AHSAN 1

Oppression of Races in America

YASAR AHSAN
English Language Class:3
Mr. Janosch
DATE: 12/21/2016
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Oppression of races in America

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The United States is a nation which fought through a long era of oppression and

discrimination due to races and color of human beings. In which before 1960s, all such existing

races living in United States rather than White Americans did not posses as much rights and

liberty compared to white americans. It was therefore such activist like Malcolm X and Martin

Luther King and also organization like Black Panthers, who stood up and lead such revolutionary

movement to conceive equal rights and liberty towards all races. As all Americans came together

in order to sacrifice their lives, stay true to their belief and effortlessly provided their utmost

power to achieve equal rights and to stop oppression for all races forever during the 1960s. Even

though up till to this date oppression and inequality still carries on. As Black Americans are

getting brutally abused and killed due to unreasonable circumstances in which such officers are

not given fair trial towards their action, after the 9/11 and such other terrorist attack, muslims

have been a subject of hate crimes due to Islamophobia and there are also other races like Native

Americans and Hispanic who are facing such oppression in this time being. In order to solve

such problems all Americans must together like the 1960s, as to stand for each other and work

together in peace. As to clarify and understand more about each other, to actually achieve equal

liberty, rights and respect towards each other to make a change in society and government rules.

Throughout the history of America, Black Americans were the subjects of racial

harassment and oppression. After witnessing such oppression, Black Americans stood up and

considered taking actions in order to conceive equal rights and liberty towards themselves also

for all other races. All Americans came together in order to sacrifice their lives, stay true to their

belief and effortlessly provided their utmost power to achieve equal rights and to stop oppression

for all races forever during the 1960s. Even though up till to this date oppression and inequality

still carries on. As Black Americans are getting brutally abused and killed due to unreasonable
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circumstances in which such officers are not given fair trial towards their action: They face

maximum sentences of 10 years and $US250,000 fines. Their alleged crime infringed the US

constitutional provision protecting citizens from `unreasonable seizure'. But prosecutors must

prove that the officers intended to deprive Mr King of his rights.(Reed). The case of the four

Los Angeles policemen who beat Rodney King as it is now known as a federal case, a civil rights

legal landmark, and a historical test of an old, deep, and persistent flaw in US race relations: the

systematic, brutal oppression of black citizens by white policemen. The famous video of Mr

King receiving 56 blows after a car chase in March 1991. In which this is the first incident as it

leaded to strikes and riots towards a movement called Black Lives Matter as Rodney King was

brutally abused, U.S. police have killed at least 194 black people in 2016 (Carven), while people

like Donald Sterling and Keith Lamont Scott also several others were killed by police officers.

These are horrible events happening in the United States and resulting on several degrees of

inappropriate actions towards different races of people.

After 9/11 and such other terrorist attack, muslims have been a subject of hate crimes due

to a stereotypical fear went all over America called Islamophobia. Which it started to consider

the believers of Islam are violent, extremist and volatile. Today, it is under stress in a rather rare

fashion, as significant religious figures argue that Islam has become inconsistent with American

culture and law. This line of thinking is fanning the flames of what has come to be known as

"Islamophobia" a term that, when it was first introduced as a concept in 1991, was defined as an

"unfounded hostility toward Muslims (Johnston 165). Due to the attack of the Twin Tower as it

started an uprise hate towards muslim residing in America as referred by Johnston: The attacks

against the U.S. on September 11, 2001, effectively triggered a campaign of fear-mongering

against Muslims by influential commentators in the media and elsewhere.(165). Americans

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seems to conceive all muslims are terrorist and have the intention of causing violence and havoc

in their surrounding. No one quite knows how large the American Muslim community really is,

with estimates ranging from two to twelve million. What is known, though, is that American

Muslims as a whole are well-educated, affluent, relatively young, and politically active.

Moreover, they have bought into the American dream in order and reside in this society with

peace.

At this present day, after the statement of the newly elected president Donald J. Trump

referring to ban the belief of Islam in America, in which his believers and other racist individual

started taking advantage of it by committing Hate Crime. Which a survey referred 55% of

surveyed Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Islam (Chabani 4). As it resulted on

muslims being under attack in which treated cruelly and being killed: Mosque leader Maulana

Akonjee and friend Thara Uddin were dressed in Muslim garb when the killer approached from

behind and shot from point-blank range, said NYPD Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner of the

Queen's South Detective Bureau Thats not what America is about, said local resident

Khairul Islam, 33. We blame Donald Trump for this... Trump and his drama has created

Islamophobia.(Eisinger and Schapiro 5); There are several other Muslim Americans facing

islamophobia and hate crime in which it deserves a change in the community in order to stop in

this nation. Where they feel scared about their own community due to islamophobia has erupted

into a violent form as to performing physical form of humiliation towards them and also in this

current day due to the election such activities escalated around the world. Where humiliation and

oppression seems to be an understatement due hate crimes to Muslim Americans are now a target

of facing death. As these circumstance are taken lightly by the nation and government, in which
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such volatile small events might fluctuate into a devastating form and should be solved when it is

still at its weakest form.

