Islam in the United States

Stereotyping happens everyday. Unfortunately since 9/11, Muslim individuals and followers of Islam are faced with harsh prejudice and injustice in everyday life.

Islam is a peaceful religion. They believe in Judgement Day, in which Allah, or God, will decide if they are allowed into Paradise for living a caring and peaceful life. Taking care of others, and providing for those who need help is also a large principle of Islam. You cannot be allowed into Paradise if you have not given to those in need.

Each person has their own separate beliefs and follows a certain religion to their own liking. Take me as an example. I'm a catholic and recently got confirmed. However, I support Gay marriage, I think love is love. I am Pro-Choice because what right does a senator have to tell a woman what to do with her body? We all have different beliefs and interpret religious practices differently.

Unfortunately we deal with terrorism in our world. Last week the terrorist attacks in Paris occurred and ISIS is threatening another attack on the United States. It's scary, but we need to realize that the Islamic groups claiming responsibility for these attacks are the EXTREMISTS!! I cannot stress this enough. I've heard multiple people commenting that "Islam is a messed up religion" or that "Muslims shouldn't be allowed in the country." How can you call yourself a true American if you're not willing to open your arms to our Muslim brothers and sisters who are facing prejudice for a small percentage of people who follow the same religion as them?

There's been multiple stereotypes on the way people treat Muslims. There was an episode of ABC's What Would You Do? where a man says that he's not going to buy snacks from a man wearing turban. He yells rude and derogatory things at this man until a soldier tells him to stop. Watch the video below for yourself!

 

 

There have also been many social experiments conducted in which women wear hijabs to see how they will socially be discriminated against. In a video I watched a couple of weeks ago, many women were stared at more than if they hadn't been wearing the hijab. They receive dirty looks and are stereotyped all for a piece of fabric that they choose to wear to be modest.

 

We're in America. It's 2015. Why are we still stereotyping against a religion? If we took time to actually learn the basic principle of Islam instead of jumping to conclusions, we would realize it's the extremists who are using violent means to portray their interpretation of Islam. Learn more about a person and their beliefs before you stereotype them.

 

stay peaceful (and inclusive)!!

 

 





Syrian Refugee Crisis

The Syrian refugee crisis has been an issue since early 2012. The country's brutal dictatorship led it's citizens to form peaceful protests in hopes of a shift in power and organization. Like what happened in Ukraine, the government used force to try to stop the protests. Government militia shot protestors and killed children, they had no mercy. Civil war broke out, thus causing people to flee the country.

Where do these refugees go? Most have fled to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. Refugee camps in these countries are reaching their capacity. Refugee's are hoping to come to the United States. Many state governors oppose the entrance of refugees to their country due to the risk of terrorism.

In the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, one of the suspects crossed country lines while pretending to be a refugee. Some government officials fear that by allowing refugees to the United States, we may be increasing the risk of terrorist activists and ISIS sympathizers coming to the states.

I heard something on the nightly news that sickened me, because I feel like in America, in 2015 we should not be religiously stereotyping a group of people. On ABC Nightly News, I heard that some republican representatives want to only accept Christian refugees. This is absolutely ridiculous. Not all Christians are good people, and only the EXTREMISTS of Islam, or any religions pose as a threat. Islam is a peaceful religion, and by stereotyping refugees based on how they choose to worship, we are only showing how little progress our country and our society has made over time.

Women, men and children are being killed. Yes, there was a terrible unjust committed in Paris less than a week ago, but that does not mean we have to allow an injustice to keep occurring in Syria. Security is important, but only allowing Christian refugees into the country is discriminatory and unjust. It goes against everything the United States should stands for.

I believe in equality for all, and I believe in the United States doing everything they can to show compassion and love to those who need it most. Extend a helping hand when you can. Get involved and show love to those who are in need. I know you may not be able to directly help a Syrian refugee, but keeping them in your thoughts (and prayers if you're religious) is just as great.

stay peaceful (and compassionate)!!

The Suffragette

The Suffragette is a recently released movie starring Carrie Mulligan, Meryl Streep and Helena Bonham Carter. These leading ladies act with such vivacious attitudes, portraying the fight that true suffragettes had to endure. I saw maybe two commercials for this movie, and I wasn't surprised. This seems to be the first "major" motion picture that has focused on a women's rights issue.
Suffragettes fought for women's right to vote. It was believed that if women had the right to vote, social chaos would break out and society would become unorganized. They fought for their mothers, sisters and future daughters rights to vote and be independent women. These women were seen as social outcasts. Their only job was to be a seamstress or launder, and go home and take care of their husbands. They were viewed as property and subordinate individuals without any thinking capabilities.

