Melanie Abbott

Professor Kreie

Core 101

12 December 2018

The Oppression of Muslims in Society

The United States has become a melting pot of many ethnic groups, including people

from all over the world. In the 21st century there has been an increased debate on the openness

of the US borders and the prevalence of immigrants in the country. This has created a negative

stigma towards minority groups in the US. One of the most discriminated minority groups in the

US are Muslims. Terrorist attacks such as September 11, 2001 Twin Tower attack in New York

City and the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013 have increased the fear Americans

have for this minority group (Huffpost). This is because these Muslims were extremist who

claimed to commit these crimes for the glory of their god because they had been instructed in

their Bible, the Quran to do so. However, despite their propaganda, examination of the Quran

shows that this is an exaggeration and is to blame for some the fear people have towards

Muslims (Huffpost). This by definition is called Islamophobia and it causes Muslims to be

oppressed and excluded from many mainstream parts of society (Arain). Muslim discrimination

is not exclusively just a US domestic issue, however. Throughout history Muslims have been one

of the most discriminated groups around the globe and still are in today’s society. Through

rhetoric and discourse, the specific identity factors, the societal impact and the importance of

Muslims in society has contributed to bringing to light how stereotyping of this group has

resulted in oppression.
 To begin, rhetoric and the way language is used to describe Muslims shapes this group to

be perceived as monstrous. This has been prevalent in Saudi Arabia for many years; “the theory

of the state was founded on authoritarianism, women were not equal under the law, and the legal

system incorporated corporal punishments” (Rabasa, 73). Even though this discrimination

existed in Saudi Arabia, the government was able to recognize it and liberal Muslims have been

proactive to address the issue (Rabasa, 73). It also shows the magnitude of oppression they face

because Muslims are not even treated fairly in countries where they are the majority.

Additionally, Muslims face discrimination because the rhetoric used in media messages groups

an individual criminal to the entire Muslim population. This is one of the reasons Islamophobia

is so high in the United States specifically (Arain). For example, during the 9/11 attack on the

Twin Towers, the media coverage caused a “dominant discourse homogenizing and congealed

Muslim self-identity” (Mir 238). Post-9/11 caused most Americans to view every Muslim as the

same, resulting in a lack of education on eastern world minorities. This is how rhetoric

influenced people to have a narrow understanding of Muslim culture; “comparing Muslim with

Hindu selection further demonstrates that resistance to inclusion is based on the threat potential

of a given minority group rather than on ethnic difference per se” (Dancygier 4). One of the

reasons for the lack of understanding is the absence of education on Muslim culture in schools.

There is an “unwillingness and inability to include Muslims historical and contemporary

contributions” in the school curriculums because even teachers have islamophobia and are

insensitive towards Muslim culture and religion (Niyozov 637). The teachers do not try and

include Muslim students by teaching their culture and they have lower “expectations about

students and channel them into non-academic streams” (Niyozov 637). This shows how people
do not have the opportunity to learn and change their perspective from the monstrous image the

rhetoric in media portrays them to be.

The grouping and stereotyping of Muslims leads to the oppression their expression of

their self-image because they are pressured to fit a mold of what is “Muslim” based on Non-

Muslims who do not understand the details of their culture and religion. For example, research

shows that nowadays, there are many different types of Muslims. Some are “liberal secularists,

anti-clericalism or authoritarian secularists” but people who are not familiar with this religion

think they must conform to the stereotypical strict conservative image or they are a “bad”

Muslim (Rabasa 70). The various beliefs that Muslims have is not exclusive to religion (Rabasa

65). They have different opinions on “political and social orientation, including conceptions of

government, human rights,” especially women's’ rights and minorities as well (Rabasa 65). This

shows that even though Muslims do have diverse views from one another, the oppression and

pressure they face to fit the “Muslim norm” forces them fit a uniform image. These beliefs

extend to the appearance of Muslims also; “majority of women and girls in North America do

not dress conservatively, but still consider themselves Muslims and subscribe to those values”

(Lewis 65). Since this belief is based on appearance, they are bullied by people of other religions

for not being faithful. This slander is very hypocritical because Americans are not held to the

same conservative standard. For instance, it is socially acceptable for many “secular Christians to

have premarital sex” (Lewis 62). An example of submitting to the “orientalist stereotype” social

pressure is that Muslims fake looking traditional in order to “compete with each other for ‘good

Muslim’ status” (Mir 241). Research has suggested options to overcome this oppression:

“society needs examples of the non-traditional Muslim. ‘Inspirational role models are provided

with profiles of women doing things you would not typically expect a woman to do’” (Lewis
66). The examples from the research shows that Muslims are oppressed because they are not able

to entirely express their identity.