These sort of situation are happening in America and also around the world; as it is

happening towards different races of people in America. The main reason of such actions are

happening due to the government is not taking appropriate actions towards solving it and are

more focused towards the nation's financial and economical state. President Barack Obama

expressed in one of his speech as he shifted the topic of racially divided nations and the countrys

economy. As proven: He shot himself in the foot, they said, by shifting the focus away from the

economy and the war in Iraq, and in the process unearthed people's worst fears of a racially

divided nation. By acknowledging that the body politic was not ready to talk about race or color

or ethnicity (Eger 42). Where even Black Americans activist and enlighter W.E.B. DuBois have

touched upon the topic of color line will stay as a problem throughout the century; as stated:

W.E.B. DuBois predicted that the problem of our century would be the color line, which

included the Jim Crow South, but also racial oppression, (42). Thus to clarify and understand

more about each other, to actually achieve equal rights and respect towards each other, a change

in society's norm and government rules is required. Former President Bill Clinton, a major

proponent of globalization and free trade argued: that we have to move from interdependence

to integration, to an integrated global community. To do that we must have a critical mass of the

world with shared benefits, shared responsibilities and shared values. (42). In order to build an

environment for all Americans, everyone must come together to understand the true value of

sharing and considering an internal global community in our society. Which every Americans

must bond with each other to achieve a better environment and excel towards greatness.
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After any horrible incident event it does not mean such actions could fluctuate into a

horrible phase and which actions are taken to control or end such event. In order to stop police

brutality Black Americans have developed the movement called Black Lives Matter

movement.The Black Lives Matter movement is not giving up on street protests, but it's starting

to press its demands within political and policy circles as well . Even as the movement works to

hold elected officials accountable, some African-American politicians are working to highlight

the need to change law enforcement and criminal justice policies. A group called the 20/20 Club,

consisting of 20 Republican and 20 Democratic officials, will host forums on these topics at the

two national party, while pressing Congress to act on legislation. In order to provide action

towards laws. the approach taken by the 20/20 Club is that the elected officials' group includes

top police officials and organizations as part of its advocacy work. The 20/20 Club's goal is to

make policing and criminal justice a top-tier issue in the presidential campaign and to ensure

meaningful legislation is enacted by the time of the presidential election in 2020. (Greenblatt

12). While on the other hand, Islamophobia is being combated through the ICRD (International

Center for Religion and Diplomacy) and the U.S. government came together to find solution in

order to end stereotypical views upon muslims. As referred to: ICRDs goal is to provide the

Washington policy process with a more nuanced understanding of Islam, and, from all

indications, it helped to do exactly that. For the U.S. government's part, the doors at the

Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security opened wider to the inputs of its

Muslim citizen. (165). As towards providing vast information of islam towards the masses of

American civilians and providing Muslim citizens with better security. As these actions might

come to an end if such policies which are newly inaugurated by the ICRD and the 20/20 club

towards constitution, as it might provide a better resolution on such problems.

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All Americans came together in order to sacrifice their lives, stay true to their belief and

effortlessly provided their utmost power to achieve equal rights and to stop oppression for all

races. Black American, Muslims, Hispanic, and several other races are subject facing oppression

up till to this date and which it must come to an end.Organizations like ICRD and movement like

Black Lives Matter movement are effortlessly trying to best build a better environment for all

races to reside in America with peace and prosperity. In order to achieve integrated global

community, we must have a critical mass of the world with shared benefits, shared

responsibilities and shared values.

Works Cited

Christopher Reed, Rodney King trial 'to test US attitudes towards race`, The Age, Melbourne,

Australia, February 3, 1993

John M. Eger Moving past the color line in America, racial oppression San Diego Business

Journal. 29.18 . San Diego, May 5, 2008, p42.

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Douglas M. Johnston Combating Islamophobia Journal of Ecumenical Studies. 51.2.

Richmond, Virginia, March 26, 2016, 165

Alan Greenblatt, Turning protests into policy, Governing 29.8. Washington D.C., May

2016,12.

Dale Eisinger and Rich Schapiro, Queens imam and his assistant shot to death by gunman in

attack local Muslims blame on Donald Trump: 'His drama has created Islamophobia', Daily

News New York, New York, Monday, August 15, 2016, 1:06 PM.

<http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/drive-by-shooter-queens-gravely-injures-men-article-

1.274990>

Julia Carven, More Than 250 Black People Were Killed By Police In 2016, The Huffington
Post, New York, July 7, 2016, 09:45 am.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-people-killed-by-police-
america_us_577da633e4b0c590f7e7fb17>

Mona Chalabi, How anti-Muslim are Americans? Data points to extent of Islamophobia, US

news, New York, 8 December 2015.

<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/08/muslims-us-islam-islamophobia-data-

polls>