Racism, Prejudice, Fear and Silence :: Sociology Racism Prejudice Essays

Fear and Silence There are some experiences that have such an impact they change your life forever. The tragedy that occurred on September 11th was certainly one of those. After the bombing, my mom and brother forbade my grandmother to leave the house because of all the discrimination against Muslims. We were scared for her because she wears a scarf. Then the question of how she would attend my brother's wedding became an issue. My brother asked her to take off her scarf during the wedding. I don't blame him for asking because he had good intentions, but I still feel that he should have let her decide for herself. My grandmother, who lived in Iran for many years, is a very simple, but intelligent woman who has her principles. "Take off my scarf? Are you crazy?" was her response. My grandmother has been wearing her scarf since she was a child when the Shah ruled in Iran. The Shah forbade anyone to wear a scarf and would order his police to take them away. It was very difficult for her to go out because of that. To think, she has been through so much and still managed not to take off her scarf - at least until now. The wedding was marvelous. The band played, people danced and happiness set the stage for the momentous day. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except one miserable old woman. She sat at the far end of the room with no scarf to cover her short hair, no sense of pride, and not a drop of happiness in her. She was hiding in a place where no one could have eye contact with her. Her expression revealed her discontent. It looked like her heart was shattered into many pieces. She was cajoled into doing this, and even though I had not participated in persuading her, I still regret not having done something. With this incident in my mind, I recently visited the mosque with my family. As I peered out the window of the car I saw police cars. I was told they were there to protect the mosque from harm, and a strange feeling came over me. I knew why the police were needed, but the thought of people trying to harm us because some lunatic and his whole crew of idiots were Muslim made me furious. Racism, Prejudice, Fear and Silence :: Sociology Racism Prejudice Essays Fear and Silence There are some experiences that have such an impact they change your life forever. The tragedy that occurred on September 11th was certainly one of those. After the bombing, my mom and brother forbade my grandmother to leave the house because of all the discrimination against Muslims. We were scared for her because she wears a scarf. Then the question of how she would attend my brother's wedding became an issue. My brother asked her to take off her scarf during the wedding. I don't blame him for asking because he had good intentions, but I still feel that he should have let her decide for herself. My grandmother, who lived in Iran for many years, is a very simple, but intelligent woman who has her principles. "Take off my scarf? Are you crazy?" was her response. My grandmother has been wearing her scarf since she was a child when the Shah ruled in Iran. The Shah forbade anyone to wear a scarf and would order his police to take them away. It was very difficult for her to go out because of that. To think, she has been through so much and still managed not to take off her scarf - at least until now. The wedding was marvelous. The band played, people danced and happiness set the stage for the momentous day. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except one miserable old woman. She sat at the far end of the room with no scarf to cover her short hair, no sense of pride, and not a drop of happiness in her. She was hiding in a place where no one could have eye contact with her. Her expression revealed her discontent. It looked like her heart was shattered into many pieces. She was cajoled into doing this, and even though I had not participated in persuading her, I still regret not having done something. With this incident in my mind, I recently visited the mosque with my family. As I peered out the window of the car I saw police cars. I was told they were there to protect the mosque from harm, and a strange feeling came over me. I knew why the police were needed, but the thought of people trying to harm us because some lunatic and his whole crew of idiots were Muslim made me furious.