Observation Of American Muslim Civil Rights

By Nancy Stone


The world nowadays is characterized by the phenomenon of Globalization. Most societies in this day and age are characterized by the Melting Pot, or the amalgamation of cultures. Looking at it all from outside the bubble, one might think that the negative influences of prejudice, bigotry, xenophobia, and the likes, are all things of the past. Needless to say, this is not the case, and just perhaps everyone will benefit to a certain extent from knowing snippets of american Muslim civil rights.

There are many kinds and gradations of discrimination. In some cases, they may boil down to mere discomfort. In others, it may evince itself as a threat, and ultimately, it may go on to be life threating. Or perhaps, theres just no sense in quantifying it. After all, anything that devalues ones quality of life and standard of living should never be lived down by anyone.

One must not fail to factor in the fact that the greatest influencing element here is religion. Religious people tend to abide by a certain credo and principle, or a general way of living. This tends to actuate a sort of gulf that separates people from each other. After all, the way they live their life can be every bit as confusing, esoteric, and just downright bizarre that others would prefer to keep their distance.

As per the evaluation of some scholars, American Muslims tend to feel not as marginalized as those from other places, like in Europe, for example. They tend to be more politically proactive. Interfaith dialogues are also more rampant in the States as elsewhere. Therefore, its safe to say that theres improvement, as well as some pre established states of mind and viewpoint that can make the work easier. At least, its not back to square one.

This is the exact reason why civil rights movements are needed. That said, its pretty much obvious that this one is not just a 1960s thing, but something that we still need today, in this day and age. There are different gradations in society, and it might be hard to fathom the realities in each. For example, it is hard for a First World citizen to ever understand the problems and dilemmas in developing countries.

Likewise, you have land use for religious purposes, as well as access to public facilities. For the use of land, you have considerations like mosques and Islamic schools. This may come in the form of exclusive ownership or at least some unburdening of estate taxes as can be observed in other religious establishments. Of course, the legal factors in this one comes from two ways, so it has to be dealt with properly.

Demographics are taken into account, and since xenophobia is something thats not limited to a particular race, ethnicity, and religion, other people tend to be lumped up in the same category with the American Muslims. That includes Arabs in general, and also the Sikhs and South Asian communities. These movements aim to do away with the violence and threats directed toward these demographics just because of their ethnicity and religion.

In most cases, civil rights laws are already there for the taking. The issue of enforcement is yet on another level. After all, we do not have a mind controlling machination of influencing the way people think and act. This one needs a grassroots engagement, especially with those affected and with those that are adding fuel to the flames of prejudice. This is something thats easier said than done.

Especially after 9 11, hate crimes have skyrocketed. Instead of shifting to more peaceful coexistence, we are instead living in times of uncertainties and fluctuations. Violence, threats, and general hate crimes against people that have no other fault rather than live out their culture and religion are some things that one should not just take lying down. Therefore, legal prosecutions and civil rights divisions will have to be necessarily put in place.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment