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With a whirlwind of  bad news on a daily basis, some light has emerged at the end of the tunnel. Religionnews.com shares a new exciting innovation in the Muslim-American world, “Meet Muslim, a new online publiction for the Gen Z ummah” by Aysha Khan. As the Islamic culture in America is shifting into a more laid back dynamic, in hopes of a profounding sense of unification for the new  generation of Muslims. After the 2016 election of Donald Trump many Muslim-American’s became fearful of their safety in the United States after the ‘Muslim ban’ was announced. The website was first implemented to help students internationally share the ways the Muslim ban has impacted them. Al-Khatahtbeh (the creator of the site) shared that very few news outlets feature the voice of Muslims, even on liberal news. The website is very innovative for young Muslims as it gives them a platform. According to the article, “U.S. Muslims are, on average, significantly younger than the overall American population. About 42% of Muslims in the country are under the age of 30, making Muslims the youngest major religious community both nationally and globally” (Khan). Yet, the younger generation of Muslims still feel disengaged from traditional Islamic spaces. As someone who is Muslim, I have experienced this myself within my own religion community. It is very hard to feel insync within my own religion when I go to the mosque and they are speaking in Arabic, which a majority of us don’t even fluently speak. I believe it would be much more ethical to promote Islamic practice in a more modern way. By doing so, Gen Z can feel more connected. “Many of his peers point to imams and mosque leaders who are more likely to scold young “Ramadan Muslims” — the equivalent of Christians who only attend church on Christmas and Easter — rather than hold their hand through their struggles with their faith, Al-Khatahtbeh said” (Khan). This is a very relevant viewpoint, I believe that integrity should not be determined by full-faith. If younger Muslims can practice in a way that is sustainable to their lifestyles, they should not be scolded. I believe if younger and older Muslims find cohesiveness, they can build a much stronger platform in the United States, but it will take a lack of stubbornness. As of now, the site has a social media presence of 135,000 instagram followers as well as 16,000 newsletter subscribers. As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Muslims gained a very negative view after 9/11 and suddenly every Muslim-American became a “terrorist”. I believe new innovative sites like Meet Muslim are vital for shifting stereotypes. The site gains credibility by being aware of the fallbacks within their own community and not just putting all of the blame on one group.

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In the midst of crisis, the much needed unification and the duty to put hate aside, fails. NBC news announces “Traumatic whiplash: BYU’S U-turn on homosexuality a blow to gay students” by Caroline Radfosky. Brigham Young University is a very well-known University. This is not entirely because of their academics, it is because of the conservative and Mormon culture at the University. According to NBC, students were very hopeful as BYU appeared to be on a progressive route with a new acceptance of same-sex relationships. Within just two weeks of changing policy to allow change of conduct to permit same-sex relationships, they revoked the change after one student came out to her parents. "Same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage, and is therefore not compatible with the principles of the Honor Code," Elder Paul V. Johnson, commissioner of the Church Educational System, which oversees BYU, wrote in a statement to university students Wednesday” (Radfosky). It appears that BYU is very oriented towards the authenticity of Mormonism and many parents must pay tuition for that reason. For a Mormon University to promote homosexuality is similar logic to banning alcohol in a bar. Even if BYU’s board had a sudden change of heart and began to accept homosexuality, the financial consequences would overweigh their new morals. It appears that students are extremely hurt by the Universities sudden change of policy, one student even felt that it was similar to rejection. As a college student, one of the main aspects that have contributed to my academic success is the love and support of SDSU. I have never felt pressure to be anything other than myself. I believe, although it is the students who will be attending BYU for 4 plus years, it is the parents who will be paying tuition so the board works to fulfill them. That being said, the millennials will most likely have less traditional expectations. I have met many kind Mormon families throughout my lifetime so far, yet the only time I have openly been the victim of prejudice from an opposing religion, was from a Mormon family. Long story short, I was 18 and had gotten into a relationship with my Mormon classmate and his parents were not happy about it. Keep in mind, I am Persian Muslim. Yet, she was fine with him being with a White-Christian girl my age. As the years have gone by, I realized it was just as unfair to judge their values as it was for them to judge mine. I would stoop to the same level as them by taking offense. At times, I do not agree with my own parents' values but it’s important to understand they grew up in a different time. Instead, it is more beneficial to never make someone else feel the same prejudice you have. It appears that BYU alumni have taken steps to create the “OUT Foundation, an organization for LGBTQ BYU alumni, offering advice and financial support for students wanting to transfer. The group's fundraiser, which launched Wednesday, had raised over $34,000 by Monday afternoon” (Radfosky).

