Stereotypes in Islam

Since before the September 11th indicendent, there has been a lot of sterotypes on and against the Islamic faith. After 9/11 these stereotypes have increased substantially, and now even has the media promoting them. An example of this would be 'Achmed the Dead Terrorist', a comedy act that addresses many stereotypes against Islam. At some point in the video, the puppet of Achmed decides to make what society would consider racist jokes. The commedian, at this point, steps in and addresses the fact that these jokes about the Jewish and Christian faith are racist. While the audience is supposed to assume and know that the comedy act itself is racist and stereotypical against Islam, it's not really stated at all during the actual act.

Below are some of the stereotypes that people commonly associate with Islam:

• "Muslims (in the U.S.) are a homogenous group of people that hate America."
• “long beards, of Arab descent, and anti-American sentiment are the usual images of Muslims in foreign countries"
• They all live in the desert, they are all scarved and they hate everyone that is not a Muslim
• Anytime a Middle Eastern country is shown, they show the most depleted parts of the country and focus on the poorest of people; then, people get the impression that all Muslims are like this
• All Muslims are terrorists and suicide bombers
• Islam promotes violence against women
• Muslim people are going to bomb the world
• If you see a Muslim person on the same aeroplane as you, then they will probably hijack that flight

I think it's safe to assume that while you do hear these stereotypes, most of you know that they aren't true. Most Islamic people don't have a specific physical feature that you can use to identify them. While it is true that many Islamic men do grow beards, that doesn't mean that they are terrorists or extremeists. Afterall, don't Jewish men and Santa Claus both grow their beards? Are you saying that SANTA CLAUS is a terrorist?

Another common misconception associated with Islam is that they permit abuse against women. That is not true. Spousal abuse is a product of cultural and social beliefs. Infact, the Islamic faith believes that women can inherit and own businesses, and that they shouldn't be harmed. Islam is a religion that values everyone equally, including its female worshippers.

We do have hope that a new generation will abolish these stereotypes though. If we choose to educate children from a younger age about the positive aspects of Islam, then I think we have turn the world's views on Islam around. We could also choose to spread the areas that Islamophobic workshops visit. While the media is a big contributor to the Islam stereotypes, there are still some things we can try to initiate in hopes of stopping this. If you happen to come across an offensive piece of material say on TV, then you can start by reporting to the Canadian Broadcasting Council. Together, we can crush the forces of racism and stereotypes, and instead establish a united barrier of peace, understanding and acceptance.