The Suffragette focuses on the suffering that women faced if they involved themselves in the movement. Peaceful protests turned into violent riots as women tried to avoid being beaten by police. Women were imprisoned, but sometimes prison was avoidable because the police knew husbands would teach their wives a lesson. Women went on hunger strikes and were force fed through a nose tube. At the end of the film, one of the Suffragettes, Emily, dies for the movement. She represented a martyr for the movement, which sparked an uproar of support for women's suffrage.

This movie did a great job of portraying the battles that women of the past have endured for women of today to be able to have basic liberties. Saudi Arabia just recently allowed women to vote, in 2015. Twelve months ago, women in Saudi Arabia did not have the ability to affect social change through a ballot. That is unacceptable.

The movie had only been out for three days when I went. It was a Sunday afternoon, a good afternoon for a movie. There were five other people there, five. They were all women. A couple middle aged women, a grandmother and a granddaughter, and my friends and I. I don't expect many men to attend this movie, most men don't even think feminism is a necessity in today's world.

The Suffragette should be seen by everyone. It shows the bravery that Suffragette's fought with, the blood, sweat and tears that they shed to change the lives of the millions of women that would come after them. Watch the movie, it's 106 minutes that you won't regret!

stay peaceful (and informed)!!

Thoughts and Prayers to Paris

I'm sad, and my heart hurts. My heart hurts because while I was screaming in excitement for my school's football team, France was screaming in terror. Millions were grieving over the horrific attacks that occurred this past Friday, the thirteenth of November.

This attack represents one of the worst terror attacks since September 11th, 2001. At least 153 people are dead after terrorists unleashed coordinated attacks of gunfire on hostages, suicide bombs and grenades. This attack was planned and it was executed with the utmost determination.

One of the attacks was located at the Bataclan music venue, where gunmen reportedly dressed in black opened gunfire on the concert attendees. Eyewitnesses have reported accounts of attackers shouting in Arabic, but no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Bombings were reported near the Stade de France football stadium where a friendly match between French and German national football teams was going on. President Hollande of France was at the football game when word of the attacks arrived.

The attacks did come with immense support from the entire world. President Obama said the attacks were an "attack on humanity and the universal values we all share." The one good thing to come out of these attacks is a united world. That's what we need right now. We need to support our French brothers and sisters who are grieving and dealing with an immense loss. We need to support France as a country, only 10 months ago they suffered from a terrorist attack that killed seventeen people.

Why must there be terrorism? Why can't we have a world free of war and terrorism, and rich in love and respect for all. I know it's too much, but think about it. If we "failed forward" and learned from the many mistakes that each country has been through in history, maybe these attacks wouldn't have happened. It's a long shot, but I hope one day, we will be able to have a country that is not  in a state of emergency. A country without war and suffering.

I'm sad for Paris but I'm so incredibly proud of the world. The way we came out to support our brothers and sisters shows terrorists that can intimidate us, but they will not shake the love that we have in our hearts for everyone. Suffering is unfortunate, but if we can learn one thing from this horrible November night, we can learn to stand by each other and that support is the best thing we can provide.

Keep Paris in your thoughts and prayers, please.

stay peaceful (and supportive)!!

Gender Norms are Stupid

Gender norms are stupid. It's as simple as that. In today's society so many things are oriented towards men or towards women. Why? It's hard to believe that in 2015, in the United States no less, we're still deciding what kids and adults should like based on their anatomy.

One of my favorite YouTubers, Manny MUA, is a beauty vlogger. This may offend people, but I really don't understand why. Manny is so good at makeup, and it's something that he loves. Just because he can grow a beard and has a penis doesn't mean he can't wear mascara and a bold lip on a regular basis. Makeup may be more oriented towards women, and it has been for years, but many more men are stepping into the makeup scene. Patrick Star, Manny, and Jeffree Star are all breaking gender norms and deserve a huge round of applause.

I also commend Kayla, a girl in my orchestra. At each formal concert our orchestra performs, the girls have to dress up in long black dresses and boys have to wear a multiple-piece suit. Kayla doesn't like dresses (but I mean, who really likes the orchestra dresses?) and wanted to try something new. She decided to wear a suit. When I first saw her, I'll admit I was surprised. I had never seen a school activity in which someone was "breaking" a gender norm. She definitely got some weird looks from the boys and girls in our orchestra, but she was brave and was able to break out of her shell to make sure she was comfortable while doing an activity that she loves.

