Islamophobia is Real

By Dina Mousavi / Winter 2021

Dear sixteen-year-old Dina,

It’s me, your almost twenty-one-year-old future self. You might be wondering why I’m writing this letter to you today, and I hope that by the end of this letter you understand why this was written to you in the first place and what you can do to help your society. Let me just mention that I am in no shape or form an expert now, but within these past five years, I’ve burst the bubble I was surrounded in and saw the true realities that many faced. Our world is surrounded by much more than what we see on the surface, whether we want to acknowledge it or not.

I am asking you to look back to an incident that occurred when your grandmother, Mamani as we like to call her, came to visit the United States back in the year of 2016. This was also the year you received your driver’s license, which was one of the greatest luxuries living in America, as you didn’t have to wait an extra year or two compared to other Countries. For you, at age sixteen, there were plenty of opportunities to live your life without judgment and obtain what you wanted in life. But this isn’t the case for everyone, as we saw perception shift toward the negative when it came to specific groups of individuals -- groups of individuals who may not have been in the same cultural or racial standing or even groups of individuals who were not in society’s elite or social class. It was harder for those to be accepted who didn’t fit into society’s accepted rank, and this is a major concept I want you to understand with this letter. Now, let’s walk through your mindset when words of discrimination and hatefulness attacked Mamani. It was a hot and summer day, and you and Mamani were driving to pick-up food from a local business that had just opened in our city. It was scorching outside, and Mamani, who was wearing all black at the time, sat there smiling while you felt like you were melting away and stuck your head out the window to escape the dreaded heat. You were so confused about how Mamani could wear dark clothing with her hijab in hundred-degree heat, yet she was still so happy to signify her faith and wore it proudly. When we reached the restaurant, you picked up the food and began the drive back home. This is when stopping behind one red light changed how I viewed the world forever, as you may not have realized it back in 2016. As we were stopped, a young man and his friend tailgated my car until they hit the back of it. I’m sure they were aware that they potentially scratched my car but seemed to be extremely careless and unfazed as we watched them laugh at us from my rearview mirror. From there, Mamani proceeded to get out of the car and noticed a scratch on the back. She signaled at them to come out of the car so that we could peacefully talk with them, but the young man rolled down his window and yelled out a cruel and uncalled-for remark to spark a reaction from us. His exact words, “Shut up, terrorist,” shouted directly to my grandma. Telling her to stop talking can be forgiven over time, but labeling someone as a terrorist when they haven’t caused harm is never okay. This is something I hope these young men realize now, as growth and development are crucial for a better understanding of our world.

I think that at that instant, you didn’t understand the severity of the situation. You did acknowledge that it was wrong, yet you didn’t say or do anything about it. But, I don’t blame you because you’re not alone. It is hard to stand up for what is right at times, especially if you may not know a lot about it or if it can be a sensitive topic. In your case, you didn’t know much about the racial discrimination that happens in our world daily, and I don’t think you thought you would experience something so close to home. After the situation with Mamani occurred, you sat in the driver’s seat in awe of what you had just seen while your grandmother continuously tried to get the young men out of the car so she could talk to them. You were confused with what just happened, as you didn’t know why your grandmother was being targeted in a moment like this. She was respectful to the young men the entire time and was still faced with discrimination because of her accent and appearance. To this day, you haven’t talked to anyone about this experience or discussed it with Mamani, but I’m sure she understood what happened in that instant. Whether she spoke English or not, that word is similar in both Farsi and English, so she definitely knew what had just happened to her. Additionally, what happened to Mamani wasn’t just a one-time situation, as Muslim individuals worldwide have been faced with discrimination and racial injustice. And this negative mindset towards these individuals rose after the attack on 9/11, which was led by a man born and raised in a Middle Eastern country and was a Muslim individual. Although this attack and many other terrorist activities have nothing to do with the Muslim population, individuals are exposed to daily threats and discrimination. The media can also add to this heightened fear of Muslim individuals and influence individuals to think a certain way about a group of individuals. Either way, an act from one individual should never dictate the way an entire population is treated.

I think it is also important to note that back in 2016, when your grandma faced discrimination, the U.S. was battling a war with Muslims in America. Hate crimes against Muslims were increasing, a president who did not exactly support Muslim lives in the U.S. was elected, and therefore the Muslim Ban had begun to occur. I wouldn’t say that the individuals that lived here were Anti-Muslim, but the former President advocating for a Muslim Ban did evoke some fear in the U.S. citizens. And, Muslim discrimination and brutality are still seen today as many are being held in detention centers. The assumptions you have right now are not very accurate, as there is much more than just meets the eye. As you used to think, African American individuals are not the only group prone to violence and threats. Although I am not making a comparison between the two since I know how hard it was and still is for African American’s in American society, other groups have also faced discrimination and still are. Another assumption you had was that only if an individual is wearing a symbol of their faith, such as a hijab, will they be more prone to discrimination and violence. It is not just appearance but also social rankings and Xenophobia, which I learned about this quarter. Those who are not seen as White and Elite or may not speak English fluently as others are also victims of discrimination. To say that racial discrimination only affects Muslims who look a certain way is a shallow view, as we can see, many Muslim individuals are being targeted worldwide. Freedom for Muslims in America hasn’t been easy, and it won’t be until we as a community begin to seek and advocate for change.

You’re not alone on this path to self-enlightenment and self-realization. I think we all, as a society, need resources and unity to understand that discrimination and racial hierarchies need to diminish and shift towards the better. You needed to recognize that the assumptions you had about the world needed to be expanded on and guided towards the right direction. Islamophobia is real, and it is happening, which you saw happen to our grandmother. Her situation is just one example of what happens to Muslims daily. Hoping that things will change may not be the best way to face this discrimination, but we must take action and educate ourselves the best we can. Overall, I hope this letter provided you with a more profound sense and mindset about our grandmother’s situation, as the incident was much bigger than you thought it was. You can see that there is a frightening contradiction between what America promises to its people versus the discrimination and hate individuals of different descents experience here. The U.S. pledges acceptance and freedom, but many individuals are still shackled under the constraints of a society that picks and chooses who they accept and who they don’t. I hope this helped you understand this incident’s deeper meaning and fight for social and economic equality.

From,

Future Dina :)