I am not a Muslim
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During brief moments we can learn a tremendous amount regarding the culture one lives in. While I paid for some shoes a woman approached the cashier to ask a question. Typically this is the sort of mundane detail that we all rarely take notice of or think twice about. However, this instance was different; this moment provided me with an insight into the perceptions of America. The woman (I can assume she was white, only saw her fingers) began her conversation with the cashier by saying…
“I’m not a Muslim…”
She was wearing a head scarf and was obstructing view of her face with a large hat. I could then hear the woman explain that she had an acid burn to her face. Clearly she is very self conscious regarding her injuries and I do not want to come across as attacking her. That is not my intention. This is actually an examination of our society. The cashier did not seem to react to the statement one way or another. I think that is due to how we train the people in the service industry to not make waves with the customer even when they say something that may or may not be insane…
When did we become a nation requires citizens to declare what religion, race, or ethnicity they may or may not belong too? This is not something as simple as a law imposed on the citizens by a fascist government. But rather this is a shift in our cultural norms. We are moving towards a less accepting society. We are not a post-racial society but rather we have shifted from racial bigotry (institutionalized) to ethnic and religious revulsion. It is impossible to know specifically motive of the woman. Possibly she felt others hold negative attitudes toward Muslims and did not want any trouble. Or, possibly she hates Muslims and think they are all terrorists.
An ABC News poll from 2004 and a Pew Research Center Poll from 2010 illustrate how the feeling towards Islam has changed in America. In October of 2001 (less than a month after 9/11 terrorist attack) a poll showed that 47 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Islam. In 2003 only 39 percent had a favorable view toward Islam. By 2010 that figure has dropped to 30 percent. A situation that should have progressively gotten better has fundamentally worsened in the near decade since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The same ABC news poll showed that in January of 2002 41 percent of Americans felt that Islam teaches respect for non-Muslim beliefs by September of 2003 that number dropped to 31 percent. During the same time period the question was asked, does mainstream Islam promote violence against non-Muslims? Incredibly 14 percent said yes in 2002 (4 months after 9/11) by 2003 34 percent felt that it encouraged violence.
OUR LEADERS
So where is all of this coming from? A perfect case study of where we are in American can be found in the words of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley.
Recently, Governor Robert Bentley noted that only Christians are his “brothers and sisters”. This is a man who was elected to the highest office in his state deliberately showing a negative attitude toward those who do not share his religious beliefs. I posit that it is better to know how one feels rather than them living behind a thin veil of civility. This way one can know who the racists are. However, this type of attitude is egregious in a nation that is allegedly moving forward. It appears that this was a myth. We are moving back. Governor Bentley does not specify Islam or any other group but it does seem to be a curious statement. That will probably lead to more people pointing out specifically “I am not a Muslim”.
Are we doomed as a society? I hope not. As Cornel West once said “I cannot be an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope”.