The Muslim minority population is not an isolated societal situation. Muslims impact

other Non-Muslims because they are more common in countries that are predominately non-

Muslim. They have become “the second largest religious denominational group in almost all

Western countries, including Canada, Britain and the United States” (Niyazov 637). Research

shows that this trend will continue to increase because “Muslims are the fastest growing segment

in Western countries” (Niyazov 638). There are many impacts that they already have made on

western society. For example, one of the impacts Muslim relationships have on society is that

they have “evolved from being based on a positive and tolerant mindset to a more negative and

intolerant attitude” (Khalfaoui 87). Research argues it is possible that this is due to the fact that

Islamist movements are affecting millennials and youth more than other groups, causing more

media attention and backlash (Niyazov 638). Another impact Muslims have had is they are

starting be included in the media in a positive way. In the United Kingdom, “British Muslim

identities, Emel, lead the way as the first lifestyle glossy in the British market” (Lewis 63). While

this is a big step to give Muslims more representation, the magazines still could not be purchased

outside of “specialist community venues” (Lewis 63). Muslims also have an impact on schools.

It is very costly and timely to reform schools to include proper mosques, dietary needs and

curriculum to meet their needs (Niyazov 639). The government and school systems are working

to find ways in western countries to be more inclusive. In Canada, political candidates “promised

to fund religious schools” but it cost them from winning the “2007 provincial election” because

the majority of the population was in the Islamophobic mindset (Niyazov 639). This leads into

the next impact Muslims have on society which is representation in political elections. In many
countries Muslims make up the the most “economically deprived areas, low-income”

populations, so they are eager to have representation in governments in hope to increase aid

(Dancygier 2). However, since they are such an oppressed minority group, Muslim candidates

have not been successful in winning elections (Dancygier 2). Research shows that even if a

Muslim was elected a political official, there would still not be enough leverage to help

redistribute resources and aid to low economic status Muslims (the left and minority

representation, 5). There is evidence that shows how Muslims impact society no matter if Non-

Muslims wish them to or not.

Everyday life includes people of many religions interacting with one another, and these

new relationships thrive from accommodating another person's differences and understanding the

importance of accepting minorities. Adapting to fit another person’s lifestyle is a common

practice when people of two different cultures or social groups interact, but what is different with

Muslims is that cooperation is an attempt to break stereotype barriers. To describe this

relationship, research compares Muslims with the LGBTQ+ community member and how both

studies groups are gaining acceptance in society; “like queer lifestyle press, Muslim magazines

are regularly read by many whose social and political profiles range far beyond the target

readership constructed by their content” (Lewis 64). Even small steps such as reading Muslim

media can have a drastic effect on society because it allows people to learn about culture in a

current fashion. One of the magazines bridging the cultural gap is ExcuGo magazine which

according to its publisher Faye Kennedy her mission is to “‘educate, not just Muslim girls but to

educate other girls about Muslim girls’” (Lewis 65). American culture has also shaped the

rhetoric Muslim Americans use. Traditionally Muslim women participated in courtships by their

parents, but more secular Muslims participate in dating. However because of how Americans
have defined the rhetoric of dating to mean “dating plus sex;” Muslims trying to “avoid

premarital sex describe relationships with potential mates as talking” (Mir 245). Another

contribution that affects how the world views Muslims are military conflicts that have occured

during the 20th and 21st centuries. Research states that “the aftermath of the Iraq invasion”

caused support for the Muslim political candidates “dropped significantly” (Dancygier 1). This

influence taints all the of the other proactive movements being made: “people don’t want to

support Muslims because of cultural differences and lots of changes” (Dancygier 5). The

president of France commented, “‘To decide to build the largest mosque in France in the second-

largest city in France, well, you lose a big part of the vote. People want invisible Islam’” (the left

and minority rep, 5). These examples show how the differences in rhetoric influence the views

people have.

Muslims are an example of a minority group that have experienced oppression

throughout history. They are an example of how a lack of education on culture can lead to

generalization and misconceptions of religious groups. This paper has showed that even though

Muslim culture may be quite different compared to other religions, they still have individuality

like everyone else. One person's actions in a Muslim extremist group does not define the

character of each individual Muslim. This is why rhetoric and discourse, the specific identity

factors, the societal impact and the importance of Muslims in society reveals the roles Muslims

have in the world and why oppression of this group is detrimental to the quality of life for people

all over the world.

 Bibliography

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