Islam in America:

The Misunderstanding of an Entire Religion

Austin Hazelwood

The land of open arms and peaceful refuge, this is how we describe our nation today. To
many, this truth would in fact be self-evident. To some, the situation is more deceiving. Recent
world events over the past two decades have manipulated the American publics perception of
Islam, and altering their view on an entire culture in a negative manner. Who is to blame for this?
Is it the assaulting tactics implemented by the mass media, the aggressive stereotyping by nonIslamic bystanders or violent actions carried out by radical believers in the faith themselves?
Perhaps the core of the issue is not relayed to a single factor, but rather a concoction of all three
contributors. Is there however, one factor more at fault than the other? The factual answer to that
may never be apparent. There are misunderstandings of Islam that can initially be remedied by
striving to gain further understanding of the faith itself. The Islamic faith as a whole is one that
promotes religious values of personal morality, self-accountability of good works, and peaceful
resolve towards everyone collectively.
Before there can be effective understanding as to why Islam perceived by the public the
way that it is today, you first have to understand the underlying core beliefs of the religion.
When examining the true basics of Islam, one would find that it does not vary greatly from
Christianity or Judaism, in a sense that they believe in only one God. This however, is also where
it can differ. This belief is taken very seriously. Unlike Christianity that believes in a trinity, or in
other words multiple forms of God, Islam holds no such belief. God, to them is the ultimate
example of perfection. He would not, in their belief, rest on the seventh day of creation, nor have

any variant in any other form whatsoever. When delving deeper into the details, the similarities
between this particular faith and others is almost uncanny. Angels, a common belief in all main
religions is also observed within Islam. The remarkable part however is the belief in Angels
whose identity is also evident within Christianity and Judaism as well. Gabriel, an angel that
holds significance in Islam by being recognized as the entity that delivered Gods Message to
Muhammad, who is believed to be Gods final messenger according to Islam, is also mentioned
within the two other main religions in both of their holy scriptures. While this may seem like a
rather small detail in the wider scope of view across the entirety of the religion, this is a great
example of how Islam shares even overlooked similarities in comparison to the other religions.
This key concept is invaluable to reshaping ones perception of modern day Islam. Coming to this
realization of Islamic believers being no different than anyone else of contrasting faith is how
mindsets can be changed for the better.
To understand Islam correctly there must be an understanding of the extrinsic values that
followers of the faith deal with on a day to day basis. Upon observing Islam, I quickly learned
that while it is a rich in intrinsic tradition, there also practical applications of the faith that serve
as guidance to everyday life. When I had the opportunity to interview three different believers of
the faith I quickly realized how their faith followed the enjoyment they obtained out of life.
While there was a rather vast difference in age demographic between the interviewees, I was able
to develop connections between the things they enjoyed in their lives, compared to things I enjoy
in my own. Something I initially hypothesized I would not be able to do upon my first
introduction to followers of Islam.
Amongst the three interviewees I had the chance to converse with Ashraf Faltmy, who
was by far the most compelling in his explanation and implication of the Islamic faith. Like

most situations of immigrants, Ashraf came to America eager for the opportunity to pursue a
successful and fulfilling life. A native of Egypt, Ashraf came here in 1988 and was eventually
able to gain employment at the Toyota Automotive Plant in Nearby Georgetown, Ky. Mr.
Faltmys life was completely centered on his faith. Something that was quickly apparent. When
the interview began by conversing on what interests or hobbies he had, writing articles on his
faith for a blog was at the top of list. Even when discussing something as typical as way to pass
the time, this man still accredited his faith. With the interview barely underway, I already had
grown an immense amount of respect that this man displayed towards his faith. Now, of course I
was interested in learning about the faith itself, but my true purpose was to gain insight on
Ashrafs own experiences with his faith, and how he believed others around him perceived it. It
was my hopes that we could discuss how the events of 9/11 had affected the publics viewpoint,
Ashraf himself brought up the very subject. What I would learn would stick in my mind for days
to come.
One would assume that when discussing the events of September 11th 2001, a very tense
atmosphere would ensue. Surprisingly, this was not at all the case. The immediate assumption to
have after something like this has taken place is that most individuals would hold intense
prejudice towards followers of Islam. To some extent this was the case. Ashraf spoke of a few
cases involving direct acts of hatred towards the mosque that he frequently attended. The
remarkable outcome of this event far outweighs the negative though. After one act of
discrimination, a brick through the mosque window, the community itself put aside its own
preconceived notions perform of a genuine act of neighborly kindness. Ashraf recalls that shortly
after the incident, various churches within the community banded together to reverse the flow of
hatred. The mosque received various offers by Christian organizations to fix the damage

property, even offering their own facilities to the Islamic believers, if their own mosque was not
suitable for worship in its current state. Perhaps though, the most intriguing aspect of all this was
the invitation from Christian churches to have Islamic followers come and speak to their
congregations about what Islam truly is about. This makes you wonder, is Islam actually
perceived as negatively as once believed? Does the natural tendency to help those in need
supersede any long held notions about an entire culture?
The answer to the previous question is without a doubt, yes. As the interview progressed
it was revealed just how the Islamic faith viewed individuals within its own religion, who did not
necessarily exhibit true Islam. As the conversation shifted away from 9/11 and towards more
recent world occurrences involving Islam, Ashraf began to convey some very compelling
information about how believers like himself viewed radical Islam. Instead of beginning by
explaining that organizations such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS are not proper representatives of the
faith, which they arent, he took a more unforeseen explanation. The Ku Klux Klan, a major
black spot in our nations history, will forever go down in infamy. This is how Ashraf explained
radical Islam. While the Klan was devout believers in the Christian faith, they promoted no holy
teachings whatsoever. Only acts of brutality and violence. When examining the atrocities those
groups such as ISIS has carried out, this concept makes complete sense.
We again find ourselves back to the question that brought us here. Is Islam perceived
negatively, and if it is, then why? It is my hopes that what we have discussed here sheds light
upon the answer to those questions. Islam at its core promotes peaceful values. It does not
condone violence as a method to spread its word. Only those individuals who misinterpret or
misuse its teachings commit such crimes against humanity. Understanding is the key, the key to
all of us living side by side, peacefully, and charitably.

Bibliography
Some Basic Islam Beliefs. (1984, June 25). Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.islamguide.com/ch3-2.htm
Ashraf Faltmy-Interviewee regarding Islamic faith