WHY are so many Americans prejudiced against Muslims and creating extreme stereotypes against all Muslims?

Question

Islam has been called a religion of peace even by Bush (at least once). So then, why are even Bush supporters and other Americans (who claim they are Americans--people who supposedly support freedom of religion) creating stereotypes that suggest all Muslims are extremists who support terrorism? Why?

OMG! Are you people who are "answering" this question Americans? I asked WHY is there so much prejudice and WHY are there stereotypes. All you people are doing is providing more evidence that such prejudice and stereotypes do indeed exist!

The people who are mentioning what a handful of extremists did doesn't justify why ALL muslims somehow deserve to be called militant extremists! WHY are Americans overgeneralizing to the point that they are lying about Islam?

Dear imthewrightgirl: Where did I say ALL Americans are being prejudiced against Muslims and ALL Americans are creating stereotypes? "many Americans" as well as "other Americans" is not an overgeneralization about Americans.

Please, if you don't know that prejudice and stereotypes are worded specifically in such a way that they pertain to the whole group you are referring to, DON'T TRY TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION!

TomS below is dead wrong about Muslim leaders not speaking against terrorists. Former Iranian president Khatami just denounced terrorists in a speech at Harvard. Read about it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060911/ap_on_us/harvard_khatami_8

Yahoo pulled the link above (figures). Here's a working link if anyone's intereted about Muslims that DO speak out against terrorism: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkjGV1xJFKmcB4kBXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE2NDBoZzFqBGNvbG8DdwRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANRU1NIXzM1/SIG=12j0ckjev/EXP=1158949141/**http%3a//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060911/ap_on_re_us/harvard_khatami

FOR ALL THOSE WHO KEEP SAYING NO MUSLIM LEADER DENOUNCES TERRORISM HERE'S THE PROOF YOU ARE WRONG: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkjGV1xJFKmcB4kBXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE2NDBoZzFqBGNvbG8DdwRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANRU1NIXzM1/SIG=12j0ckjev/EXP=1158949141/**http%3a//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060911/ap_on_re_us/harvard_khatami

hexador04: you're not fooling anyone when you say: " I no [sic] in my heart that their are peacful Muslims in the world and they hate what is happening to their religion..."

There isn't a damn thing happening to the Islam RELIGION, and only someone interested in promoting prejudice and stereotypes would say that.

Answer 1

Because this country is becoming full of ignorant, lazy, racists and bigots. They want a scapegoat for what is going on in the country right now. When it's not the Muslims, they attack the gays. When they don't attack the gays, they attack the Hispanics. If I remember my history right, this is how the Nazi's got so much power in Germany in the '30s.

The argument that Islam has a history of violence is BS. By that same theory, all Christians are terrorists and want to kill everyone that is not a Christian. Christianity has a very violent history, too. Look at the Crusades, the Inquisition, the IRA, the Branch Davidians, Ruby Ridge. These were all Christians.

Answer 2

I think the mistrust, though minor, is that American Islam has not spoken in one voice and resolutely, AGAINST radical elements in the Middle East. There are more examples of American Islam supporting elements like Hamas, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda's actions, then there are examples of American Islam denouncing the true and unquestioned crimes committed by Muslims here and abroad.

Islam is practiced in the USA in relative peace. I wonder how Christianity could be practiced in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia or Iran? There is great tolerance for all voices and all religions in the USA, and the mistrust or 'prejudice' you speak of, is due in large part to the silence or implicit support expressed by American Islam.

When American Muslims support the nation they live in, as well as the religion and prophets they believe in, Americans will understand their position much better. Today, American Islam is silent on or quietly supportive of terrorist elements worldwide. That must be changed, in order for the prejudice to end. If you are in question by the majority of the nation, it is your responsibility to clarify YOUR stance in this conflict. Supporting peace, democracy and freedom of religion is also a responsibility that American Islam must bear.

Answer 3

All people see and hear in the news are the terrorist acts and threats of the radical Muslims, and there are never any Muslim leaders speaking out and condemning these acts.

You asked why the prejudice, and I gave you my opinion. I haven't seen or heard any where near the the Muslim FAITH denouncing these acts as I have heard continuing accounts of repeated acts of terrorism and threats against the West!

Answer 4

hello, and good day" I think that there is allot of stereo typing. but any one no matter who it is ,any nation under attack in there home land automatically inherits a certain amount of fear, and uncertainty, this is part of a natural self protecting instinct.I am currently working on some art work called ( whats wrong with the world) U see this kind of thing every where their is conflict. and being a realist , every other country we have helped, still holds a certain amount of hate towards the USA.

