Shoeb Khan has never hidden the fact that he is a Muslim.
Khan, a computer engineering senior, came to the United States from India several years after the Sept. 11 attacks, knowing well the social challenges that Muslim-Americans face.
According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, many Muslim-Americans have not felt increased alienation since concerns of Islamic terrorism spawned from the attacks. Nearly 50 percent of Muslim-Americans polled said the American public is friendly toward them.
Khan said the study may be correct, but many things still stand in the way of a better perception of Muslims in American society.
He said media outlets and programs like “The 700 Club” show that Muslim-Americans still face challenges. The media have inclinations to associate words like “terrorist” and “bombing” with Islam, he said.
“They report complete falsehoods as fact,” Khan said.
But radical Muslims are a small percentage of the whole, said Nick Pierce, history junior and American-born Islam convert.
Pierce and Kahn said their involvement in the University’s Muslim Student Association has them facing daily ignorance of the Muslim faith, but problems individuals have with Islam are diminished after simple conversation.
The problem Muslims still face in America is a continually negative social perception, Pierce said.
“It’s starting to get better,” Pierce said, explaining that problems remain with the portrayal of Muslims on television and in video games.
Khan said the timing of the Pew poll is sensitive and results would differ if it was not conducted closely to the 10th anniversary of the attacks.
The poll does not reflect the reactions Pierce and Khan said they noticed among the Muslim-American community.
Khan said he, like many Muslims, was strongly influenced by elders to practice the faith when growing up, but upon coming to America, faith became a choice.
“When you make the choice to practice Islam, you’re willing to make sacrifices,” Khan said.
Those who were not strong in faith when the attacks occurred may have pushed their Islamic beliefs “into the closet” to avoid persecution, he said. This may be the reason the Pew poll reflects sentiments that may not be true for all Muslim-Americans.
“[Some Muslims] are afraid to speak about their faith,” Pierce said.
Pierce said he has only been a Muslim for three years, and he did consider the stigma Muslims have in the U.S. before choosing to convert. He was raised an Evangelical Christian, but he soon strayed from the faith. Pierce later felt God’s absence in his life, and after exploring many different religions, he found he agreed with the Quran, the Muslim holy book.
“I had to put my beliefs above my concern,” he said.
Pierce joined the Army soon after converting because of his strong desire to fight terrorism. He said contrary to what many may expect, he did not feel ostracized during training.
“There is a certain amount of alienation,” Pierce said. “But our love for this country outweighs