Why Americans should be concerned with politically-endorsed Islamophobia
By: BRITTNEY FARROW
Opinions Editor
I was only 14 when I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and I can still remember every haunting detail of my experience.
Fourteen was quite some time ago for me — a handful of dead years, in fact. I could not tell you what electives I took or what my favoritebandwas;Icouldnottell you if I liked my friends, or which underserving boy I had a crush on.
What I could tell you, however, is that 10 minutes into my school-funded trip I was already feeling the weight of something I had never myself experienced before — genocide.
Genocide is an ugly word, and the tragedy of what it describes seems so far away from us. In the United States, we do not kill people — or at least, not like that. No, the Holocaust was a terrible, politically-evoked mass murder led by the mad man Adolf Hitler — right?
Well, yes; in simple terms, that is one very blunt, very harsh way to explain an event that — despite occurring almost a hundred years ago — still haunts so many people throughout the country, either through firsthand experience or through loss passed on through the generations.
I have no doubt that the majority of the people in the United States would turn their
nose up in disgust at such a blatant, sociopathic form of anti-semitism. What I am very concerned about, however, is that a genocide like the Holocaust could be reborn in a different manner and it would go unnoticed, breathing life into the ashes of an ugly side of human nature that time has tried so hard to suppress.
It does not seem likely, but some would say that history has a tendency to repeat itself.
Since al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center in 2001, people have been afraid and that fear has manifested itself into a form of racism and prejudice called Islamophobia, which targets Muslims and Islam.
It seems understandable, to me, why so many people would be afraid, as terrorism is a threat that does not come quietly; however, just because something is understandable, does not make it right. With so many cases of Islamophobia in America rearing their ugly head, I find it very disturbing that these incidents are not addressed directly through the public.
Earlier this year, a young boy named Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for making a clock and bringing it to school; hate crimes involving Muslim students have occurred on campuses around the country. Still, the hatred simmers — and I am concerned it might be here to stay.
Donald Trump is notorious for saying ridiculous things, and I am not quite certain how many
of his statements are considered noteworthybyAmericanvoters. Millennials seem to detest him with a passion, and the reality star has had his fair share of ridicule from other parties as well. With that being said, we — as a united society — should be very concerned with people who share the same sentiments.
This week, Trump made headlines once again for one of his proposed laws, calling for a “shutdown of borders” for all Muslims who try to enter the country. Trump, who has long opposed immigration, also believes that current Muslim- Americans should be required to wear identification badges — much like the ones Jewish citizens were required to wear while Hitler was in power.
As of right now, Donald Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican Party — bringing him very close to what we consider the highest position of power in our country. This is alarming, not amusing.
We need to be disturbed by the type of actions that he suggests — furthermore, we need to oppose such prejudice relentlessly.
The Holocaust may seem like an event that could never happen again, but people like Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party are not an extinct breed. They live among us; they are our neighbors and our friends.
Nothing about Hitler was particularly extraordinary; what made him dangerous was
that he was so afraid of what he did not understand that he was willing to kill for it. With charisma and great promises, he convinced people to follow him.
How could we ever allow such a thing to happen again? Furthermore, how would we feel if it did happen again, and we knew we could have stopped it? Preventing Islamophobia from ruining us will be a long battle, but the first step to keeping it from spoiling the good qualities of our country is to turn away those who wear their hatred so proudly.