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It is no secret that the Coronavirus pandemic has consequently impacted the cancellation of many events. Graduations, school, travel, the gym, and pretty much everything. As of now, the essentials remain open. By essentials, I mean the grocery store, gas stations, and medical care. The consumer products that keep us alive during this time. For some people, that could mean the church. The Church does not meet the means of the enforced social distancing policy and many people are not happy about that, as it is an essential part of daily life for people. According to NBC news, the article “3 California Churches sue Gov. Gavin Newsom over orders banning gathers”, three Southern California churches sued the governor over the ban of religious gatherings. As the stay at home order was issued March 19th, several churches began to feel victimized. The Faith Family Church in Fontana argued that they could maintain social distancing within the church, while remaining open. It had also been noted, "Scales believes he can have in-person church services while making every effort to prevent contact between congregants by adhering to social distancing guidance, just as grocery stores, laundromats, and marijuana dispensaries are implementing to keep their customers safe” (Burke). This argument gives the notation that it is believed that the Church is a necessity just as much as the other ones listed. The church believes that it is vital to be open right now during the crisis, in order to help people cope better. Within the lawsuit, the discussion resulted in the church aiming to continue drive up services on Sunday’s. I believe that the intentions and arrangements the Faith Family Church were willing to make were fair and met social distancing guidelines. The article also mentions that another church took a different route to pursue and continue worship. Another pastor, James Dean Moffatt, “held a service in his church on April 5 to mark Palm Sunday and was fined $1,000 for violating the state's order. The suit states that Moffatt "believes that scripture commands him as a pastor to lay hands on people and pray for them" but that he cannot do that if he is not allowed to hold in-person worship services” (Burke). In scenarios like this, pastors believe they have some sort of entitlement and are above the law. This is when religious freedom gets tricky and ethics become questioned. It appears that Newsom is looking to override certain laws in order to keep everyone safe. The coronavirus pandemic has caused my family's tradition of celebrating Persian new year annually to be shifted and postponed. Of course, this was saddening for all of us. But nothing is worse putting someone else's livelihood in jeopardy. By allowing a figure like a pastor, whom so many people look up to; it’s sending out the message that religion conquers all. In a sense, it gives the notion that promoting Christianity is more important than one's life. 

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Islamophobia is very prevalent in today’s society. Although, many people are hesitant to admit that it’s still a very large and reoccurring issue in the United States. As someone who is first generation and has a family full of Muslims, it is very concerning to see so many news headlines regarding hatred directed towards Muslims. Specifically, in the article written in the New York Times “Islamic Center Damaged in ‘Suspicious’ Fire at Start of Ramadan”. Ramadan is a very important holiday in Islamic religion, it is the ninth month of the year and is spent fasting and abstaining from pleasure in order to stay closer to god. It is the time where families become closer and invoke mindfulness to get away from everyday craziness we live in. Many major holidays in the United States are centered around Christians. For instance, Easter and Christmas. Pretty much everything in the United States is put on temporary pause during Christmas and the whole nation is given time to celebrate. Yet, extremist people are still so hateful that they cannot allow for Islamic people to celebrate for themselves. According to the article, a mosque was lit on fire on the first day of Ramadan and it caused massive damage. The security cameras observed a suspicious man around the center at the time of the incident. Unfortunately, this was not the first time the center was the victim of a hate crime. “In 2009, another man was convicted of hate crimes and sentenced to three years in prison after he threw rocks at the center, breaking several windows” (Levenson). This is strongly an act of Islamophobia, it must take a lot of hate for someone to risk going to prison or jail just to express their disagreement with one's religion. Luckily, no one was hurt in the fire as it was vacant due to the Corona Virus and social distancing. It was also reported “In March 2019, 51 people were killed in attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the suspect published a hate-filled manifesto, the authorities said” (Levenson). Muslims are constantly put under the stereotype of being violent or terrorists. It’s completely hypocritical for so many violent acts to be done towards Muslims, yet the acts are done because extremists believe Muslims are “terrorists”. In relation to what we have observed in lecture, most Muslim people in the United States are just good Americans contributing to the wealth and growth of the nation. They live very ‘normal’ lives. In my opinion, a lot of people are uneducated or have self-hate and take it by displaying pure and irrational hatred. I believe crimes like the fire are not exposed enough through the media. If the same act happened on Christmas day and was done by Muslims it would be portrayed as a very large and punishable crime on the news outlet. At times, it can feel like Christianity is made to be the nation's religion. Of course, we do as a Nation have religious freedom. But, it may seem being one religion is more promoted or accepted, than being another.

