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As Muhammad Ali says, "Islam is a religion of peace. Islam does not promote terrorism or the killing of people." Yet after the September 11 tragedy, there is ongoing discrimination and a hate crime backlash against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim. Many misconceptions and questions remain. We've gathered your questions about fighting discrimination, along with questions about Arab and Muslim Americans or Islamic culture, beliefs and history. Working with experts from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, we have answered some of your questions below. For a brief overview of Islam and Muslim beliefs, read the MTV News article "What Is Islam Really About?"
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Question 1 of 9
How can I as a 15-year-old teach others that Muslims and Arab- Americans are not responsible for this tragedy, when many are ignorant and do not want to listen?
-Lubna, CA
Students can speak out to their friends, reach out to Arab Americans and Muslims, call their Arab American and Muslim friends if they are not coming to classes, reaffirm that you are still their friends, offer to share classroom notes or pick up books at the library and other practical assistance. Write op-eds or letters to the editor of the school or campus newspaper. Ask those in authority to speak out, take strong leadership and set a norm for the community: Make clear that harassing and blaming innocent people only compounds the tragedy. It's right to be angry. It's wrong to blame innocent people because of their ethnicity or religion.
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