What does the word “Islam” make you think? Do you think of mosques and Ramadan? If I asked you 20 years ago, what would your answer be? Would it be terrorism and jihad? 

But in Arabic, “jihad” is the act of struggling or striving. Terrorism and murder are fundamentally anti-Islam. So where did all these misconceptions and radical stereotypes come from? 

Before I answer that, there’s a concept in psychology called the “us-versus-them” mentality. It’s a method often used to create a scapegoat, or delegate in-groups from out-groups. Governments often shift blame onto these said out-groups with the goal of uniting people against a common enemy.

Often, this process involves the propagandized dehumanization and degradation of others.

This psychological tactic has been used across genocides in global history. In the 1930s, it was used in the Holocaust, where “us” was Nazi Germany, and “them” were Jewish people. The result was a death toll of six million. 

It was also used during the United State’s war on terror, when, after 9/11, “us” was American nationalists and “them” were Muslims, Arabs and South Asians. As a result of this mindset, imposed on the American people by President George W. Bush and his advisors, an entire region of Southwest Asia was destabilized, and scores of Muslims were wrongfully imprisoned in inhumane centers like Guantanamo Bay and FMC Carswell. 

But did we ever ask ourselves who these “outgroups” are?

Are they not children riding bicycles? Are they not a husband and wife sharing morning coffee? Are they not families gathering for holidays and dinners? Are they not human? 

To the west, apparently not. 

Because if the “out-group” was humanized, Palestinian children wouldn’t have been found buried under the rubble of their own homes in a war which the U.N. has declared a genocide. A Iraqi wife and husband wouldn’t be shot dead by American soldiers during the American invasion of Iraq, survived by their children. 

Families wouldn’t be broken and torn apart by manmade famine and war fueled by greed. 

“They” are not the enemy. But maybe “we” are. 

With anger from the attacks on Sept. 11, many Americans were looking for someone to blame. A scapegoat. The government and previous administrations tried to convince us that they were fighting “terror” in the Middle East, but all they did was perpetuate the very thing they were claiming to stop. 

The Bush administration falsely justified the invasion of Iraq to confiscate alleged weapons of mass destruction. It was a blatant lie, and because of that, approximately one million Iraqis were killed. Millions more were displaced, and the country’s economy collapsed. 

That fear became evident on American soil. Approximately 450 “incidents” of anti-Muslim hate crimes were reported by the FBI in 2001. To this day, these numbers haven’t returned to their levels prior to  9/11. 

How did we get to the point where we could blame an entire religion, one with nearly two billion followers, for some of America’s worst crimes committed during the war on terror? 

The war on terror or the war of terror? 

Iraq. Palestine. Afghanistan. Yemen. Several more that were the target of U.S. foreign campaigns, leading many Americans at home to believe these wars were justified because Islam was made to be synonymous with terrorism.

How did a religion defined as “peace” and “submission to one God” become associated with terrorism and violence? 

As a Muslim-American, there are two factors in particular I believe to be responsible: biased media coverage and political propaganda. Outlets like Fox News became known for their Islamophobic rhetoric, leading to an increase of negative attitude towards Muslims by its viewers. 

Even Hollywood was a guilty contributor. Movies like Marvel Studio’s 2008 “Iron Man” completely misrepresented the Middle East at a time where support for the war on terror had begun to wane. In the movie, the terrorist group that abducts Tony Stark is based in Afghanistan, but the main language spoken is Arabic and many of the actors were Arab. The official languages in Afghanistan are Pashto and Dari. 

It’s an ongoing battle to undo the assumption that southwestern Asian countries are an amalgamation of one culture and one religion.

Despite that, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, but that didn’t stop it from being targeted again after Israel’s genocide of the Gazan people reignited after Oct. 7, 2023.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric skyrocketed following this event, as well as anti-Palestinian hate, which reminded many Muslim Americans of the public’s reaction post 9/11.  Islamophobia complaint calls to the Council on American Islamic Relations increased by 300% after Oct. 7. 

To western governments, biased newspapers, racist politicians and white supremacists: You cannot weaponize my faith against me and expect me to cower. My religion is not your punching bag. You cannot instill fear of my religion in my neighbors and assume that I, along with millions of others, will stay quiet. 

Muslim Americans — taxpayers, immigrants, hard workers, athletes, artists, engineers, nurses, lawyers and business owners — exist. We’re not going anywhere either.

The rise of social media has allowed for a change in the rhetoric and an increase in awareness about Islamic traditions, as well as the reality of manmade humanitarian crises like the one happening in Gaza. Because the genocide is actively livestreamed to our phones, attempts to rewrite the narrative by paid politicians to favor Zionists become meaningless. Even media giants like The New York Times and The Washington Post wrote about Gaza with biased word choices, suggesting “the implication is that an Israeli life is simply more newsworthy than a Palestinian one.” 

The dehumanization of Arabs and Muslims continues, but the world is waking up. According to various studies, support for Palestine has increased and warmth towards Muslims in general. The old lies of Islam being “radical” and “oppressive” don’t hold up anymore. 

You can’t tell us Muslims are out for violence and then expect us to believe that when a Muslim father risks his life to stop a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. Or when 20-year-old Muslim Adam Jalil stops following his brother’s ambulance to save a woman from committing suicide in the United Kingdom. The religion speaks for itself in the actions of countless of its followers.

Ramadan is starting this week. If you don’t know what that month means for Muslims, who Muslims are or what Islam is, let this be your opportunity to learn. Ask a Muslim friend or colleague. Read the Quran. Do your research.

Ignorance was never bliss. It has always been a liability. And now, more than ever, it’s a danger. Because when people are uninformed, it is easy to believe what you are told without verification. 

We saw what happened when six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea was murdered by his landlord following the rise of Islamophobia post Oct. 7. Too many lives have been affected by violence committed by those who chose hate and fear over understanding and an open mind. 

Let us stop repeating history and make our own decisions.

We can no longer afford to be ignorant.