Category: Americas, Featured, Highlights, World Affairs Topics: Islamophobia
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Debunking Islamophobic Myths: A Call for Respect and Understanding
Two employees in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, are facing serious consequences, including the potential loss of their jobs, after sharing an offensive and Islamophobic post on their Facebook pages.
The post depicted a bearded man in a Muslim skullcap sitting on a toilet, accompanied by a caption that read: "This is a Muslim. They don’t use toilet paper. They use their hands. This is Starbucks. They vow to hire 10,000 Muslims."
This post is not only misleading but also harmful. It falsely claims that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz pledged to hire 10,000 Muslims, when in fact, he announced a plan to hire 10,000 refugees over five years in the 75 countries where Starbucks operates—not exclusively in the U.S. and not based on religion (The Washington Times - February 7, 2017).
The post also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and disinformation. Muslims, like many people around the world, use water to clean themselves after using the restroom because it is more hygienic than using toilet paper alone. In Islam, using water for personal cleanliness is a religious practice that has been followed for over 1,400 years. It is both more thorough and more environmentally friendly than using only toilet paper.
The comparison to Western hygiene practices is irrelevant and divisive. Everyone has their own methods of maintaining cleanliness, and it’s important to respect these differences rather than mock or misrepresent them. The focus should be on promoting understanding and tolerance, not spreading fear and hatred.
This anti-Muslim post is not only vile but also dangerous as it plays on people's fears and portrays Muslims as unclean and unwelcome. Such behavior only serves to deepen divisions and incite further prejudice.
Freedom of religion is a fundamental right that applies to all faiths. We must resist the urge to judge or hate what we do not understand. As the writer Charles Caleb Colton wisely observed, "We hate some people because we do not know them; and will not know them because we hate them."
Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a freelancer for Islamicity.org and ColumbusFreePress.com. He can be reached at: [email protected].
