Characteristics_or_Orientalism,_Prejudice,_and_Discrimination

An Arab is a person whose ancestors originated from the Middle East or The League of Arab States. Most Arab Americans have their roots in Lebanon while others migrated here from other places in the world completely unrelated to the Middle East. Their religious preferences differ and they are not necessarily Muslim. Muslims are those whose lives are guided by the teachings on the Qur’an. In the United States close to half of American Muslims are African Americans, referred to as Black Muslims, while only a small percentage is Arab. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 has given authorities the right to discriminate against Muslims and Arab Americans by utilizing racial profiling. The U.S. Justice Department also required that all Muslim men born abroad be fingerprinted and photographed at the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. These men were also interviewed in order to locate terrorists in this country. Orientalism consists of grouping, racism, discrimination, and stereotyping. Orientalism and prejudice contribute to hate crime in the way that assumptions are made about these groups without knowledge of origin, actual race, and believing certain stereotypes about these people. All of these factors can cause people to act out their ignorant hate violently towards people of Asian descent. One good way to promote tolerance and reduce prejudice is to educate people about different cultures and races. A program could be included as a part of a school’s curriculum so that kids may become more understanding and knowledgeable of all the wonderful diversity in our country. This may also break the cycle of hate and create a more open-minded generation. Another way is to spread stories about hate crimes via website, social networks, email, and etcetera. People can easily empathize with tragedy. Along with this can be a list of resources for people to look deeper into some of these issues and show them ways to end hate and promote peace and love.