GRSJ224/Discrimination against Muslim Women Post 9-11

Post 9/11

After the incident that took place in New York, September 11th, 2001, the discrimination against the Muslim community took a rise. The word, 'Islamophobia' became more popular than ever and it defines as "an outlook or world-view involving an unfounded dread and dislike of Muslims, which results in practices of exclusion and discrimination” [1] (Islamophobia: A Challenge For Us All).

Islam as a "religion of terror"

In the time of 9/11- the terrorist attack against the United States by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda - United States was not involved in any wars. The modern American society then became more cautious against the people that had similar identities to the al-Qaeda terrorist group; Middle Eastern and Muslim. However, the US government was not the only party that looked at the Muslim community differently. Due to experiencing such a tragedy, the world saw Islam as a religion of terror and thus the anti-Muslim rhetoric inclined. As a result, the “people of color, especially Muslim Americans, began to file a rising number of complaints of racially and religiously motivated discrimination, abuse and attacks” [2] (9/11 to today: Ways we have changed).

Disadvantages

Muslim women were affected more than men as the majority of them wear headscarves or hijabs. According to a study done by Hegab (2004)[3], Muslim women in “New York City, ‘don’t have a need to work or they work in businesses owned by other Muslims, Arabs or Indians…or they work in jobs that don’t require much contact with the public (thus not posing a “threat”)’” 3 [4](Hijab in the American workplace; Hegab 2004). On the other hand, Muslim women who work to provide for their families regardless of this rhetoric face other racial issues such as reduced work hours. For example, according to Agar (2016), a Muslim woman complained that her work hours were “drastically cut after her co-workers at an Ada (Amway) plant in Grand Rapids, Michigan complained about her hijab 4 [5] (Hijab in the American workplace; Agar 2016); and police officers in Long Beach, California forcibly removed a woman’s hijab in front of male officers” 4 [6] (Hijab in the American workplace; AFP 2016). Struggling with the authorities, discrimination against Muslim women in American workplaces is truly sad.

Symbolism

The symbolism of the hijab shifted from peace to terror and “it is also seen as inherently ‘un-American’” [7] (Navigating Islam). The purpose of the hijab is to cover up to maintain privacy from unrelated men in their life. It has nothing to do with terror, however, the people of the United States did not see it that way after 9/11. Islamic culture was suggested not to coexist with the American culture. The hijab not only causes people to target the immigrants but also the women who “identify as Americans, their Islamic garments automatically mark them as foreign” 7 (Navigating Islam).

Hijab’s symbolism places Muslim women in a vulnerable position where they become an easy target for violence. According to Pew Research Center surveys from 2017, half of the Muslim community claimed that it is more difficult to live in the U.S. since the attack took place. Violence against Muslims broke out after 9/11 and has been prevalent ever since 2 (9/11 to today: Ways we have changed). Justice was taken away from the Muslims, especially the women that wear the hijab.

Air travelling for work

Lastly, the airports in America started taking extreme caution against possible terrorist attacks in the future thus creating a big problem for Muslim women. Not only traveling became more difficult for the women who wore their traditional clothing but also many of the Muslim women who worked at the airports lost their jobs due to discrimination. Moreover, just a few days after the incident, the Transportation Security Administration received “its first full-year budget of $4.8 billion in 2003 — an amount that grew to nearly $7.8 billion by fiscal year 2020” 2 (9/11 to today: Ways we have changed). This increase in the budget affected the women who wore the hijab to work overseas. Before the incident, about five percent of the bags were screened; however, after 9/11, all bags were screened 2 (9/11 to today: Ways we have changed). This caused many of the Muslims to lose their jobs overseas as traveling for their work became insanely difficult and created lots of stress.

External Links for more information

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3880080?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents [8]

https://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/publications/pdfs/islamophobia.pdf [9]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/22/this-isnt-feminism-its-islamophobia [10]

References

AFP (Agence France-Presse) 2016. “California Muslims sue over hijab discrimination.” RawStory, May 3. Accessed July 1, 2016. http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/california-muslims-sue-over-hijab-discrimination/ 6

Agar, John. 2016. “Muslim worker sues Amway over head scarf, claims religious discrimination.” Michigan Live, May 27. Accessed July 1, 2016. http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/05/muslim_worker_sues_amway_over.html 5

Conway, Gordon. Islamophobia: a Challenge for Us All. Runnymede Trust, 1997. 1

Hegab, Amal. 2004. ““Jihad” of the Hijab. New York.” New York Community Media Alliance, November 15. Accessed September 5, 2011. http://www.indypressny.org/nycma/voices/144/editorials/editorials/ 3

Koura, and Fatima. “Navigating Islam: The Hijab and the American Workplace.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 10 Dec. 2018, www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/8/4/125/htm. 7

Rebecca S. Robinson (2016) Hijab in the American workplace: visibility and discrimination, Culture and Religion, 17:3, 332-351, DOI: 10.1080/14755610.2016.1211543 4

Santhanam, Laura, and Larisa Epatko. “9/11 To Today: Ways We Have Changed.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 11 Sept. 2018, www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/9-11-to-today-ways-we-have-changed. 2