Through the Eyes of a Muslim in the US

By | April 3, 2012 at 8:00 am | Opinion | 22 comments | |

 

As an international student, moving to the US was difficult for several reasons. I was leaving my home and family, going to a foreign country, to a state I had never visited, and to a school I barely knew a thing about.

However, what scared me the most was how Americans would react to my being a Muslim.

After 9/11, the perception of Muslims around the world became severely distorted so I was afraid people here would judge me for my religious beliefs. As orientation approached, I became more and more fearful. I imagined my roommate requesting a change in rooms after meeting me simply because of my background. When my plane landed in LAX, I was sure I was going to have a very uncomfortable encounter with a TSA official.

I was wrong. I was completely wrong.  

CMC is the best thing that has ever happened to me. The perfect weather. The perfect people. The perfect school. I am now certain I made the correct choice and my fears about Islamophobia at CMC are no more. People don’t care what religion I practice. In fact, they are intrigued by my background. I often spend hours telling people about Jordan, where I grew up. I would have never guessed that people would be so accepting of me. I never would have dreamed that I, a freshman coming from overseas, would be accepted to the extent that I would be elected Student Life Chair.

And now, I feel terrible. I have always protested against the misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. Yet, I ended up unknowingly creating my own misconceptions about most Americans – for that I apologize.

However, despite the accepting and tolerant culture at CMC, Islamophobia is still prevalent in many areas of the US. What can be done do to help diminish its prevalence?

First and foremost, I believe Muslim Americans need to work on changing the manner in which they are perceived by other Americans in order to improve the perception of Muslims everywhere. To do so, they need to avoid isolating themselves and should demonstrate to other Americans that they share similar values and are equally patriotic. In doing so, American Muslims will make their true, loving and peaceful identity known. They can prove that “extremist Muslims” are not true Muslims, and that Islam does not support the killing and torturing of fellow human beings to serve political agendas. Instead, they will demonstrate that Islam promotes humanity, peace and equality between people of all races and religions. Once Muslim Americans are able to accomplish this task successfully, the foundations of Islamophobia will weaken, and this social disease will be on its way to recovery.

I came to the US with my mind set on repudiating any misconceptions anyone had of Muslims. Fortunately, the community I live within at CMC seems to be free of these misconceptions.

I hope that one day America as a whole will be more like CMC: a place where we are judged not by what race or religion we are, but by who we are as people.

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Mohammad Abdul-Rahim

Moe is a sophomore Media Studies and Economics major. His interests are tennis, theater arts, and watching TV series. He can often be found lurking the halls of Claremont Hall (rumour is he lives in the main lounge).

 
 
 
 
  • http://www.facebook.com/JMAOO Jessica Mao

    MOE! That is the most heartfelt article I’ve ever read. <3

  • Stephanie aka Caitlin

    Moe i love this.  Also i want to hear all about living in Jordan now….next rager we’re at, i’m all ears!

    • Rethink the Praise

       ”I hope that one day America as a whole will be more like CMC” – Moe
      Is this what you someday hope to see all over the America that you haven’t actually seen? Rage-a-holics, browning out, whilst talking about religious issues and tolerance. All ears at a rager? CMC keeps raising the bar.

      • Stephanie aka Caitlin

        I see where you’re coming from but the reasoning for me saying it would have to be the next time we’re raging is exactly the reason your concerns are probably unnecessary.  I usually see Moe in two contexts: club meetings (because we’re both pretty involved in the school.  Moe for one happens to be the SLC chair aka the person in charge of promoting dry events, and my own friends complain all the time I don’t go out enough because I’m busy doing other things) and the occasional party for those same clubs.  We’re both really busy people, so while I actually would rather have dinner with him–and started to type that– I know I am pretty much unavailable for the next month or so for an actual, lengthy dinner-time chat because I end up having a lot of dinnertime or right-after-dinner meetings.  My guess is Moe has the same.  
        Also, I think it’s impressive CMCers talk about religious issues and tolerance, politics, and other things of substance while partying.  When I visit friends at other schools, they talk about far less substantial things when not in class.  Once we enter the work force, coworkers will occasionally go out for drinks.  Not only are we making sure we don’t act like drunken fools around them because we know how we handle alcohol, but we’re also making sure we can discuss things more important than MTV.  
        Finally, why exactly do you think it’s bad to “rage” in college?  Sure, you should be responsible about it–I would never deny that–but college IS supposed to be the best time of your life.  Of course there could be consequences to partying in college, but as long as you manage a strong academic and extracurricular life as well, it really is best to let loose now rather than later, I think.  I can honestly say I’ve never done this, but wouldn’t it be better to sleep through class because of a fun night out than sleep through a day of work?  Yeah, your participation grade may be docked a few points, but at least you wouldn’t be fired.  

  • Elham Yusuf-Ali

    Halla Moh’d! Great post but I have to contend that you have emphasized quite a bit on Muslim Americans. I believe that the population of Muslims in the Claremont Colleges would be a better population to focus on in order to show unity to accentuate their beliefs and faith. Such unity heightens who we truly are as Muslims, students, and individuals and highlights our pride for such rich culture. 

