Orientalism and American Muslims (Essay Sample)

First Name Last Name Instructor Political Science 4 April 2016 Answers to the Questions about Orientalism and American Muslims Discuss the Significance of the Veil in Orientalism The veil is a piece of clothing used by Muslim women to cover their faces as per religious requirement. Orientalism refers to portrayal with emphasis, exaggeration, and distortion of facts about a particular subjectCITATION Edw79 \l 6154 (Said). It is important to mention that the Hijab has been the center of controversies and wars against the Muslim nations. Orientalism heavily criticizes the veil's religious significance especially with the appearance of belly dancers who wore veilsCITATION Lei12 \p 46 \l 6154 (Ahmed 46). In the war against the Islamic cultures, the veil has been used as a symbol of oppression, unfair treatment and strict nature of the Arab nations. Furthermore, veiled women are often viewed as oppressed individuals according to OrientalismCITATION Edw79 \l 6154 (Said). Similarly, in the western cultures, it symbolizes the unheard voices of Muslim women who are not allowed certain privileges. However, the veil also represents a woman's external appearance (style), which is separate from its religious significanceCITATION Edw79 \l 6154 (Said). Therefore, different individuals attribute different meanings of what the veil truly symbolizes. In the western countries, for example, the entire Hijab is considered to be the veil, while in Muslim states only the head covering is the veilCITATION Bry02 \p 102 \l 6154 (Turner 102). A negative aspect that Orientalism linked to the veil is its connection to Islam; similarly, in the western countries the veil is often linked with terrorism or IslamCITATION Bry02 \p 104 \l 6154 (Turner 104). It can be assumed that much of the controversy is brought about as a result of cultural misunderstanding. While some individuals wear the veil for religious and personal reasons, many others characterizes it as a symbol of oppression, mainly because they do not have all the facts. Orientalism portrays Muslim natives to be more violent than their western counterparts (Faruqui 150). Looking back into the 19th Century when Orientalism began, the veil was a symbol of both eroticism and oppression. Arabic belly dancers, for example, were required to wear the veil in order to hide their sexuality, which was punishable by law (Rhode 10). The veil thus depicts the Islam culture as backward, oppressive, and inferior. In contrast, during the colonial era, women who wore veils were considered sensual and beautiful. Therefore, the use of the veil can be seen as having dual meaning, and while some consider it sexual, others see it as a sign of oppression (Rhode 10). The western colonialists believed that the women were oppressed and held hostage by the polygamous male, which culminated in to the conclusion that in order to rule their society the women must be freedCITATION Bry02 \p 103 \l 6154 (Turner 103). In addition, in the western countries, individuals who wear veils are considered rebels or "against" the western culture. In other words, the significance of the veil in orientalism is a negative influence, if one can say so, which is similar to how the west depicts the use of the veil. To be precise, Orientalism uses Muslim females and the veil to interpret and explain the Islam religion and culture in contrast to that of the western world. How did 9/11 affect the Depiction of American Muslims in American Media? The aftermath of 9/11 was the peak of antagonism between the US and the Arab nations (Wing 717). The US media developed a negative perception of American Muslims. More than a decade has passed since 9/11, and yet the western media seems to worsen their portrayal of Muslims in generalCITATION Ria03 \p 51 \l 6154 (Abdelkarim 51). This negative view of Muslims has permeated the American society to the point of discrimination and profiling, such as the countless cases of American Muslims being discriminated and profiled in airports, restaurants, and in entire communities. It is obvious that Muslims have been stereotyped in almost every interaction with other non-Muslim communities. The media portrays Islam and Muslims as an enemy of the United States. The American constitution is supposed to represent freedom and equality for all human kind. Other countries such as Morocco, have signed treaties with the US in order to show solidarity. Actions such as this should bind nations instead of separating them. In other instances such as the association of Islam with terrorism, the media made efforts to generalize the problem to a single source: The Muslim race (Nacos and Torres-Reyna 133). However, that is not the case. Islam, like any other religion, is a religion of moderation, peace, and love. The difference in perception of Muslim religion today has been mainly due to the media's decision to portray the entire religion negatively (Nacos and Torres-Reyna 140). Even though some extremist concepts such as Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and similar groups depict aggression and killing of innocent unarmed civilians, the media has been silent on the suffering of the communities living in the regions where the groups are dominant (Mamdani 766). If mainstream media were un-biased, then they would focus on both sides of the coin portraying both good and bad aspects of the religion instead of choosing to portray it negatively. Another significant problem that mainstream media has caused is the lack of differentiation between Muslims and Islam (Mamdani 768). It is important to understand that the Muslim and Islam communities do not share the same ideologies. The Muslim states, which are the majority, view Islam as a state of peace and prosperity for all, which most Muslims practice. However, extremists groups use the same base ideology and choose to practice it in a negative aspect (Mamdani 770). If media ignores the difference between a right-wing and left-wing party, then the public will perceive all Muslims as terrorists or "Jihad”. Lastly, the US mainst...