Dear Future President,

I’m writing to you because I am concerned about the issue of Islamophobia in the United States. This huge issue is a problem in America because according to FBI research on hate crimes, out of 1,223 people being victims of anti-religious hate crimes, 13.7% of the victims were victims of anti-islamic offenders. This problem needs to be fixed because more and more Muslims in America will become scared to show pride in their religion in fear of being attacked. I, as a Muslim myself, can see this happening to many people. I have seen many disrespectful comments online about Islam, even though, we have done no wrong.

One reason we need to fix this problem is so we can educate many people that Islam isn’t as harmful as many people think it is. As I researched about this topic, according to an article in The Huffington Post, I read that a majority of 52% of Americans think that Islam is the most likely religion to encourage violence, “A majority — 52 percent — of Americans said Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence.”Although this means that 48% of Americans most likely think that Islam does not encourage violence, more than half of Americans think that Islam does. This means that most Americans are ignorant or uneducated about the fact that Islam is actually a peaceful religion and that most Muslims don’t cause that much harm.

Another reason on why we should fix this problem is because the suspicion and hate crimes against Muslims has risen in the past year.According to ABC7 News, hate crimes against Muslims have increased by 78% in 2015,“A new study out this week said the number of hate-related crimes against Muslims increased 78 percent in 2015.” Now, it is nearing the end of 2016. If the hate crimes in the past year have increased, it would this year, which means that there is a lot of hate crimes against Muslims now. Even mosques are being burned or violated in America. People are spraying disrespectful graffiti on the walls of the mosques and even putting pig heads in front of a mosque, and we can not eat pork, so it is very disrespectful.

In conclusion, we need to take action now. The amount of hate crimes against Muslims have gone up a lot. A majority of Americans think Islam is a violent religion. 13.7% out of 1,223 people were victims of anti- Islamic offenders. 13.7% may seem like a small number, but to each Muslim, it can create a traumatic effect. Muslim families out there are losing their family members, whether it be a father, mother, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, grandma, or grandpa. Muslim girls in America are afraid of wearing the hijab, a headscarf, in fear of people oppressing her. Muslim men are being killed and attacked in or outside the mosque. I don’t want to grow up in a world where I am not accepted into society. I don’t want my younger siblings, friends, relatives, and even people who I don’t know be afraid to go outside because they are a Muslim. I would like you to please, stop this discrimination, oppression, disrespect, and hate crimes against Muslims. So, the people and Muslims of this nation, can all feel safe.

Sincerely,

Aziza Bey

Sources:

Sledge, Matt. "Muslim Americans Widely Seen As Victims Of Discrimination." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 2 Apr. 2015. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.

FBI. FBI, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.

Https://www.facebook.com/ABC7Leticia. "Hate Crimes against Muslims up 78 Percent; Experts Blame Political Leaders." ABC7 Los Angeles. Leticia Juarez, 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.