Answer 5

The religion of peace thing is a lie, they new it back in the 14th century and they no it now, they can watch and support people being beheaded, they can watch and support young men strapping them selves with bombs, the people in the Middle East never protest death and distruction, but you let some one doodle a couple of cartoons and the Pope say something from a quote from the 14th century and then they protest and say death to the Pope and want an apolagy now that is backwards, they keep passing on their hate by raising their children and sending them to special schools in Saudi Arabia to hate the western way and to teach them hate, we have asked them to stop and close down those schools but they haven't, the young boy are preached to, to hate the Jews and the west and especially America, that is why we need to leave Saudi Arabia, and leave them to the vultures, but we are afraid the extremists well take over and get their oil and control the world market, The peaceful Muslims that live in America do nothing but make a statement once in a while and say we don't support terrorism, but that is it, and you rarely here that, they are not marching in the streets like the people do in the middle east saying death to America, they are not marching with signs that say death to Al Quada, death to Hamas, and Hezbollah they stand by silently because they also believe in what the extremists are doing, or they are cowards and to afraid to speak out, they are afraid of the terror cells that are here, because they will get their Mosques burned or bombed, they will not defend their own religion, that is why people don't trust them as far as they can spit. Because they don't speak out, we don't trust them. I read Khatami's statement he also said American politicians since WWII have been infatuated with world domination that is a lie, he said Syria and Iran do not help fund Hezbollah, that is total bull, the world no's that they get their weapons from Syria and Iran, he said the Jew have a right to live in peace, but didn't say the have a right to do so in the Middle East. He only condemed Al Quada and condemed 9/11, you can tell by his speach he basically supports the terrorists. I no in my heart that their are peacful Muslims in the world and they hate what is happening to their religion, but when people see them marching in the streets all over the world with signs that say death to Al Quada and death to Hezbollah, and death to Hamas and other terrorists groups, then I think people will began to believe that it is a religion of peace, but we all no that will never happen. I do however wish them peace in their hearts and minds and hope that they get the guts to really really speak out against the people that have hijacked their religion.

The Muslims practice their religion in peace in America, because this is a Christian Nation, I wonder how a christian would fare in Saudi Arabia, were a Bible is not allowed, or in Pakinstan, They have no tolerance to other religions at all and also in Afganistan, when a man converted to Christanity their they wanted to kill him that was on the news, I think they got him out of their, now that is sad when you can't practice the religion you choose.

Answer 6

Unfortunately, it is a characteristic of human beings to generalize about groups based on their awareness of the most vocal and/or most observable and/or most aggressive elements of those groups.

Who among Muslims do Americans hear from/of most in the media (their only experience with Muslims unless they have direct encounters with them in their everyday life)?

The extremists who use their religion to justify their killing of those who do not subscribe to their beliefs.

I do not see Muslims and automatically assume they hate me, and I treat them, as I treat all people, with respect.

But, as is evident on this forum, there are many of my fellow citizens who will generalize the characteristics of the zealots we hear about everyday to those Muslims who do not hold with the ways of the terrorists.

The most obvious common characteristic is their religion, alas, they proudly trumpet their religion as the motivation for their acts.

The lack of tolerance among some Americans is what the Muslim extremists intolerance of "the infidel" is reaping.

Since Americans do not hear protests of the type of intolerance seen in so-called Islamo-fascists from moderate Muslims, they naturally tend to think that all Muslims are of the same mind.

My thoughts.

I wish you Peace.

Answer 7

To demonize Islam is needed for the combined American government/Zionist agenda, and the mainstream media is cooperating in implementing this agenda of controlling Middle East oil, etc.

Answer 8

This has not been my experience as an American. I have never met anyone that has had anything to say on the subject of Muslims and their religion except that extreme fundamentalists seem to favor violence. With that said, any extreme fundamentalist is not a mainstream person, be it Muslim or otherwise.

Answer 9

We are NOT prejudiced againt ALL Muslims, just the terrorists. I STILL have several dozen Muslim friends. Which is about all of them that live in the relatively rural area that I live in, PLUS the ones in my home town.

Answer 10

By putting all Americans in the same category as Bush and those that support Bush you are being prejudice and creating a stereotype about Americans.


I for one am American and don't think that "all Muslims are extremists who support terrorism" as you put it. I just broke your stereotype about Americans.