Beliefs and Opinions About Arab Or Muslim Americans Were Established on September 11, 2001

Christian Americans Both Groups Muslim/Arab Americans Good neighbors Immodest dress Oppressive to women Family oriented Well educated Patriarchal society Secular content in education Undereducated Modest dress Conservative political values Socially compliant Governed by the Qur’an Governed by Biblical law Not oppressive to women Fanatically religious Religious values perpetuated in politics Women as homemakers Religion part of government Political environment open to both sexes Women who go to work Male-dominated political environment Religious content in education Sexist Devout Socially oppressed Law abiding Moderate political values Peaceable Violent Feminist Socially inclusive Socially exclusionary Strict moral values Moderate moral values Flexible moral values Christian Americans Both Groups Muslim/Arab Americans Good neighbors Immodest dress Oppressive to women Family oriented Well educated Women as homemakers Not oppressive to women Socially oppressed Patriarchal society Women who go to work Socially compliant Modest dress Secular content in education Religious content in education Devout Governed by the Qur’an Law abiding Fanatically religious Conservative political values Religion part of government Moderate political values Male-dominated political environment Governed by Biblical law Socially exclusionary Religious values perpetuated in politics Sexist Political environment open to both sexes Violent Strict moral values Undereducated Moderate moral values Flexible moral values Feminist Peaceable Socially inclusive Beliefs and opinions about Arab or Muslim Americans were established on September

11, 2001. Just as American views on the Japanese, Italians, and Germans were set on December

7, 1941, and did not alter until after that threat ended, this group of Americans must now endure this reaction to a perceived threat. The current view of Arabs and Muslim Americans is unfavorable. Hundreds of media reports on life in Muslim countries, images of Muslims rejoicing over the death of innocent people in terrorist attacks, and other things all add up to a view that Muslims and Arabs are “bad”. Even those persons who realize that not all Arabs or

Muslims can subscribe to the terrible beliefs or actions they are stereotyped with, may still retain negative views or at least question whether they can “trust” an Arab or Muslim.

Both tables seem to believe that more positive or neutral valuations apply to Christians than Arab/Muslim Americans. Both tables also lump any of the negative valuations onto

Muslims almost exclusively. The first table, completed by my friend, has many more valuations in the “Both” category, however. Her view that any religious group can have extremes within the movement is shown by the inclusion of opposites in the “Both” category. For example, she classifies both groups as being “well educated” and “undereducated” as well as “peaceable” and

“violent” at the same time. It is true that persons in a group can run from one extreme to another and her table shows that any group, Christian or Muslim may behave in extreme ways.

My table has fewer items in the “Both” category, but it does list the judgments

“immodest dress,” “well educated,” “socially oppressed,” and “socially compliant.” Both groups are seen by the average American, I believe, as sharing some features, such as having well educated members, people who dress immodestly, people who are socially oppressed and people who are socially complaint. Because I used fewer valuations in the “Both” column, however, I believed that most Americans would neglect the fact that both Christians and Muslims have extremist members and be likely to place the worst characterizations, such as “sexist,” “violent,” and “oppressive” in the “Arab/Muslim” column.

From my own viewpoint, I am a bit closer in line with the first table, although I do not agree with it entirely. For example, I personally think that both Christians and Muslims can be violent, for example, both have committed acts of terrorism in the United States (i.e., Timothy

McVeigh and people who bomb clinics). Both groups also have women in the workforce and in the home, just as any other group of people, whether Caucasian, Asian, or African. I am not, however, so sure that all Christians can be said to be “good neighbors.” There are many instances of Christians who insult neighbors who are not Christian for their failure to be Christian.

Therefore, I think this is wrong to automatically believe Christians are good neighbors simply by virtue of their being Christian.