In conclusion

There you have it, nine blogs explaining with words and images what Muslims have encountered throughout history. 9/11; Terry Jones; Ground Zero; All American Muslims; happy holidays; the hijab; the niqab; airport security and last but not least the caricature drawings are all topics that reflect the true Muslim issues that have happened in the past and are currently taking place. It is because of these incidents that Muslims have been stereotyped and it is because of these stories that one can see both sides to the situations that have happened. 

Throughout my blogs you probably got the idea that I truly do believe in my faith and I'm not afraid to comment on the topics that I find are disrespecting it. Everything that has happened in order to bring down Islam I find has only made it a stronger religion. If I could wish one thing, it would be for the stereotypes against Muslims to come to an end since everyone has their own way of doing things and they shouldn't be judged for it.

It’s funny, if you notice all of the topics followed after 9/11, after that day Muslim issues have grown even more and it's sad to see that because of a group of people who committed a crime everyone from that faith pays the price.

I hope that these blogs didn't offend anyone who read them, I just had a very strong opinion that I believe was visible during my comments.  All in all, respect should be a mutual thing; everyone has their own faith and should have the freedom to practice it in whatever way they choose.

I really hope you enjoyed reading my blogs, until next time.

Caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad

Art is used to describe things that are indescribable by words; however in Denmark 2005 someone took it upon themselves to use this talent to offend a certain religion, Islam.  Caricatures of the prophet Muhammad were drawn and published by the Danish newspaper.  This situation was talked about all over the world since I still remember the day I heard about it, I was in total shock. Why would someone go out of their way to disrespect a Prophet when there was no reasoning for it?

Many protests were held and people of Islam did take action in order to stop these caricatures from being published any more.  The pictures involved the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb. Also many pictures displayed the Prophet imposing violence on others. These pictures criticizing the Islamic ways and one picture even displayed the Prophet as a pedophile. Just so you know writing that last part of the previous sentence was even hard for me… it’s actually horrible to see what people think of this religion and the ones who founded it.

These pictures were so disrespectful and demeaning to the people who believe in their faith. Targeting a prophet doesn’t help any situation, on the contrary it aloud even more problems to take places. Islam just like any other religion contains its rules and its sacred people who made the religion what it is today. By drawing these caricatures you’re not only disrespecting the Prophet but every Muslim in the world. The images displayed Islam and its Prophet in a horrible way and I personally believe that these drawings are a sinful act. 

Now I’m sure the Prophet Muhammad isn’t the only one who’s had disrespectful caricatures drawn after him. I’ve heard many stories about other important people from other religions having the same thing done about them. All I can say is that everything has its limits, drawing pictures regarding certain religions is crossing those limits.

Airport Security

Travelling, something basically everyone’s done at one point in their lives. Whether it is for business reasons; religious reasons or just to visit family. Now imagine a whole plane being evacuated just because of a remark made by you regarding where you’re sitting and how safe it is.  This was the case of nine Muslim passengers 8 of which were born in the America on a US flight on New Year’s Day in 2009.  Two girls who sat near the family over heard them discussing where exactly would be the best place to sit, also one of the Muslim men said 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.’ With this alone 104 passengers were evacuated off the plane with the pilots consent, in order to maintain security.  

Personally I truly believe the reason behind all of this had little to do with the remark made by the man and a lot to do with his faith being Islam.  It’s nothing new to hear about passengers being scared of being on a plane with a group of Muslims after the incident of 9/11. However did it ever cross the girls minds that maybe the man was just fascinated by the jets being right outside his window… come on you’re on a plane it’s not every day you see these things up close and personal.  Also just because the family was discussing where would be the most convenient place to sit shouldn’t have set off alarming signals to the other passengers. On a plane everyone wants to find their own comfort, when I’ve been on a plane I always complained about my seating arrangement... it’s only natural.

 Therefore I find it wrong that these people were basically targeted with stereotypes just because of a little remark.  Since 9/11 I find that the people of Islam have been observed during travel a lot more than any other religion, no one should feel targeted while travelling just because of their faith, that’s just wrong and adds on to the already made steryotypes.

Bibliography: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/03/airtran-flight-muslim-passengers

The Niqab ban in France

As my previous blog discussed certain issues regarding the Hijab, this blog will discuss the law against Muslim Women wearing the Niqab in France. Now if you're wondering what exactly is a Niqab, it would be a black veil that a good amount of Muslim women wear that covers the entire body including the face; only the eyes are visible. A law that Nicholas Sarkozy tried imposing in France last year was that no Muslim women would be allowed to go out publicly wearing the Niqab.

 "From 11 April women will be banned from wearing the Niqab – full-face Muslim veil – in any public place, including while walking down the street, taking a bus, at a bank, library or shop, or in a cinema or theatre. It will be illegal for a woman in Niqab to visit the Louvre, or any other museum, take a train, visit a hospital or collect her child from school."(guardian.co.uk). Just by reading this passage taken from a news article it's clear to see to what extent this law is being enforced. I find it to be wrong, they are attempting to take away the freedom of a Muslim women exploring France while representing her religion if wearing the Niqab. The Niqab represents purity and innocence just like the Hijab and I don't believe it's in anyone’s hands to decide whether or not someone can wear it.

