HAPPENINGS 16 ACTION A & E OPINION SPOTLIGHT Muslim students face trials of their own, especially in a public school setting. BY HUNTER POMBRIO PAGE DESIGN BY CAMRYN BOWERS I. D. 17 THE SCEPTER FEBRUARY 2016 P oliticians use you. Nobody trusts you. The media says you might be a member of ISIS. You are rarely seen as an individual. And you have a clean record. These are just a few of the struggles Muslims in America face everyday. Students like junior Halima Mohamed and seniors Maham and Mahnoor Javaid experience these struggles first hand each and every day, simply by watching the news. “I’m not very happy about the media and how people make Muslims all look like terrorists,” Mohamed said. Mohamed, who wears a hijab, feels strongly about her religion and faces the prejudices that come with doing so. In contrast, the Javaid sisters do not cover their hair and therefore experience life differently. “We don’t experience any prejudices against us because we don’t think many people know we are Muslim,” Maham said. Mornings are tough for everyone, but imagine waking up at 5 a.m. to pray twice, before most people begin their morning. Mohamed wakes up at 5 a.m. everyday and prays at 6:20 for the Fajr prayer. Shortly after, she prays the Dhuhr prayer, but cannot complete the rest of the day’s prayers because she is at school. Understandably, Muslims all face their own trials. Mohamed has a unique take on how to handle discrimination due to her religion. “I wasn’t raised to fight or accept prejudices,” Mohamed said. “I was raised to respect everyone no matter what religion or race they are.” Even though the public media often portray Islam as the most threatening religion, they quietly make sacrifices. For example, the Javaid sisters take early release to participate in prayers at home. “My sister and I take early release to make up for the prayers that we missed while at school,” Maham said. Judging from this, it is obvious that the present outrageous stereotypes should not define Muslims. These few individuals are no different from any other; they are not the terrorists as portrayed by the media; they are not radical. They are people, just like everybody else. It is an identity to me. It defines my moral lifestyle. - MaHNoor JAvaid “ “ Camryn Bowers
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HAPPENINGS 16 ACTION A & E OPINIONSPOTLIGHT
Muslim students face trials of their own, especially in a public school setting.BY HUNTER POMBRIOPAGE DESIGN BY CAMRYN BOWERS
I. D.OPINION 17 THE SCEPTERFEBRUARY 2016
Politicians use you. Nobody trusts you. The media says you
might be a member of ISIS. You are rarely seen as an individual. And you have a clean record. These are just a few of the struggles Muslims in America face everyday. Students like junior Halima Mohamed and seniors Maham and Mahnoor Javaid experience these struggles first hand each and every day, simply by watching the news. “I’m not very happy about the media and how people make Muslims all look like terrorists,” Mohamed said. Mohamed, who wears a hijab, feels strongly about her religion and faces the prejudices that come with doing so. In contrast, the Javaid sisters do not cover their
hair and therefore experience life differently.
“We don’t experience any prejudices against us because we don’t think many people know we are Muslim,” Maham said.
Mornings are tough for everyone, but imagine waking up at 5 a.m. to pray twice, before most people begin their morning. Mohamed wakes up at 5 a.m. everyday and prays at 6:20 for the Fajr prayer. Shortly after, she prays the Dhuhr prayer, but cannot complete the rest of the day’s prayers because she is at school. Understandably, Muslims all face their own trials. Mohamed has a unique take on how to handle discrimination due to her religion. “I wasn’t raised to fight or accept prejudices,” Mohamed said.
“I was raised to respect everyone no matter what religion or race they are.” Even though the public media often portray Islam as the most threatening religion, they quietly make sacrifices. For example, the Javaid sisters take early release to participate in prayers at home. “My sister and I take early release to make up for the prayers that we missed while at school,” Maham said. Judging from this, it is obvious that the present outrageous stereotypes should not define Muslims. These few individuals are no different from any other; they are not the terrorists as portrayed by the media; they are not radical. They are people, just like everybody else.
It is an identity to me.
It defines my moral lifestyle.
- MaHNoor JAvaid
“ “
Camryn Bowers
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