all Muslims are terrorists and anyone who looks too different or is mysterious will bring out fear and often anger in Americans. Love (2009) calls this fear Islamophobia. Specifically, Islamophobia is “racialized bigotry, discrimination, policies and practices directed towards a range of groups…” (p. 401). Those people who are affected by Islamophobia can be Muslims but also people with “Muslim-like appearance” (p. 402). This could mean that anyone who looks a certain way can be a victim of hatred and bigotry. As far as I could see in the research that I did on this topic there is no cause for the feelings that people have about the Muslim population. In talking with a local area Mosque, I found that Muslims are attempting to do what they can to live in peace. In my conversation with Asad Obedi, the Imam or holy leader of the Mosque, I found that there are many efforts that are being done to bring people together. As an example, in his Mosque women and men sit together. Also, Sunnis and Shias worship together which is not the way it is in most Mosques. Obedi considers his Mosque nondenominational because anyone can come and worship with them. Usually a Mosque will have many programs and teach Arabic but because they do not currently have a teacher, and they are in a small town, they cannot offer these programs. However, Obedi stated they are still doing potlucks and study circles (personal communication, A. Obedi, February 5, 2010). This is common behavior in our Native community because we enjoy coming together, eating, and sharing stories. There are some people who want to learn the old language, but others who just want to speak English. The Mosque is eventually moving to Phoenix, Oregon and Obedi expects that it will be a much better space and have more programs. I also think that Muslim people just want to be treated like everyone else in society and not have people think that they are going to hurt them in some way. The Media and Prejudice Against Muslim People There are many different ways that people can be discriminated against but it seems very unfair to decide that all people of a certain race are a certain way. I have not found that there is truth in the issues that are reported in the media although there can be many people who are like what the media says. I am sure that there are many Muslims who believe in terrorism and many things that happen in the media can create problems for Muslims and for Americans. As an example, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who says that he is a Coptic Christian, created the film a few months ago called, “The Innocence of Muslims.” In it, he portrayed Muslims as being very dishonest people and showed Mohammad as being a terrible man (Braun, 2012). This caused an outcry in the Middle East and Africa, and made many people very angry. In fact, there was rioting and people were killed. Many Americans did not understand why this was a problem. The problem is that some people are very devout and think that Mohammad is very sacred. They were upset because Americans did this to their sacred leader. A question in my mind was why Americans did not see this as a problem. The media as control of how people are portrayed, and some Americans do not go any further than what they see in the media when they look at people who are different. Conclusion There many cultures in America who are working or going to school and trying to make a living. The Muslim culture is very different than many cultures in America and they tend to stand out in a crowd because of how they choose to dress. They are very nice people who are not attempting to harm anyone as a group. Of course, there are people within any culture who can be labeled as bad, but we should not judge everyone by what a few people did or want to do. I learned a lot about the Muslim culture by talking to a couple of people in different cities and I found that this was an interesting group to understand. References Al-Mannai, S. S. (2010). The misinterpretation of women's status in the Muslim world. DOMES: Digest Of Middle East Studies, 19(1), 82-91. DOI:10.1111/j.1949-3606.2010.00007.x Al-Muhtaseb, H. and Mellish, C. (n.d.) Some differences between Arabic and English: A step towards an Arabic upper model. Retrieved from http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/ics/muhtaseb/Research/UKPAPER.pdf Al-Thani, R. (2013). Understanding Islam and Muslims. IslamiCity. 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