On the other hand I do understand that this law is being imposed because of safety regulations. In France they believe that the Niqab interferes with the eye sight of the woman, not allowing her to see to her full potential. However I still don't see that as a good enough excuse for banning the freedom of wearing this sacred piece of clothing. If France has a fear of someone possibly using the Niqab as a disguise that still doesn't give them a reason to completely eliminate every single Muslim woman’s right in wearing one. The Niqab is meant to be worn in respect of the religion, if one would use it as a disguise and commit a crime then I believe that that person alone should be punished, not the entire population of Muslim women in France. With that being said it’s clear to see that I am completely against this law.

Bibliography: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/03/niqab-ban-france-muslim-veil

Hijab

For this blog I’ll be completely honest I had writers block and didn’t quite know what to talk about. I did a little research and decided to give you guys a bit of history on incidents that have occurred in Canada regarding the Hijab. As almost everyone knows the Hijab is a symbolic head scarf that most Muslim woman wear since it is part of the Islamic religion.

Now even at our school Lajeunesse we have rules that apply to what colors are allowed for girls who wear the Hijab. Although I personally find those rules unnecessary since come on…  the colourful pieces of the Hijab are similar to a headband that every other girl wears would it really matter if someone wanted to wear a blue head scarf… but anyways that’s just my opinion can’t really change school rules.  

On the other hand, in Quebec during the years 1994-1995 there was some controversy concerning girls who wore the Hijab to school. A young girl was sent home because of the fact that she wore the head scarf, the school’s reasoning was that it is against the dress code; the girl stood out from her peers. Also some parents were even asked whether or not they had forced their daughters in wearing the head scarf.  With that being said, it’s quite sad to see that back then they allowed something that was symbolic to a religion lead someone to punishment and interrogation.  

Even today I’ve seen firsthand discrimination towards woman who choose to wear the Hijab. I’d also like to get one thing straight the Hijab is a choice a Muslim woman makes to relate even more to her religion, parents don’t force their daughters to wear the Hijab in fact it’s a sin to force someone in doing so, however I can’t speak on behalf of every Muslim out there. 

Also don’t get me wrong a woman who chooses not to wear the head scarf shouldn’t be considered less faithful , everyone comes to things at their own terms and should do what they find best for them.

Bibiliography : http://soundvision.com/Info/news/hijab/hjb.canada.asp

Happy Holidays

With the holiday season that has come to an end I’m sure no one suspected that saying “merry  Christmas” would become an issue.  But guess what… it has, a 5^th year high school student was offended when her school found it best not to wish this upon everyone in respect to other cultures. In fact the girl was so frustrated with this that she decided to vent on nothing other than Face book… that’s a shocker. She found it appropriate to suggest on her post that she goes walking through her school dressed up as Santa screaming “merry Christmas to the Arabs, pakis, towel heads and whatever other race doesn’t like it.”


 Now if you haven’t heard about this story it was published in the Windsor star about a month ago, this girl went to Kennedy high school and after hearing about this I was shocked. I understand her point of view that yes; they should have the right to say “merry Christmas” since to some people saying that just comes naturally. However there is the alternative, one could simply say “happy holidays” it still has the same meaning.  This girl didn’t realize how offending her post was, she felt offended that she couldn’t defend something she believed in without getting suspended but the real issue here was the fact that she expressed her opinion by offending others.


 Arabs, pakis any kind of culture I can personally tell you that I know plenty of people like this who actually take part in this season just because its known worldwide.  This incident goes to show just how criticism towards Arabs/Muslims does take place even in Windsor.

Bibliography: http://www.windsorstar.com/life/Teen+suspended+Facebook+flap/5833158/story.html

Every Sunday night at 10 p.m the new hit show All American Muslim appears on TLC.  Since its first premiere I have tuned in and watched the show and so far so good, I just have a few complaints about it .  Now just to give you guys a bit of background information for those who have never seen the show.  It takes place in Dearborn,  I like to refer to it as Arab central in the United States.  In the show we are introduced to different Muslim families who invite us into their homes and lives to see what it truly is to be a Muslim citizen living America.


 What I found to be disappointing in the show would be the fact that some actors gave off the impression that they didn't care about their religion and rarely followed it. Now I'm not saying they should follow it, in the end it's their own decision however the way they are approaching the subject I found to be quite wrong especially on national television. This to me didn't show the difficulties a Muslim citizen has, it only reinforced the stereotype already made by other people. On another note, the show helped the viewers see just how it is possibly to follow Islam while participating in every day events. For example the high school football team at Fordson, the boys decided to fast during their game and practice late at night when they were actually able to eat. This shows how they altered their schedules in order to play an American sport but still stay true to their religion. 

  All in all the only reason I was disappointed in the show is due to the fact that I personally don’t live exactly like some of those actors and I have a different point of vu on Islam.  I now feel as if this show has given a chance to the world to stereotype Muslims even more but in the end everyone is entitled to live their life how they please. The show does show two sides to Islam and how every one chooses to follow it living in America, and that is the only reason I will continue to watch it.