If just one animal bit you, would you accuse and despise them all? If only your iPhone quit operating, would you blame every single one in the world? If the answer is no, then why are all 1.9 billion, about 24.3% Muslims across the globe held responsible for a crime they did not commit? 

There is little doubt that many people's lives have changed as a result of the September 11th attacks. In addition to igniting a wave of dread, the tragedy also served as the catalyst for pervasive hostility toward Muslims. After 9/11, there was an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment, which was stoked by inaccurate beliefs about Islam. More than two decades after the incident, this kind of bias is still a widespread and unsettling problem; it has to be tackled.

Islamophobia started to become a common feeling among a significant portion of the American population after the 9/11 attacks. This flawed reasoning fostered small-scale and large-scale enmity toward Muslims, including verbal abuse, physical assaults, and in some cases anti-Muslim laws.

Since that time, there has been a startling rise in the number of hate crimes committed against Muslims in the US. According to Human Rights Watch and data made public by an array of organizations, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, anti-Muslim hate crimes soared in 2015. There were approximately 257 assaults, attacks on mosques, and other hate crimes targeting Muslims, sourced from FBI data. This represents an increase of nearly 67 percent over 2014, and the trend has continued since. These figures portray a gloomy depiction of a community that is nonetheless constantly at risk of violence and discrimination.

Given that the data is almost a decade old, you would think that it would have improved. Yet, hatred of Muslims is a trend that only gets worse.

An story from the New York Post from this year discusses an incident from last November 23rd in NYC where a guy used anti-Muslim statements before slashing a woman in the face in what authorities said may have been a hate crime. According to a survey by the Muslim Community Network, between 2019 and 2022, 76% of Muslims were witnesses to hate crimes and 49% were victims themselves.

“Whoever kills a person, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind,” a verse from the Quran, the holy scripture of Islam, as stated in an article from the Orlando Sentinel. This implies that Islam forbids the promotion of murder. 

In the United States of America, White men have been held accountable for two of the deadliest mass shootings. In accordance with a report from business insider, a 64-year-old Mesquite, Nevada resident named Stephen Paddock opened fire on the gathering on October 1, 2017, killing 60 people and injuring at least 413 others while firing over 1,000 rounds. On December 14, 2012, a shooter named Adam Lanza, then 20 years old, opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, murdering 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children aged six to seven, and the remaining six were staff members who were adults.

Does this mean that White men have to compensate for each and every shooting that takes place in America? 

Does this indicate the trust you have in White men has deteriorated?

It's essential to keep in mind that the catastrophes were not caused by religion, ethnicity, or race. It is not only discriminatory and detrimental to hold the whole group liable for the conduct of a small number of individuals, but it also goes against the basic ideals on which America was built. As a nation, we must acknowledge that anti-Muslim prejudice is a serious problem that undermines the fundamentals of democracy and tolerance that we all cherish so much. Through discussions and education, let's break the cycle of hostility. By promoting mutual respect and compassion, we can erase the deeply ingrained hatred that binds our communities while establishing a more equitable and humane environment for everyone.