Perception of Islam by United States Citizens
As a US citizen I am ashamed by the number of people who stereo type the religion of Islam. At the same time I am not surprised. Why has hate and prejudice always been so prevalent in our country. We are suppose to be the land of the free, but we have so many ignorant people living here that it amazes me. From racism, to sexism, homophobia, and everything in between, is it even possible to ever eliminate it? At least partially and on local levels? As we have seen in this years class, media plays a great role in the US perception of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I think this is also true in terms of labeling Islam as a "violent" religion. However, I dont think it is okay to make this an excuse for Americans who let themselves get caught up in the misconceptions of Islam. I personally have had discussions with at least two friends who label Islam as "violent" and blame it for many of the worlds issues. I have been fortunate enough to take many world religion classes in my life. These classes are not only interesting but highly engaging because of the discussions that we have. I think that these classes are essential in the high school and elementary school level so that we can break through to our youth before the media is able to corrupt them. As a future educator I hope that the school where I teach at will include these classes in their curriculum. I also intend to be a History teacher and would love to discuss these topics in my class.
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