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In an appalling article written in a fox news about “Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia claim they were 'choked, beat and tasered' by authorities' ' I found much correlation to what we learned in class about them in reference to their portrayal. The claim is that Jevoah’s witnesses reported being tortured by authorities as a result of being convicted of extremism. The strange part about that is beating someone due to their religious beliefs to me is a much more extreme advance. They were also fined $10,000 for engaging in extremist activities. To the finest horrid visual the authorities brought the couple into the forest and chokes them as well as tasered them in hopes of a confession. Apparently many people in the Jehovah’s witness community in Russia have been tortured for their beliefs although their constitution promises freedom of religion. It’s very strange how their mistreatment is being tolerated to what it seems to be social acceptance. The article states that Jehovah’s witnesses were banned in 2017 which is insane to hear. I really did not believe that places like Russia would still be tolerating religious discrimination. Russian president Vladimir Putin does not agree with what is going on and the discrimination that these people endure. He did say, “Jehovah’s witnesses are christians, too, so I don’t quite understand why they persecute them”. From what we had viewed in class about Jehovah’s witnesses I do understand why the way they promote or push their faith onto others can be inappropriate or in poor taste but I also don’t think any level of religious expression is bad enough for them to be brutally tortured. Also, a ban on practicing any religion is very unconstitutional, they are not hurting anyone or putting anyone in danger, if anything it seems the other way around. As we learned in class they do knock on peoples doors excessively and follow them to their cars which I believe should not be allowed for any religion to do. I do see christian people often in America putting their faith on a pedestal but never so aggressively that I am being followed. It seems that any authority figures that feel the need to physically hurt someone for expressing their religion is emotionally intolerant and probably should not hold a position of authority because simply they do not have the mental capacity evidently. The article does not mention where the sudden ban of the JW community arose from but it really speaks on their government to how that law even got passed. The JW were also cut off from the country's financial system as well as a crack down on other religious minorities. It seems like the right of freedom of religion is openly being revoked and that a specific faith dominates their political system. I personally view religious discrimination on the same level of discrimination by gender or color. If they are not preaching anything hateful or committing actual violent crimes I cannot imagine how they could be vanished.

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 I tend to watch a lot of political debates on facebook (usually what goes on within the House of Representatives) and I came across a video of a man addressing his questions regarding his religious stance of being an Evangelical Christian to democratic candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren. The man was extremely polite and well composed, he meant no aggression with any of his questions. His primary concern was the question “I am continually bombarded with democratic canidates that demonize my beliefs, calling them bigoted and intolerant, I love this country and I love my fellow citizens. And I don’t feel the respect and honor for my values and what I believe in. My question for you is why should I give up things that I hold dear, that I teach my children about, that I share with common beliefs with my fellow christians, things like ending abortion, traditional marriage, and religious freedoms. Why should I give up those things that I love so much and believe so deeply in, to vote for an individual like yourself”. Throughout our time learning about evangelicals, I viewed them as being extremist and this man’s mix of morality and politics is why the two should not be correlated with one another. It disadvantages many politicians and leads to the wrong people getting elected because people don’t want to jeopardize their personal beliefs and morality. I believe there’s a misconception of compromising your morals for politics and it makes it challenging for people who have strong beliefs like evangelicals who make religion a majority of their life. Evangelicals purpose is to spread the word of god and by advocating a political party that believes in abortion and non-traditional marriage they are no longer spreading those “values” therefore christianity. I believe our traditional history has made it comfortable and normal for people to correspond religion and politics. For instance, the word “conservative” is used to describe republicans and the word “conservative” is also used to describe people who are anti-abortion and don’t advocate gay rights. Similar with the “liberal” community, they are typically identified as being democratic and advocate these the opposite of opposing views. I found the man in the video much more different than the people we had viewed in class within the evangelical documentary. The man said,“I’m probably the most unpopular person in this room”. In the evangelical documentary the people seemed to have a much more “unusual” personalities, they seemed traditional and very EXTREME towards their beliefs. I believe documentaries like that make the entire religion look bad and gives a negative connotation on evangelical religion. I feel for those who are afraid of being abandoned from their discourse community or being “shunned”. I do believe evangelicals are given a bad name for being so passionate towards the things they believe in. Even to myself, I see myself maintaining a very liberal stance towards most topics and I am afraid to agree with conservative views because I am afraid of losing the respect of people in my discourse community. That may be why people are so close minded when it comes to arguing their beliefs and being open to other perspectives. I believe our morals are so intertwined with our political beliefs that they almost make us feel diminished as a person when we acknowledge or agree with outside perspectives. Religion has become a social thing and has steered away from practicality.