Arabic Professor Dispels Misconceptions of Muslims

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The Ban is Immoral. (Photo: Flickr)

The White House reported that the controversial signing of Executive Order 13769 by President Trump on January 27, 2017, was implemented to protect the nation from foreign terroristic threats. Specifically, the executive order has two names: the Muslim ban and the travel ban. As stated in the Executive Order, the travel ban’s purpose is to prevent “Numerous of foreign-born individuals who have been convicted or implicated in terrorism-related crimes since September 11, 2001.”

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) June 12, 2016, around 3000 people gathered in Loring Park to unite in the wake of the Orlando, Florida shooting in a gay nightclub that killed at least 50 people. Speakers called for facing violence against the LGBTQA community with solidarity and love. (Photo: Fibonacci Blue from Flickr)

The reason President Trump is targeting Muslims is that he believes America is facing radical Islamic threats in the country. Namely, the 49 people that were fatally shot down inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016, was done by a shooter that claimed allegiance to ISIS. President Trump used the Pulse massacre as an excuse when he posted on Twitter:

“Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart,” said President Trump.

The recent terror threats and discriminative cases against Muslims have allowed Taji Elmor, an Arabic Language Professor, to give insight into the misconceptions Americans have against them. Professor Taji states that the most significant misunderstanding about Muslims or Arabic culture is the inability to appreciate that Arab people are just like any other people. “Like anywhere else in the world, Arabs go through daily life as any other people do, regardless of any cultural differences,” said Professor Taji. According to Encountering The World of Islam (EWI), a majority of Muslims suffer significantly from terrorism and violence than non-Muslims. With the help of Gallup, Inc. conducting a poll regarding moderate versus extremist views in the Muslim world, ninety-three percent of Muslims do not condone extreme views. Muslim scholars who study the Qu’ran would state that Islam is a religion of peace. Also, one of the misconceptions about Islam is that it oppresses their women. EWI reports that violence against women is prohibited in Islam.

(AUGUSTA, GA) Meghan Kristyn gives her story how college dispelled many prejudices she learned from home about other ethnic groups. (Photo: Chris Shipman

Lacey Enevoldsen, a Muslim – American, filed a federal discrimination complaint against a local restaurant owner in the Downtown Augusta area in February. Meghan Kristyn, a grad student at Georgia State University manages to prove that people are capable of opening their hearts and minds to other groups that differ from them. Meghan revealed that immersing herself with other groups on college campus allowed herself to divorce the learned discriminative behavior that was passed down from her immediate family.