What Ever Happened To The Golden Rule?

In today’s society, equality is a deserved and guaranteed right for all, but when it comes to religion, that equality takes a complex turn. America is filled with open-minded individuals who are as great as can be. There was a time when everyone was able to practice their religion freely without any objection, but one date in history changed the lives of not only one individual, but thousands of individuals, especially of the Islamic faith. When equality is a deserved right for all, Muslims should be allowed that right as well. We never realized when religion became the key to turning a right into a wrong.  

Everyone is different in their own way; after all we’re just humans. If we were really perfect, we wouldn't need to have any kind of opinion. However, when that opinion leads to a hurtful situation, shouldn't there be a need for it to stop? Discrimination is a fancy word, but it’s a good enough word to describe a bully. Muslims are bullied, constantly by people who refuse to see into any other opinion.Here they are, Muslims I mean, 10 years later fighting for our right as individuals in America. We're unable to worship freely, heck we don’t even has a simple place of worship in most places. Of course, as the country advances greatly, the people are too. However, there is a certain discrimination towards at Muslims. Why? Well, September 11, 2001 was a tragic event that marks the day all Muslims were suddenly terrible people. The event damaged the lives of many innocent people, but does that mean every Muslim is equally to blame ? I believe not. Everyone’s opinions and hatred towards Muslims are, to an extent, understandable and of course I am not pointing anyone out because of their opinions. Nobody is perfect, but at least there should be equality among all people. No one person is better than the other. Muslims shouldn't be bullied, nor should any other individual. That’s not right.

Most of us are a part of a great community of working class folk, or are included among the “less than higher class” category. Every so often we hear of discrimination in the workplace between women and men. However, when religion plays into the picture, it is a bit complex than receiving a lower wage for the same job as a man. A Muslim woman, wearing her head scarf, called a hijab is almost instantly rejected for an interview she’s dreamed of almost her entire life, but why? The interviewer feels uncomfortable and subconsciously dislikes her. Does religion automatically recite the qualifications of an individual?  Many companies believe that their image may be ruined if they have a conservatively dressed woman work for them. Of course, if she is a religious individual, there’s no possible way for her to be a diligent worker. That just cannot be done. We learn from a young age “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when we judge someone so harshly for the way they look or for what they believe in; is that justified? Close-mindedness creates a problem not only for American’s but for all the Muslims out there struggling just to live their lives. They aren't finding the necessities they desire because of their religion. It’s not “freedom of religion,” it’s more like “freedom to discriminate.”

            There was a golden rule that almost all of us were taught: “treat others the way you want to be treated.” But how is that possible when nowadays we believe that it’s okay to dislike someone based on their religion? Not all people are like this, I’m sure you aren't involved with that discrimination circle either. We shouldn't categorize, bully or discriminate against someone just because they’re Muslim. Yes, they’re Muslim, but does that mean they carry bombs around all the time looking to attack someone? No, that may just be a Muslim woman going to the grocery store because she has to go grocery shopping before her kids get home from school. There’s a need for open-minded people in society. We all make mistakes, we’re not perfect, but discrimination, hatred, and bullying because of religion, is not a mistake. It’s real.