The “American Dream” is a vision many long for. It has attracted individuals from various backgrounds, and, with the growing number of tension in other countries, it’s continuing to captivate so much more. But what is this idea that everyone seems so intrigued by? According to historian James Truslow Adams, the apparent inventor of this phrase, he was referring to, “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Therefore, the “American Dream” should be acquired by those who are capable of making a better life for themselves, based on his or her own potential. Over the years, this Dream became lost in the walls of society. We have become materialistic since people are starting to focus more on brands and social status rather than an individual’s potential. We, the citizens of the United States, have taken this opportunity for granted while others are fighting for the liberties we have. It is getting harder and harder for others to achieve this goal due to the marginalization by the majority. Muslims who have fled their countries are usually escaping from political instability, religious persecution, or financial hardship, which is why they come to the land of the free. However, once they step foot in this country, they are greeted with more obstacles.
First and foremost, Who are Muslims? Simple, Muslims are those who practice the religion of Islam. Yet, how did something so simple grow to have multiple labels? Most Americans have encountered a couple of Muslims before, whether it’s the person that sits a couple of desks down, their next door neighbor, or the barista at a local coffee shop. They know of their practices, but most Americans are still, or were, extremely ignorant of the religion of Islam. They think it is practiced in a primitive country, probably somewhere in the desert where they ride around camels, with men who have multiple lovers and women who were extremely oppressed. They think child marriages, as well as shame killing, is part of their practice. They think nothing in this religion was humane, and therefore, about the people. The point is that most Americans “think”, but they don’t “understand”. They don’t understand that these viewpoints were very stereotypical and not at all how Islam is practiced. In a TED talk, How Americans view Islam, by Leslie Mitchell, she states, “In order to educate myself more, on Islam, I couldn’t take people’s word for what it really was about. I read the Quran, cover to cover, to see what was in it for myself.” Mitchell discusses that honor killings were not only not a part of Islam, but they are not lawful to Islam, and that murder is wrong and not permissible in Islam according to the Quran. These
kind of negative “thinking” leads to the discrimination of Muslims and the only way to stop this is to become more educated rather than believing society’s perspective on the issue.
Some may say that being Muslim American has given them optimism and a positive feeling when it comes to achieving their American Dream. In the article, “U.S. Muslims believe in American dream despite discrimination” by Adelle Banks, Amaney Jamal, a Princeton University professor of politics states, “In the last decade, an increasing percentage of Muslims say they have experienced support from others because they are Muslim. In a sense, with rising Islamophobia has come more support from the general public, so I think that’s one of the reasons why Muslim Americans feel more comfortable in their place in the U.S. today.” However, even with the growing support Muslims receive, an increasing amount of religious discrimination has gone up during the past years (Jamal). The public treats Muslims with suspicion to physical attack. This is seen more often in women than men. Women wearing hijabs or niqabs, a head covering usually worn by Muslim women, are more easily identified as Muslims which gives them a slight disadvantage in public settings, where people that feel threatened. This affects the advancement of Muslims towards the American Dream.
Even when Muslims are not officially inside the country, they already face high levels of discrimination. Starting from airport security, those who had “Muslim characteristics” were automatically set aside for multiple security checkpoints or
interrogated by border control officials. They’re being treated as if they are a threat to everyone when it comes to “random selection” for extra security, and they get chosen every single time. In the article, “I asked Muslims what it’s like to travel these days. Here’s what they told me” by Cj Werleman, he states, “The airport experience has become as gut-wrenching as a trip to the dentist, but unlike a root canal, there is no anesthesia to numb the emotional distress that comes when you traverse airport security. As soon as I step foot inside the terminal, my head swims with all kind of anxiety-inducing thoughts.” Werleman gives the reader an insight of how traumatic traveling has been for Muslims. Even if they are completely innocent, there’s still the huge possibility of being interrogated when your name sounds similar to those who have carried out the attacks. Muslims become stripped of their identity, some Muslim women report being told to remove their hijab until passing through security, others were requested to avoid speaking Arabic near fellow passengers, and some by dressing in a Western manner. Trying to change their looks insults their beliefs and takes away their rights and freedom; society’s views of Muslims in the airport are already setting a difficult path to achieve the American Dream.
