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Arjun Trikannad

Paulson

Language Arts Core B

February 12, 2017

Religious Discrimination in America

There is no bad religion; there are only bad people. -Morgan Freeman

This quote highlights the misconception that a vast amount of Americans hold of Muslims. What

many Americans fail to grasp is that a small handful of followers of Islam, rather than Islam itself,

provoke violence. This misunderstanding causes a great deal of anti-Muslim sentiment in the United

States. Muslims should not be discriminated against because of their religion in the United States due to

the fact that such discrimination is against fundamental beliefs in America and often has negative impacts

on their lives, and the perception that many Americans have of Muslims is almost never true.

There are numerous laws that limit religious discrimination in different ways such as restricting it

in the workplace. For example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment

discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin (Title VII Civil Rights Act).

Furthermore, the First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of

religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof (The Bill of Rights). The fact that there are amendments

and laws protecting freedom of religion support the idea that religious discrimination is against American

beliefs.

Religious discrimination is also shown to have negative effects on victims. One of these negative

effects is an increase in stress. Discrimination-related stress is linked to mental health issues, such as

anxiety, even in children, according to the American Psychological Association (APA) , which says that

there is a correlation between discrimination in general and relationships, employment, and overall

health (The Impact of Discrimination 10). The APA also notes that discrimination can change behavior,
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causing a victim of discrimination to anticipate discrimination. This puts victims of discrimination in a

state of heightened vigilance, triggering stress (The Impact of Discrimination 8). In other words,

discriminating against someone because of their religion causes harm to their health, personal life, and

career.

The entire Muslim population is often looked upon as a scapegoat for the violence and

anti-American sentiment promoted by the small quantity of Muslims that are extremists. A Pew survey

found that 30% of Muslim Americans travelling by air reported being singled out by airport security

because of their faith (Muslim Americans Singled Out by Airport Security). For the same reason, a recent

executive order has banned travelers from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the country.

The reason for these forms of discrimination is that it is believed by some in the United States that Islam

and terrorism are related. Many Americans see discrimination against Muslims such as this executive

order, which keeps Muslims out of the United States, as justifiable, as attacks by Muslim extremists are

often largely publicized. This leads many Americans to relate terrorism with Muslims and view

discrimination like the recent executive order as necessary for the safety of the country. However,

statistics based on FBI reports show that only about 6% of terrorist attacks on United States soil between

1980 and 2005 were by Muslim terrorists (Terrorism 2002/2005). Moreover, Peter Bergen, an expert on

terrorism, says that 0.006625% of Muslims are terrorists (A Journalists Manual). This leaves over

99.99% of the Muslim population that are peaceful. A majority of the peaceful Muslim population does

not sympathize Muslim extremist groups. In fact, a study conducted by Gallup found that about 80% of

Muslims disapprove of terrorism (Naurath).

With all of these statistics, why are there misconceptions about Muslims in America? In the

words of the Huffington Post, the answer to this question lies in the fact that there is a natural human

tendency to fear what we do not know (Corte), and this tendency has been evident throughout history.

For example, when Christopher Columbus set sail for Asia, people of his time feared that he would sail
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off the edge of the earth. This was because they had little knowledge of what lay beyond the parts of the

world they had explored. In this case, many Americans have made little contact with Muslims, leading

them to mistake Muslims for terrorists. Pew Research Center states that Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%)

say they do not personally know a Muslim and that about half of Americans (49%) think that at least

some U.S. Muslims are anti-American (Lipka).

One plan to limit religious discrimination would be to educate todays youth about religious

equality. This way the next generation of Americans would be more aware and therefore more respectful

of other religions. One way to do this would be contacting the principal of a school and/or school district

officials in order to raise awareness about religious equality in a school. A larger scale option would be to

write to a senator regarding education on religious equality throughout the country. This would be a much

more difficult option, as the idea would have to go through legislature. However, if passed, it would be

more effective, as education on religious quality could be implemented nationally. Another plan would be

to propose stricter anti-harassment policies in schools targeting religious discriminators. Stricter

punishments, such as expulsion, could ensue for any type of religious discrimination. Such policies would

emphasize the seriousness of religious discrimination to Americas youth and help raise a more aware

generation of Americans.

Anti-Muslim sentiment in America is uncalled for because it is religious discrimination, which is

against American beliefs. Religious discrimination also affects victims by causing stress and in turn

causing problems with health, personal life, and careers. Many Americans support discrimination against

Muslims because they perceive Muslims to be harmful. However, this perception is almost never true, as

less than 0.01% of Muslims are terrorists, and only 6% of terrorist attacks on US soil are by Muslim

terrorists. While religious discrimination in America is still a large issue, it can be limited with more

education on religious equality and stricter enforcement of anti-harassment policies.

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Works Cited

A Journalist's Manual: Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists. Southern Poverty Law

Center. N.p., 25 Oct. 2016. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

Corte, Matthew La. "Why Are There So Many Misconceptions About Muslim Americans?" The

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

Lipka, Michael. "Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.S. and around the World." Pew Research

Center. N.p., 22 July 2016. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

Muslim Americans Singled Out by Airport Security. Pew Research Center. N.p., 8 July 2007. Web. 11

Feb. 2017.

Naurath, Nicole. "Most Muslim Americans See No Justification for Violence." Gallup.com. N.p., 02 Aug.

2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

Terrorism 2002/2005. FBI. FBI, 21 May 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

The Bill of Rights: A Transcription. National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives

and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

The Impact of Discrimination. American Psychological Association. N.p., 10 Mar. 2016. Web. 11 Feb.

2017.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. N.p., n.d. Web. 11

Feb. 2017.

Rubric rating submitted on: 3/14/2017, 1:49:22 PM by kapaulson@mytusd.org

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Comments:
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Aside from a minor vocabulary issue, this is a well-researched and almost flawless essay