Surname 1

Name

Professor

Course

Date

Experiences of Muslims in America.

Group conflicts are one of the most significant problems experienced in the twenty-first

century. Most of the overwhelming conflict issues virtually experienced across the globe and at

regional levels are based are organized from one approach of group-based differences.

Remarkably, it is not ethnicity and religion alone which explain the sources of prejudice on

Muslims living in united states but also other factors like historical differences and culture which

overlay the reasons Muslims are Othered.

Who is doing othering?

Othered is a term that encompasses an impression of prejudice based on communities’

religion, identity, or culture by the government or the society. This term also reflects a clarifying

social frame whereby there is a stable, familiar environment and conditions that are experienced

by the group. These groups experience social marginalization. The structure set by the

governments does not favor the Othered groups. Lack of religious homogeneity in America,

different races, ethnicity, and diverse culture has differentiated the minority group, making them

vulnerable to oppression by the dominating groups. Othering occurs both at the group and

individual levels. The government has assumed some of the communities by treating them not to

be part of America.
 Surname 2

Reasons why Muslims are Othered

Since its historical foundation, the United States has strangled to identify itself based on

ethnic structure and found it challenging to classify who belong to America and who are the

outcasts in America. The country has a composition of diverse ethnic groups Muslims are among

the most popular groups in America that experience social mistreatment and oppression by the

American federal policies. Islam and other minority populations face high levels of racialized

“Othering ” experienced by the groups and individuals. Rightwing political background

unleashed the “Othered” perception which targeted the Muslims after the Post-Cold War Era

(Husain & Altaf 145). Huntington’s clash of civilianization created the need for using cultural

discrimination based on hostility. Association of Islam with acts of terror has made followers

living in the US exposed to a biased society. Many Muslims in America are targeted by the

perspective that the group is a terrorist Brotherhood organization (Nelson and Dorothea 290).

Ways in which Muslim groups are Othered in United States

The terrorism perception towards Muslims is not only experienced in America but also in

many other non-Islamic states in the world. The religious antagonism associated with Islam

makes them to be Othered in economic and social dimensions. Both conscious and unconscious

discrimination are harmful to the shaping of the community goals. Some of the federal policies

are common ways that have institutionalized mechanisms that cause groups inequalities. These

policies are designed to limit the access of the discriminated groups to the public resources.

These policies segregate the minority groups to lower class schools, poor living enviroments and

and control of socialization, for example, the segregation rules by Jim Crow (Berrey& Stephen

18). This approach focuses on the beliefs and practices of the middle class and upper class affect

the Othered groups.

 Surname 3

According to Statham & Paul (180) the administration of President Donald Trump

approaches Muslim identity from a historical dimension, and often target the immigrants. Due to

unique clothing etiquette, Muslim women are mostly subjected to racism in American societies.

Islam is therefore seen as an alien religion in America with this consciousness been evident in

the speeches made by many political leaders. The social work practitioners have also

demonstrated biasness based on the ethnicity of the Muslim groups and other closely related

groups like the Arabs and Asians. Providing of social education has a pivotal role in avoiding

microaggressions against the “foreign” students. The religious microaggressions against Muslims

has affects them from dimensions of social-coexistence, education access and the freedom to

practice their religion.

Awareness of the community to the issue of othering

Moreover, the Othering of Muslims in America is both at conscious and unconscious

levels. Various researches have proved that some of the population in America is not aware of its

unconscious bias against the group (Tope and Daniel 60). Unconscious bias is a situation people

have a social stereotype on a certain group of people in the community without acknowledging.

The general perspective of the communities towards the Muslims causes children born in those

societies to adopt negative attitudes towards such groups in the society.

The increase in the number of terrorist attacks occurring across Europe, have caused

conscious biasness against the Muslims. According to Statham & Paul (190) in Britain, Muslims

face extreme prejudice while other states are favoring restrictions against the Muslims groups.

The governments have done littlr effort to bridge the gap between the dominant community and

the Muslims. Attacks against the minority groups have been promoted by the media and the
 Surname 4

distortion community perception towards minority groups altered (Husain & Altaf 138). There is

no doubt that people have a negative image against Muslims, and often fear them.