  • Connor Barclay

    Great article, Mo! I’m had never stopped to consider how religously tolerant CMC truly is. It has come a long way from the outdated stereotype of conservative, Christian, and Caucasian!

    • Forum Hall of Famer

      Would that CMC were in any way stereotyped as “Christian”. Ever! Walk around campus on a Thursday or Saturday night (or any night, for that matter) or intoduce a decidedly ‘socially conservative’ idea in the right (wrong?) classroom, and you will not see very much Christian behavior. I’m stoked for this Moe fella that he feels so loved in spite of his presuppositions regarding American tolerance of his minority status; however, is there any real accredited academic institution in the United States that would NOT willingly accept an international, eloquent young man with an especially interesting background?
      This is no knock on the author, nor a demonstration of any degree of intolerance; but rather, a real wakeup call for people such as yourself, Mr. Barclay. The fact of the matter is, the progressive academic world is incredibly tolerant of everything, except for people with traditional viewpoints and Christian world views. The world skewers and lambasts radical Christians yet implores we forgive radical (insert any other faux marginalized group here) because they are CLEARLY not fair representations of the group as a whole. Even defending the Christian viewpoint in any philosophy or literature class often leaves the arguer feeling belittled and dramatically outnumbered; color yourself a different religion and suddenly the whole classroom has your back. But alas, I digress.
      Out of curiousity, Connor, what religion do you fancy yourself as practicing? $400 BevMo orders to Story House so you can drink underage… must be a Scientologist.

      • Connor Barclay

        Keyword: “outdated.” I assure you that in 1950 CMC was homogenously “conservative, Christian, and Caucasian” and that stereotype persisted in many social circles for decades. Also, the last time I checked being “Christian” and consuming alcohol weren’t mutually exclusive. If so, you should probably let the Italians know. I’m sure the Pope would regret holding Mass all these years.

        • Forum Hall of Famer

          CMC’s name hasn’t “persisted in (m)ANY social circles for decades”. I don’t think it’s ever been confused for a school that was even half Christian.
          And indeed it is so that consumption in moderation is not inherently a sin; Paul simply implores that one not get drunk, for drunkeness can lead to many (read: all) other sins. Lest we turn this into a debate on the semantics of the New Testament, let us return our focus to the BevMo orders.

    • Gnarles Barclay!

      “Outdated stereotype of conservative, Christian, and Caucasian!”

      Are you confusing CMC with Claremont School of Theology big guy?

  • ClaremontConservativeNoMore

    Come to CMC one year earlier and unfortunately you might have felt a very different culture…

    • Charles C. Johnson

      Right, because supporting the Jew-hating Hezbollah and Hamas is totally cool, right? You are pathetic. 

      • Charles C. Johnson

        And when the MSA brings CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator with Jew-hating terrorist groups and backed by Jew-hating Saudis, to campus, they lose the right to be treated with anything but the contempt they justly deserve.

        • Charles C. Johnson

          And while we are at it, when the Muslim students shouted down Ayaan Hirsi Ali who lives in fear of her life from Muslim terrorists, they betrayed a lack of civility and respect that they ought to have been punished for.

          I pray that Moe’s co-religionists share his very American way of looking at faith. “I hope that one day America as a whole will be more like CMC: a place where we are judged not by what race or religion we are, but by who we are as people.” God willing.

        • Forum Hall of Famer

          Mr. Johnson– is this REALLY what you want America to be like??
          “Moe i love this. Also i want to hear all about living in Jordan now….next rager we’re at, i’m all ears!”

  • CMCHASART!

    The beauty of the picture, matches the beauty of your prose

    • Whoa! whoa! whoa!

      The author should not be allowed to post on his own piece!

  • Rethink the Praise

     ”I hope that one day America as a whole will be more like CMC” – Moe
    Are you saying that CMC is a sort of sanctuary of tolerance? If so, you have completely lost your mind. AND it would be unfair not to point out the most bizarre thing about your article: you express regret for having pre-judged Claremont as Islamophobic before arriving, yet you insist that the rest of the country is Islamophobic as the general thesis/moral of your “heartfelt” piece… I would like a direct reply from the author here: how much of the United States of America have you experienced? My guess is some small pockets of LA, and maybe a few other metropolitan areas. You are grossly prejudging the America in an article that is all about not judging and not wanting to be judged.

    • MLapadot

      The author does not state that the “rest” of the US is Islamophobic but rather that there are many areas in the US where Islamophobia is still prevalent. I can only speak coming from the Midwest, but I personally witness it in my hometown. Have we also forgotten the stories surrounding the Ground Zero Mosque, the Florida pastor who threatened to burn Qur’ans, and Lowes pulling their ads from the TLC show “All American Muslim”? All of these events occurred and caught national attention because of the existence of Islamophobia. The author’s statement is hardly disputable. 

  • Ramzi Alharayeri

    Your article shows maturity, grace, deep thoughts and
    courage. You are showing fantastic colors in your character. Please share more
    of such wonderful paintings.

  • Samar

    hope one day we will see on US media talking about your new life here….Reading your article was A great breath of fresh air

  • Rula_f

    Well said Moe! Keep up the good work?