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... So while America’s official response to the tragic events of September 11 seems to be a message of unity and patriotism, in reality some Americans have turned against their own, particularly Arab and Muslim population. ... In a society as highly publicized as ours where information seems to be the most valuable possession, it is next to impossible for something “natural” to be taking place for a certain period of time without the media having a finger in the pie. ... Like in many other cases, the strong anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States after September 11 is fostered largely by the mass media (including Hollywood productions) and governmental officials. ... A 20-year old student, for example, was stabbed three times in Boston by assailants yelling anti-Arab abuse. ... A 19-year-old Muslim woman was attacked and injured in Swindon by two men using a baseball bat [Herlinger, Pulford, and Havinga 12]. ... In Brisbane, Australia, a school bus carrying Muslim children was pelted with stones and bottles [Herlinger, Pulford, and Havinga 16].
The anti-Muslim sentiment put a heavy strain on the normally tolerant Dutch society with about 90 hate crimes reported in the three weeks after the tragedy, according to the National Association of Anti-Racism Bureau, and politicians openly expressing doubts about the success of the multicultural society the Dutch pride themselves on [“Dutch” 2].
In the face of such a horrible outcome, instead of helping people to get a new sense of security after the tragic events of September 11, major world politicians and journalists are fanning the flames of intolerance against the Muslims. The finger of blame spanned the whole Arab world making it worse for the Muslim residents of the countries with the majority of non-Muslim population. ... Bush declared the hunting season on Muslims open by targeting the whole Muslim nation for bombing. ... And this means, that Osama Bin Laden, the elusive Muslim fanatic who represents Islam to the vast majority of Americans, has taken center-stage”[2]. ...
Some other elected American officials have made statements, which might have encouraged intolerance towards the Muslim population. ... In Italy, the Northern League has made blatant anti-Muslim statements. ...
Unfortunately, these politicians were not alone in their “crusade” - the coverage of the events of September 11 and the portrayal of Muslims by some members of the media have certainly contributed to the rise of the anti-Muslim sentiment in society. ... The indiscriminate use of terms such as Islam, fanaticism, terrorism, fundamentalism, Islamism - as if they were interchangeable - leads at best to confusion, and may serve to exacerbate anti-Muslim racism.
Approximate Word count = 2121
Approximate Pages = 8.5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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