Microaggressions are subtle discrimination forms that typically send denigrating and negative messages to the marginalized members of the targeted groups. Particularly in contemporary US society, Muslims have been a target of microaggressions, which often leaves them feeling confused and angry, and studies have depicted the physical and psychological strains of these actions on the targeted individuals (Nadal et al., 2012).
Nadal et al. (2012) note that one of the main reasons why people are afraid of Muslims is because of religious stereotypes of Muslims as terrorists. This usually occurs when non-Muslims make the assumption that all Muslim individuals are affiliated with terrorism in one way or another. Similarly, with this stereotype, people often assume that Muslims are evil and violent and that they ought not to be trusted.
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The second reason why people are afraid of Muslims is the pathology of the Muslim religion as people believe that there is an inherent abnormality or anomaly with someone of a different religion, which leads to behaviors that convey maltreatment, judgment, or punishment. Similarly, there are issues of religious homogeneity, which most individuals assume that the practices, behaviors, and experiences of Muslims are completely homogenous (Nadal et al., 2012).
One of the most significant issues that are linked to the hatred and fear of Muslims is the issues of immigration. This makes Muslims as if they do not belong to the US even if they were born in the US and are legal American citizens. All this can be attributed to the increased interest in the impact of the 9/11 terror attacks, and this has been the backbone of all the fears of immigration and people of different religions, especially against Islam. This has also led to an increase in racial and religious related discriminations or microaggressions that cement the fear that Americans and other countries have against Muslims.
Reference
Nadal, K. L., Griffin, K. E., Hamit, S., Leon, J., Tobio, M., & Rivera, D. P. (2012). Subtle and overt forms of Islamophobia: Microaggressions toward Muslim Americans.
