Why are Americans so Ignorant when it comes to Islam/Muslims/Arabs?

Question

Prior to 9/11 you had no problem.
Can the majority of you be so god damn stupid as to class every Arab/Muslim as the same?

If that is true, why do we not class the American nation as "Dumb/Stupid/Thick"

Is it because the majority of the rest of the world doesn' "Judge a book by it's cover"

Answer 1

I wish I knew. I am a muslim woman and I was forced to quit my job when I had a man coming to my work place everyday harassing me even when the police told him not to come to the store. After calling the police for 1 week straight everyday the police told me they were tired of coming there for me and said they won't come again. The guy was always saying mean things to me that he was going to rape me when I went to my car after work and he was going to cut my hair as a suvenier and take my hijab. the police couldn't take him because I had no witness and the man denied it everytime.

Answer 2

~ First of all get your facts straight. The majority of us do NOT class every Arab/Muslim as the same. A few very powerful "Americans" have elected to slander them so that they can justify this ridiculous an unnecissary war. Unfortunately the majority of us who have no problem with the majority of you are taking the blame for the decisions made by Dictator George W Bush and his facist Congress.

Why are YOU so quick to class all Americans as the same? You are doing exactly the thing that you are complaining Americans do.

Incidentally, I don't think the Argentinians or the Panamanians have anything against Arabs/Muslims. They are just as American as the Canadians, Mexicans, and the citizens of the United States.

Answer 3

Actually several nations call us dumb and fat. Every country has its own ego and feels another countries ways and attitude are inferior to their own. And besides that many Americans have had negative opinions of the Islam/Muslim/Arab world long prior to 9/11 just as they had a negative opinion of the US.

I mean who bombed who first? Why did they decide to bomb the twin towers? Because the were a symbol of capitalist success.

If they didn't judge a book by its cover they wouldn't have bombed so many innocent civilians who were doing nothing more than what they are expected to in order to provide for their families.

Besides, I would hope that many people realize that the vast majority of Muslims, Arabs and such are not violent or crazy but perfectly normal and look down upon terrorist actions.

I suppose we will just have to try to change society in a more peaceful way than by calling people 'God damn stupud" for not seeing things the way you see it.

Edit: I agree with EDDie

Answer 4

There's a big debate in the United States about how to respond to the fact that so many terrorists are Muslim. People on the left want to extend you rights and sit down at a table and talk with you about the wonders of Allah and how Allah might inspire peace. People on the right want to authorize extreme force because that's the only persuasion terrorists seem to understand.

Every country has stupidity, including Muslim-dominated countries, so I fail to see how calling the United States stupid does anything. In second grade, I learned that calling someone stupid is not a good way to proceed. Most people did.

Answer 5

Many Americans lump Islams, Muslims and Arabs in the same class because Americans only concern themselves with what actually affects them. Ignorance is simple, and this ignorance is widely reciprocated. I'm afraid you are mistaken where you're last two points are concerned as the rest of the world blindly hates Americans and views us as lazy, spoiled and stupid.

Answer 6

you should never generalize a whole nation for what some people think. second americans are often in fear of what they dont know or understand. they are threatened by someone who is different. I mean if you look at what we did to hiroshima that could be called an act of terroism as well, and although it happened so many years ago those people are still having to live with the effects of what we did to them. So we are really in no position or have no right to judge other people for what they did when we ourselves have yet to clean up the many messes we have made.

Answer 7

Well, first: Don't generalize. second:I'm Egyptian, so i can answer you. third: SOME not ALL Americans don't know Islam and are afraid of the unknown, it's only human, but that does not allow the majority to class every Arab/Muslim/ as the same

Answer 8

we had no problem before 9/11 because no islam/muslim/arabs had attacked our country obviously! not all of us judge all the arabs and them ... u dont class us as dumb/stupid/thick because we dont go and bomb a place for no reason (although the war in iraq or whateva is stupid [ithink] but whateva i dont know much about thisstuff im only 13) and the restof the world hates america

probly

Answer 9

theres so many things wrong with this question im gonna handle it line for line-
line1-many of us are not, and if some of us are, so? ignorance is not a crime, its not even offensive. were americans, we have no rule saying we must understand islam, muslim, arab culture. we SHOULD accept it, being the big melting pot and all, but we dont HAVE to know the intracacies of ANY religion. thats why its america kid.

line2-prior to 911 there were PLENTY of problems. racism was at an all time high , hate crimes, derogatory terms for foreign cultures, and civil rioting were, are, and will continue to rage out of control. theres nothing about that that 911 changed. racism was, is, and probably always be one of the many unintended costs of being in america. so there.

line3-no, and most people dont. though somebody obviously did to you, or else you wouldnt be on here whining about it. look, if some jackhole kid said something to you trying to make himself feel better at your expense, hes just some jerk kid, and that coulda ben any kid he did that to - not just you. and it probably has little or nothing to do with you personally- and most deffinitely not with where youre from. if it does, screw him, hes just another idiot racist in america, of which there are millions, and you just sortof have to accept as part of living here.
sorry.
i dont like it any more than you do, but its a fact of life. there are aholes in every shape size and color.

line4-didnt you just do so in your little namecalling fit? look, you remember that saying abbout two wrongs not making a right?
ok good
moving right along

line5- that is soooo not what judging a book by its cover means. if you want to be judged on your own personal merit for the person you are inside, then quit ranting on answers sounding like every other reverse racist ranter out there bitching cause coming to america didnt end up meaning hugs and candy canes and rainbows and open arms. lifes a beach everywhere man.
no matter who you pray to at night.

Answer 10

Why are Islam/Muslims/Arabs so Ignorant about Americans?

Answer 11

You don't generalize and then WE won't generalize.

Not all Americans have a problem with Muslims, as a matter of fact, Muslim is surpassing Judaism as the 2nd most popular religion in this country.