Discussion: Muslim Stereotyping

Description of Assignment:

Over the centuries, some people develop negative stereotypes and viewpoints toward religions. If, for example, you search for information on Judaism or Islam, you might find some anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic websites containing a lack of credible information.

Over the past century, some U.S. citizens and the media have perpetuated negative stereotypes of Muslims, Middle Eastern cultures, and the Islamic religion.  (Stereotypes of Russians and Germans have continuously perpetuated American films during WWII and the Cold War Era.)

Imagine that you are a Muslim living in a small town in the United States.  Because of the importance of acceptance in a democratic country, the mayor has decided to create a town discussion related to the topic of discrimination (mainly because of two recent law suits related to discrimination in the work place against a Muslim woman for refusing to change her dress code and a man who was not promoted and laid off from a company).

As a Muslim, you have been chosen to lead the first lecture series on a deeper understanding of the Islamic faith. So far, 175 men and womenmostly Christianare planning to attend the lecture. When writing the speech, be considerate to your audience as a method of informing or explaining the Islamic religion and work positively to reduce the negative perception of Islam in the small town environment.