Survival and Adaptation of Muslims in America

As concerns about extremism continue to rise, so little has been done on helping of the

discriminated groups to create a social consensus. The recent researches by Saleem and Muniba

(380), three-quarter of the Muslims urge that no little support has been offered by the

government to assist in extremism Adapting to societies through “Othering” has not been an

easy thing. Rejection though treatment as “others” within the groups has been significant

activism agenda in the US in seek of equality in government programs. The Muslims have been

able to resist oppression through determination and self-definition. Resistance against

oppression is aimed at attainment of humanitarian justice.The extremist associations are also

focused in challenges of their struggle to in access quality education of their children, struggle in

language learning, lack of cultural materials to help them develop and poor perception of the

teachers towards their children.

Solutions to the Discrimination of Muslim Communities.

According to Husain, and Howard (140), there is no definite resolution to Othering, but

the discriminated communities can adopt various mechanisms which will make them not

discriminated. Assimilation is a mechanism whereby the Othered group or individual erases the

features that cause difference or defines them as an Othered group such as their religion or

culture and adopts practices within the American culture. Most Muslims have adopted

assimilation as a way of clearing their ethnic differences. However, assimilation can never be an

excellent solution to the problem of Othering. Rather than seeking to reduce the gap of
 Surname 5

marginalization, it finds a way of eradicating all the differences that cause the group

marginalization.

I believe that inclusion and belongingness are the only viable resolutions to the challenge

of otherness. Widening of the human circle of humanity and accommodating of differences in

ethnicity is a hard goal to achieve. However, belongingness encompasses the willingness of the

members in the community to tolerate other’s differences.The sense of belongingness not only

improves the educational development of young populations but also widens the quality of life

experienced by all members in the community.Integration of the sense of belongingness into the

communities’ institutionalization should be more expressive. The American disabilities act is one

of the most successful steps achieved in the creation of social justice in the community (Tope

and Daniel, 160). This Act prohibits mistreatment of people with disabilities and requires equal

treatment and opportunities given to them just like other members in the community.

According to Nelson and Dorothea (68), they argue that theories of the democratic

political system may create a chance for the exploitation of the minority groups in the

community. The voting procedure can be done in favor of majority groups and underrate the

needs of the minority groups. The system should, therefore, be modified to create representation

positions for minority groups in society. Moreover, multiculturalism provides a solution to the

issue of Othering and provides an environment for the tolerance of individual values and

diversities.

In conclusion, radicalization dynamics in political and social organizations have a

significant influence on both Othering and inclusion. Institutionalizing and structuring of social

differences can promote belonging and help in recognizing and accommodating each other’s

differences. This research aimed to establish ways through which Muslims in America are seen
 Surname 6

as outsiders to the dominant American social values. This essay acknowledges that though

terrorism is associated with Islam, not all Muslims are terrorists and should be given an equal

chance in the communities.

Works cited

Berrey, Stephen A. The Jim Crow Routine: Everyday Performances of Race, Civil Rights, and

Segregation in Mississippi. UNC Press Books, 2015.

Husain, Altaf, and Stephenie Howard. "Religious Microaggressions: A Case Study of Muslim

Americans." Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work 26.1-2, 2017, 139-

152.
 Surname 7

Nelson, Dorothea, and Gale Parchoma. "Toward Theorizing Spatial-Cultural ‘Othering ’In

Networked Learning And Teaching Practices." Proceedings of the 10th International

Conference on Networked Learning. 2018.

Saleem, Muniba, and Srividya Ramasubramanian. "Muslim Americans’ Responses to Social

Identity Threats: Effects of Media Representations and Experiences of

Discrimination." Media Psychology 22.3, 2019, 373-393

Statham, Paul, and Jean Tillie. "Muslims in Their European Societies of Settlement: A

Comparative Agenda for Empirical Research on Socio-Cultural Integration across

Countries and Groups." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 42.2, 2016, pp 177-196.

Tope, Daniel, et al. "Religion, Race, and Othering Barack Obama." Social Currents 4.1, 2017,

51-70.