Reflection #4

         This week I watched a talk session on CSPAN that discussed anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States. I found this particularly interesting because I’m currently writing a feature article in English class on this very topic. A Muslim guest speaker spoke about how after 9/11, the Western perception of the Muslim community had become dramatically distorted. He talked about how there is a broad generalization of Muslims that does not depict them correctly at all. He went on by explaining how one cannot compare a Muslim in Egypt to a Muslim in India, Saudi Arabia, or Morocco. This talk session then reminded me of the documentary we watched about two weeks ago on Edward Said. In the documentary, Said had talked about the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment that had been derived from how the history of Islam had been depicted in the media and elsewhere. I found it to be extremely beneficial to view this issue from the perspective of two men who have been direct subjects of anti-Muslim sentiment . Today, we are immersed in a society that is quick to assume that all Muslims are radical jihadist supporters; turning a blind eye to the majority of Muslims that are in fact just the opposite.