I am Muslim, Do Not Fear Me

Devin Brown
As an American we are lucky enough to live in a stable nation where we are protected by
advanced technology and a complex government and military. We are able to go about our daily
tasks without any worry that our lives will be drastically changed in an instant. We are able to
practice the religion of our choosing without ridicule from others. What if you woke up one day
and learned that your town had been bombed and you could not contact your family members.
What if you were made to flee your home in order to protect your family from the guns and
violence outside. What if the only places that you had to go, you were seen as a terrorist and
ridiculed by the people there. This is the truth for many people today and they are forced to leave
their homes in fear that they may be harmed or killed. These people are then forced into camps
and foreign places where people look at them like they are murderers and criminals. These
people are very, very misunderstood.

These people who flee are labeled refugees and there are about 26 million refugees
globally(Amnesty, 2021). Two thirds of these refugees come from just five countries: Syria,
Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar(Amnesty, 2021). A majority of these
refugees are Muslim and practice Islam. There is a stigma around Islam due to the radical groups
of ISIS, ISIL and others. These groups have created the view around the world that all Muslims
are violent terrorists that cannot be trusted. Although Muslims make up about 24 percent of the
global population they still face much ridicule and hatred from many nations(Lipka, 2020).
These radical groups force individuals out of their homes where they must then search for safety
elsewhere. The groups who are on the frontline to assist these refugees consist of more
developed countries such as America and Australia. The process these displaced people must go
through forces them into a situation where they are denied their basic rights, the quality of their
lives, and the educational standards and the futures of their children(Yahya, 2018). Many
countries are hesitating to help these refugees due to islamophobia where they fear the security
of their nation if they allow Muslims to enter. These nations only see the destruction and chaos
that radical groups have created. They do not understand the religion of Islam and how it relates
to the acts that they link to it.
 In the religion of Islam doing good and helping one another is a very important part of
the journey to be with God. The idea the teachings of the Qur’an tries to instill in its followers is
to “embody virtues that emulate the Divine attributes, such as being compassionate to those in
distress, giving generously to those who are needy, advocating on behalf of the oppressed, and so
on”(Kahn, 2020). Islam followers are taught to be selfless and give as much as they can because
it is their duty to their religion. The Qur’an also rejects those who are purely doing good for their
own benefit represented in this quote, “Whoever practices a good righteous deed so it will be to
his own benefit and whoever does wrong/bad then that will against his own self, and surely your
Creator is in no way unjust towards the worshippers'' (Writter, 2017). Justice is also a very
important teaching in Islam. “The Qur’an directly states “God raised up the heavens and
established the Scales of balance””(Kahn, 2020). This quote means that followers of Islam must
uphold justice and rights. The Qur’an also forbids evil and violence to others. Muslims are also
taught that they are “all equal in front of the laws and regulations'' regardless of race, color, or
creed(Writter, 2017). The teachings of islam are mainly to lead a good just life and to avoid
causing mayhen and injustice.

If other nations understood the teachings of the Qur’an and that the radical groups were
not following these teaching then they may have a different view towards these many muslim
refugees. The view many nations have of Muslims is due to the various radical groups who
identify as being Muslim without actually upholding the ideals of Islam. These nations need to
educate themselves more thoroughly on what it truly means to be Muslim and understand that
following Islam is much the same as someone following and other religion. The staggering
number of refugees is increasing by the day and their treatment is not getting any better. Muslim
refugees need assistance and it should be our duty to help them and allow them into our
country.The Muslim people are not a threat and could teach our nation and other nation many
values that they have learned through their religion. We need to give this growing religious
group a chance and release our stigmas against them. It is only when we do this that we can all
have a happier and safer future.
Works cited

Kahn, N. (2020, February 4). Divine Duty: Islam and social justice. Yaqeen Institute for
Islamic Research. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from
https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/divine-duty-islam-and-social-justice.

Lipka, M. (2020, December 8). Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around
the world. Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/09/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-
the-u-s-and-around-the-world/.

The world's refugees in numbers. Amnesty International. (2021, April 26). Retrieved
September 25, 2021, from https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-
seekers-and-migrants/global-refugee-crisis-statistics-and-facts/.

Writter, S. (2017, September 11). Social teachings of islam. Weekend Post. Retrieved
September 25, 2021, from https://www.weekendpost.co.bw/25772/columns/social-
teachings-of-islam/.

Yahya, M., & Muasher, M. (2018, October 18). Refugee crises in the Arab world. Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from
https://carnegieendowment.org/2018/10/18/refugee-crises-in-arab-world-pub-77522.