Muslim Arab American to Professor of American Identities at Emory University

Muslim Arab American to Professor of American Identities at Emory University
After September 11, 2001, my life was turned up-side-down. I was the victim of hate crimes, name-calling, and cruel Transportation Security Administration interrogations. I found myself associated with people who Muslim and non-muslim Americans alike despise. The reality is that the Arab American narrative is far from terrorism and extremism. Because western culture perpetuates portrayals of Muslim women as oppressed and without free will, Arab American Feminists are forced to focus their attention on addressing and correcting this misinformation. Similarly, when Bush’s infamous plan “The War on Terror” is used as an excuse to discriminate against Muslims, members of both the Arab and Muslim community become pressured to assimilate or remain compliant. More than my religion, I have been oppressed by white representations of Arab-Americans. I ask that in your classes, you emphasize Arab-Americans as individuals bound by a geographic location – not a group defined by extremist individuals. 

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