If you have been paying attention at all in the past week, then you’ve heard about the attacks in Paris on Jan. 7 and Jan. 9. When I first heard of the incidents, a range of emotions whirled through my mind: confusion, grief, anger and most importantly, fear.
As I turned to Google to learn the details, I mumbled under my breath,”Please God, don’t let them have been Muslim.” My fear was confirmed — the terrorists were claiming to be Muslim. I use the word claiming because this was not Islam. How could these murderers justify their actions by claiming to be followers of a religion that preached peace and unity?
From Google I switched to Twitter and there, trending worldwide, was the hashtag #killAllMuslims. This is where the fear comes in. I was having déjà vu. Fourteen years from 9/11, and it felt like nothing had changed. The grief started to take over; 12 people had been murdered and then two days later four more, and for what?
Islamaphobia was rearing its ugly head into my life, yet again. My friends and I decided to hit Gay Street when my dad called to tell me he didn’t feel it was safe for us to be out. My dad has always encouraged me to stand up for myself and be proud of my faith, but tonight, I couldn’t help hearing the concern in his voice when he felt that I was in danger, simply because I could be easily identified as a Muslim.
According to my Twitter feed, people were either looking at me for an apology or they wanted me dead … While I’m still alive, let me say this. Don’t expect any apologies or public condemnations of terrorism from me because you will be sorely disappointed.
I don’t feel it necessary to broadcast to the world what my stance on terrorism is. The answer should be obvious. Islam is a more than 1400-year-old religion and if you truly want to educate yourself then there are much better sources than Fox News, like an actual Muslim.
Just this past Tuesday on Jan. 6 an NAACP office in Colorado was bombed by a white man.
Fortunately no one was injured. I’m not going to start a new racist trend on the Internet, and I don’t expect a handwritten apology from every white person I know. I do, however, expect my peers to overcome their ignorance, treat people with some common courtesy, and not judge a faith 1.6 billion-strong based on the actions of an insignificantly small minority.
It’s not all bad though. If I have learned anything from all of this, it’s that slowly but surely people are changing and beginning to educate themselves. Five years ago, someone would have yelled “terrorist” at me by now. But in all seriousness, in spite of all the hate, there has also been an overwhelming amount of love and support shown towards the Muslim community, which I greatly appreciate.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of terrorism and Islamaphobia alike.
Hawa Henderson is a senior in microbiology. She can be reached at [email protected].
