Muslim Archetypes
This article by Bradley Zopf sets up to
decode what the stereotypical Muslim is in the United States, how this came to
be, and how it has changed since the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks.
Zopf does this very well by attacking the
issue from angles of politics, philosophy, sociology and psychology. The
article is also very well researched and features strong arguments through Pew
research statistics. The article features a slant that is clearly very
pro-Islam in America and using strong statistics from a trusted source was
refreshing to see; as someone who studies politics there seems to be a trend
with pro-Islam articles often taking a more moral slant rather than one that is
more factually based. Despite the ideology that is clear in this article Zopf
takes a delicate yet concise argument making the case of decoding American
Muslim archetypes and stereotypical connotations of radical Islamic terrorism
that might coincide with these archetypes. He tries to break down the
stereotype of what a typical Muslim might look like and whether they pose as a ‘threat’
or instill fear into Americans.
To give some criticism, I feel the article
would be of improvement if the author were to extend the points made to the
greater issue that runs through this article, which is assimilation of Muslims
in the US and whether the cultures are compatible. Despite him breaking down
stereotypes of identity and how we view Muslims, to not give any basis as to
whether this fitted with American culture made the article feel lackluster at
times, given the domain in which it was posted. Additionally, I see flaw with
his description for what Islamophobia is, as it feels somewhat contradictory to
suggest Islamophobia is always a prejudice and never a postjudice. It feel here
as if he is saying that other cultures that have any conceptions about Islam
have not done research, read the Qur’an or have any prior knowledge to their
dissatisfaction. This is a complete assumption that stereotypes those who have
opposing views on Islam.
Zopf’s concluding paragraph reads, “Despite a long
history of Orientalist and Islamophobic prejudice towards Muslims, 9/11 was
indeed a turning point in the racialization of Muslims (Naber 2008). Once
racialized, Islam inscribes onto “brown” Arab, Middle Eastern, and South Asian
bodies an essentialized and homogenized visible archetype of “Muslim” that
simultaneously delegitimizes and racializes Islam. This racial construction of
Muslims and “Muslim-looking people” (Elver 2012) makes them more vulnerable to
state-based, media-based, and interpersonal violence (Chon and Artz 2005;
Cainkar 2009). As the attack on Balbir Singh Sodhi, a 49 year old Sikh from
India who was shot four days after 9/11, shows, being perceived as Muslim is
often enough to make one a target, regardless of one’s actual religious
affiliation. After September 11th, 2001, the United States “intensified its
targeting of persons perceived to be” Muslim through programs such as NSEERS
(Naber 2005:480). As a result, images of Muslims, especially in the media, have
almost exclusively focused on terrorism related to Islamic extremism (see
Shaheen 2008). Together “anti-Arab racism” (Salaita 2006) and “anti-Muslim
prejudice” (Malik 2009) have increased in the United States merging prevailing
forms of racism with Orientalism and Islamophobia that have resulted in the
racialization of Muslims (Meer and Modood 2009; Garner and Selod 2015) and the
social construction of a visible archetype of “Muslim” considered inimical to
“American” culture and religion.”
Zopf’s conclusion is good here as he collectively brings his
arguments together in a format that is concise and clear. This article is
particularly important to American Studies as it is a strong leftist argument
for a growing topic of controversy and debate in the US and the rise in
population of people of Islamic faith, which he notes is set to become America’s
second largest religion by 2050. It interesting to lend focus on the mindset
and misconceptions of Islamic identity within the US population and to make an
argument as to why these may be correct or incorrect. This is likely to be a growing political ‘hot
potato’ in future debates of American culture.
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