process piece

Process Piece

I liked doing this project as I personally felt that this topic is related to me. I was a little worried because my experience with PowerPoint or with any media is nonexistent. I knew little bit of PowerPoint so I decided to do it that way. Topic of racism against a particular religious belief just caught me somehow and it was really amazing to see how people react. It was like trying to learn a little about human nature. Tragedy of 9/11, suddenly fears arose against an unknown foreign religion, foreigners and the stereotypes which were built around it and are still there. How negative images just make so much sense in a chaotic situation and how people can be so judgmental. I got disturbed by some images which I got about racism against Muslims in India and in Australia but my point of focus was American Muslims only also that would have made it longer. I loved doing this project and my basic point was to make Muslims voices heard who are living here for a long time. What they have to say and how they feel about being in United States post 9/11tragedy. I just got some tremendous amount of information overload and it was hard to choose from them. I was confused whether I should add the statement of a person who converted to Islam but after reading whole interview of Michael Wolfe I felt he has something interesting to share which even I didn’t know before. I just added his opening statement but his whole interview shares a full interesting story.

I enjoyed myself doing this project and while doing this I got to learn about so many things which otherwise I wouldn’t have. Communication is a tool which can help solve many issues and can help in breaking the stereotype image which started after 9/11 and actually got stronger with the anger of loosing lives of young brave soldiers and two wars at the expense of tax payer’s money. On the other side anger also roused up in the Muslim world with the sense of helplessness and being victimized of what was never their fault. Media plays a very crucial role in aggravating this anger. I never saw them showing the image of a daily life Muslims and those who donated money, blood and expressed their sorrow and grief on this tragedy instead they kept showing the stereotype image of a Muslim, image that they live in deserts, ride camels, and are against women equality right. These are just so not true.

Personally it is just an annoying feeling that how a bunch of narrow minded extremist has destroyed the image of peaceful Muslims all around the world. Aftermath of this extremism is just horrible.

Resources

Cateura, Linda. Voices of American Muslims. New York 2005

Rastogi, Mudita and Elizabeth Wieling ed. Voices of Color . California 2005

The Pew research center for the people and the press. Religion and Politics. August 19, 2010 Pew Charitable Trust < http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1780>

http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx

http://www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter1.htm

http://www.cair.com/Home.aspx

http://www.cair.com/PressCenter/AmericanMuslimNews.aspx

http://www.alameenpost.com/articles.aspx?categoryname=Women&newsid=2347

http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=676&&ArticleID=26582&&name=n&&currPage=2