Immigration law has been the toughest barrier to break when it comes to achieving the American Dream. The government makes it so that it prohibits a specific group from entering the United States. Since the tragic occurrence of 9/11, America has targeted not only Muslims trying to enter, but also Muslim Americans who were naturalized long before this devastating event. It changed the image of all who are affiliated with the religion of Islam. The current immigration control is failing and there needs to be a solution for this. The Airline’s Security Protocol was enacted after the occurrence of the September 11 attack back in 200, which focused on most Arab countries. In the Academic Journal, United We Stand: American Attitudes toward (Muslim) Immigration Post-September 11th by Kathleen Moore, George W. Bush successfully convinces the public that, “The United States is not at war with Islam but with selected terrorists, and is capable of providing better and more effective immigration controls that will safeguard national security.” The previous immigration laws interdict Muslims, all over the world, from entering the United States because the attack put this fear, that every Muslim is a terrorist. Society has put a stereotype on individuals who practice this religion and gets highly criticized in the public setting. Today, Immigration laws are the most highlighted subject in the political world, which is the most important barrier Muslims face to reach their Dream.
Discrimination in religion was not very highlighted until after the attack; it caused a wave of construction on the way our entire system ran. It also changed how people acted out, from the fear society has put into the minds of the public. People are being discriminated on because of their religious beliefs; this occurs most often in the workplace. Those with religious needs are being marginalized into lower service or pushed out of employment. When Muslims need to practice their faith during specific times, the company is not willing to compromise which leaves the employee in a situation they shouldn’t be in. Employers are manipulating the situation to eventually force the employee to quit. Prohibiting a person to practice their religion is an attack on their own religious freedom. In the Academic Journal, Relationships of the Practice of Hijab, Workplace Discrimination, Social Class, Job Stress, and Job Satisfaction Among Muslim American Women by Saba
Rasheed Ali, a study by the Journal of Employment Counseling reveals that “Research being done in the workplace neglect to include the bias against religion.” Discrimination in the workplace is not being emphasized as one of the main causes of job stress and low job satisfaction. The results of the research were being resolved in clinical interventions, dealing with behaviors.
In order to deconstruct the terrifying stories we hear, we have to ask questions. We cannot label a group of people based on the actions of a terror group who happens to have the same ethnic background, skin color, or religious beliefs. This starts by being open-minded about others and understanding that what a small group, or organization, or malicious people enacted, does not define a whole population. A simple question of “What’s your name?” can open up a conversation and perhaps learn the story of an individual. When people are too afraid or stubborn to ask, then that’s when they start to name others. In the TED talk, The Muslim on the airplane by Amal Kassir, Kassir introduces her name and the story behind it:
My name is Amal, it means “hope” in Arabic. Most days my name is waitress at my family’s Damascus restaurant, full-time university student and then some, pre-law, world traveler, eleven countries. My name is I’ve performed poetry in eight of those countries. International spoken word poet, unapologetic Muslim woman. Syrian, American, hijabi, activist, social justice advocate. My name is writer, teacher, Colorado-born Mile high baby! But at the airport, my name is random search. And
on the street it’s terrorist, sand ni**er, rag head, oppressed, and on the news, it’s ISIS, jihadi, suspect, radical; my name is “Could your neighbor be an extremist?”
Many Muslim Americans are born in the United States, and when random people yell out, “Go back to where you came from!”, it is a generalization being made instead of individualizing them. But they won’t know that unless they ask. In a world of mass media, a person’s image must be self-determined rather than stereotyped by the anchorman or the person with a megaphone slurring out hateful accusations. A lot can be said when people engage in conversations with others, it clears up the public’s false generalization on Muslims, which holds them back when trying to achieve their own American Dream.