A Place to Share Experiences

ISLAM IN AMERICA A Place to Share Experiences

The Islamophobia.io website has a novel approach toward tackling hate

BY RABIYAH SYED

In our current political climate, there have been an increased number of hate crimes, discrimination and racism. The amount of overt, covert and institutionalized racism continues to escalate globally. In large cities, people of color are often stopped and frisked. Muslims are often stopped at airports or borders just for being Muslim. Instead of taking the time to learn and understand other races, religions and cultures, many view others through the stereotypes embedded in their societies.

Muslims are often stereotyped as terrorists, a prejudice that leads some individuals to attack defenseless Muslims physically and verbally — even those who they think are Muslims. For example, on June 6, a man deliberately drove his truck into a family he didn’t even know. The result? Five dead Muslims who had been out for an evening walk in London, Ont. This horrendous attack’s only survivor is a seriously injured preteen boy. This is just one of many heinous hate crimes that has occurred around the world over the last few years.

Islamophobia is the fear and hatred of Muslims and Islam caused by long-term perpetuated negative stereotypes. This reality, seen in the intolerance directed toward Muslims because of their beliefs, is now fully integrated and embedded within our society.

Initiatives like Islamphobia.io are needed now more than ever, especially as Islamophobia is on the rise. Islamophobia. io is a newly launched website created by @ StudentAsim – as Asim Hussain prefers to be known professionally — a creative producer who is using different methods to combat issues that are important to him. His website is a place not only for Muslims to tell their stories, but also for their allies to tell stories about the Muslims they know. It contains stories ranging from everyday events to accounts of discrimination. By reading them, we can learn about what members of our community are facing daily. Moreover, we can connect and bond with those who have had similar experiences. @StudentAsim seeks to demonstrate the importance of giving. He began by writing picture books before creating Islamophobia. io. One of his stories, “Khadijah Goes to School” (2011), follows Khadijah as she learns the importance of helping yourself and others — the importance of giving. As he says, “Giving is the foundational premise in which everything else is based off of.” His website is designed to give average Muslims a voice, a chance to be a catalyst for change, to encourage another person to look at something from a new angle. This innovative approach allows everyone to participate and share their perspectives with the world. Discrimination is a major issue, with people of color as well as with Muslims. @StudentAsim’s book on this subject, “My Skin: Brown” (2018), presents the discrimination faced by kids with a certain skin color. People who have faced discrimination can use Islamophobia. io to express their emotions and concerns. Their stories can help others who may have or have had similar experiences. Sharing such stories allows people to learn how others handle similar situations. Islamophobia.io seeks to shed light on these untold stories and to dispel negative portrayals of Muslims. Prejudiced people may see Muslims as terrorists or evil people, but not as humans like themselves. @StudentAsim believes that the root cause of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate is a growing trend because of the “missing context.” His website wants to fulfill this gap by encouraging average Muslims to share their stories — from discrimination to gardening — to show their daily experiences and to help the readers understand that they are just like everyone else. Such anecdotes can influence people to change their views by having the chance to glimpse into another person’s life.

This repository for stories hopes to achieve that very goal: to enable average people to become change agents. Reading the various accounts at least gives you the chance to see things from a different perspective or have your curiosity piqued.

PREJUDICED PEOPLE MAY SEE MUSLIMS AS TERRORISTS OR EVIL PEOPLE, BUT NOT AS HUMANS LIKE THEMSELVES. @STUDENTASIM BELIEVES THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTI-MUSLIM HATE IS A GROWING TREND BECAUSE OF THE “MISSING CONTEXT.”

Many people post things on social media to combat hate. But social media is like an ocean — a vast space full of so many things circulating around that they are seen only if those who post them have many followers or supporters who spread the message. Islamophobia.io combats anti-Muslim sentiments in a different way. @StudentAsim envisages it as a “dedicated hub for the lived experiences of the Muslim community.” All the stories are in one place and easily accessible, which is definitely not the case with social media, where information is scattered.

Misinformation is something that can easily occur. As we all now realize, social media has become a source of not only information, but also of misinformation. One example of this is the many myths and misconceptions surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine, which have been addressed by leaders as well as health care workers. Similarly, @StudentAsim is using Islamophobia.io to combat misinformation and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims by humanizing them to the larger public.

Islamophobia.io’s unique approach is designed to give individual Muslims a voice and a place where they can share their experiences about living as a Muslim in North America without judgement. Visit Islamophobia.io to share your personal story. ih

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