But Not All Muslims Are Terrorists

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Shortly before moving to the US I had a conversation with a friend of mine about the differences between the US and Egypt and about how I was nervous about moving here. I told him that he should come visit me when I moved , once I was all settled in, his answer was a little bit disheartening.  He expressed his discomfort with what would happen at the airport in the US and joked about getting questioned and searched merely because he is an Arab. He then said something that I remember quite distinctly; that people seem to forget that indeed some terrorists are Muslim, but not all Muslims are terrorists.

The continuous portrayal of the Middle East by only dark and angry depictions fuels the image and perception of Islam as a harsh and hateful religion and thus lumps the Middle East into one category of similar description. An example of these stereotypes in action is the Oklahoma City bombing and how readily people accused such an act on a Muslim presence. The conclusion that the attack had “Middle Eastern traits” (On Orientalism – Edward Said part 3) because the bomb was designed to hurt as many people as possible is one of misunderstanding of a whole region of the world and it’s people. Whether the cause of such an accusation and indeed the stereotypes of the Middle East be a military need to maintain a fear of an enemy beyond the countries walls or be it something else entirely, it’s perpetuation strips the countries and the religion of their humanity.

I am very excited about this course because when I think of Egypt and of Islam I don’t see any of the pictures that were shown on the video. When I think of Egypt I see, in my minds eye, the people I grew up with, the places I’ve been and things I’ve done there.  None of my time in Egypt, a predominantly Muslim country, was shadowed by the perceptions or images promoted in the media. As such it’s very interesting, and sometimes hard, to try and relate to those beliefs and understand where they developed and why they are encouraged in society.