“I think we see this happening more and more because Islam is spreading very quickly in the U.S. Some people feel threatened by Islam because they don’t understand it or are influenced by what they see on television or in the movies,” says Amir, a 30-year-old Egyptian-American living in Boston, Mass.
In the United States it is estimated that there are approximately 2,000 mosques, Islamic centers and Islamic schools that serve an estimated American Muslim population of over six million. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States and in the world with 1.2 billion adherents worldwide. In the United States, the number of adherents to the Islamic faith has in many estimates surpassed Judaism and is believed to be the second largest religion in America after Christianity. Despite Islam’s impressive numbers, the Islamic religion remains a largely misunderstood religion.
“I think the general opinion Americans have about Muslims is that we are extremists and terrorists who want to start a “jihad” on the West. They think we are anti-American. And, certainly, the images they see in movies is not helping,” says Amir.
Many Muslims not only fault Hollywood but also the American media for fueling the fire and spreading misinformation about the Islamic faith. “I think that the reason for the increase in hate crimes against Muslims is because of the continued lack of knowledge and true or accurate representations of Islam, combined with the continuous portrayal of conflict in the Middle East and Muslim world on the 12 o'clock, 5 o'clock and 11 o'clock news,” says Hiba, a 34-year-old Palestinian-American living in Chicago, Ill.
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