Islamophobia in the US Society and the Challenges Muslim Soldiers Face

Islamophobia in the USA
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Islamophobia in the USA
Since the 11th September 2001 terrorist attacks, prejudice against Muslims or Islamophobia has been rising. Based on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) hate crimes statistics, the anti-Muslim intimidation reported 144 victims in 2016. Specifically, anti-Muslim incidents were 307 in the same, which was 19% more than what was experienced in 2015 (Kishi, 2017). Some of the factors that led to these changes include increased discrimination against Muslims, the association of terrorist attacks with Muslims, and the strict immigration policy to regulate the number of Muslims in the United States of America (USA).
Muslims experience the highest rate of religious discrimination in the USA and are prone to violence. A good example of Islamophobia in the USA was encountered when the former president, Donald Trump, issued a travel ban on Muslims (Gray, 2018). Many Americans have prejudices that Muslims are terrorists and that they pose danger to national security. They forget that not all Muslims are extremists and that this religion does not encourage its members to kill others.
The USA military strives to create an accommodating environment for Muslim soldiers, which is why there exist fewer challenges to Muslims serving in the army. One of the primary problems is negative comments equating Muslim soldiers to terrorists. For instance, in 2009, a Muslim Army psychiatrist killed 13 individuals at Fort Hood by claiming that the USA’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were against Muslims (Philipps, 2016). Other issues arise from cultural conflicts, such as dealing with food provided in the military comprising pork, which is forbidden by Islam, and the ban on facial hair. However, the USA military support and accommodate Muslim soldiers and their religious traditions by offering them food that does not violate their religious beliefs and creating a discrimination-free environment. That is why Mr. Rashid, who served in the Marine Corps for five years asserted that the military showed him nothing but love and camaraderie (Philipps, 2016).
One of the benefits of having Muslim Americans willing to serve in the USA military is to portray that not all Muslims are terrorists (Armed Forces Muslim Assoc...