Islamophobia in America and its Effects on the Syrian Refugee Crisis Islamophobia is a term used to describe prejudice and discrimination against Muslims and the Islamic faith. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 committed by Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda, there was a huge wave of Islamophobia across the United States that has yet to die down. This hatred of Muslims is putting not only Muslim-Americans in danger, but also the Syrian refugees currently fleeing from the Syrian War and ISIS terrorism. The Syrian refugees are looking for safety in the United States and the current Islamophobic sentiment is barring them access to this safety. In this paper, I argue that American Islamophobia is a largely unfounded fear that is denying Syrian refugees safety from terror and violence in their home country. Due to ISIS control and the …show more content…
They were here as early as the 1500’s as part of the slave trade when America was first being colonized. The most recent wave of Muslim immigrants began in the 1960’s, and continues today (Khálid and Pipes). As stated in an article from the American Embassy of Iraq, “65 percent of the Muslim-American population are first-generation immigrants, and 61 percent of the foreign-born arrived in the 1990s or this decade. 77 percent of Muslims living in the United States are citizens, with 65 percent of the foreign-born being naturalized citizens (“Muslims in America”).” The total Muslim-American population is estimated to be somewhere between 2 to 7 million people (“Muslims in America”). Many Muslim-Americans have immigrated because they are seeking refuge from persecution, civil wars, or they come for an education (Khálid and Pipes). These immigrants are looking to improve their lives, not spread terrorism. They come to the United States and appreciate the freedom they are able to find here that they may not have at home, and they help enrich our