This blog post was inspired by a recent family dinner. "Pinterest isn't really a boy app." What? I didn't know that we were assigning a gender to a certain number of gigabytes on a phone. I got kind of mad. I'm tired of people being judged for what they like or who they are based on the gender that is typically associated with those things. There are so many more girls playing video games and boys who like makeup or princess costumes.

There is one thing I'd like to point out. If a boy goes against gender norms, I think it's more difficult for them to be accepted in society than if it was a woman breaking gender norms. Women are typically seen as more "dainty" and "fragile" and when we break gender norms, and we act a little bit tougher, some guys might find it attractive. However, if a man was to break gender norms, and wear makeup everyday I'm worried that he would be harassed. There's more of an expectation that follows boys around. I think they're expected to be manly and strong.


This sweatshirt in the right adds comedy to a real issue. Feminist Apparel has great clothes that share a great message! Look into their merchandise if you want to help spread the importance of feminism and other social issues!

In conclusion, gender norms are stupid. Girls can play video games and be engineers, boys can wear makeup and be stay at home dads. Everyone is different, and if you can't comprehend that, get over yourself.

stay peaceful( & open-minded)!!

For the Last Time: No Means No

For my AP Language and Composition class I have to read 100 pages a week out of a book picked from a reading list that our teacher provides. The book I am reading at the moment is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I've actually grown quite fond of the book, but that's a different story. This blog post is to talk about the seriousness of the phrase, "no means no."

I recently read an excerpt from P&P and it struck a nerve.

"'Really, Mr. Collins," cried Elizabeth with some warmth, "you puzzle me exceedingly. If what I have hitherto said can appear to you in the form of encouragement, I know not how to express my refusal in such a way as may convince you of its being one."

In this passage, Mr. Collins has proposed to Elizabeth, but she has refused the proposal. However, Mr. Collins does not register the rejection and keeps persisting with his proposal. Not surprising, men during this era had little regard for women and their opinions. I'm just upset at how little thing have changed.

No means no, it's pretty simple. Stop means to quit doing what you're doing, it's either annoying me or making me uncomfortable. Many boys and unfortunately many men as well consider no to be an invitation to try again, or to keep persisting. No means no, and yes means yes. There is a pretty thin line between yes and no.

Whether it be the 1800s or 2015, women's opinions and views have been pushed onto the back burner and are repeatedly ignored. This post was more of a rant than anything, but it ticks me off when people don't understand the meaning of the word no!

stay peaceful (and respectful)!!

Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom

If you watch only one more thing on Netflix, watch Winter On Fire. This documentary about Ukraine's fight for freedom will send you on a rollercoaster of emotions. I never knew I could feel so many different things in only one hour and thirty-eight minutes. I felt anger at the Ukrainian government. I felt sadness for the pain and suffering that these peaceful people went through. But I also felt a lot of anger towards myself. Why didn't I know about this? It only happened two years ago.

In 2004, Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian candidate ran for the Ukrainian presidency and won. After questioning the trueness of the election, the Orange Revolution succeeded and got him withdrawn from office. However, Yanukovych was not done and ran again in 2010 and won the nomination. Yanukovych won the election by promising to make Ukraine part of the European Union, however, he was untrue to his word. This is where the revolution begins.

Instead of signing an agreement with the EU, the Ukrainian government began negotiations with Russia, basically signing away the future of Ukraine. Maidan was formed. Maidan stands for independence. What started as a peaceful protest in a city square quickly turned into a full fledged war in a matter of months. Maidan quickly became a fortress of people unified against the government.

Berkut, the military forces in Ukraine, were dispatched to disband the protestors. Keep in mind, these protestors were peaceful. They were only holding sign, not weapons. I had to cover my eyes while watching this documentary too many times. I can't watch violent situations. I couldn't keep my eyes on the screen while seeing Berkut attacking individuals with iron sticks. People who only wanted freedom and equal opportunity. I saw too many puddles of blood, battered faces and crying people. It was even speculated that the Berkut hired antagonists to pose as protestors and attack police officers and military officials. These antagonists would give the "law enforcement" workers a reason to "defend" themselves against the protestors.

One of the most horrific things that saw in this documentary were groups of Titushky men. Titushky men are violent men, mostly ex-cons. The government releases these men and pays them (PAYS THEM) to beat protestors.

The government had no mercy. As some protestors stated, "they were not acting like human beings."
Religious officials who were only praying were shot at and attacked. Red cross workers who only wanted to help injured people were shot in the leg.

All of this suffering and injustice was thankfully worth something. In February of 2014, Yanukovych is seen fleeing Ukraine and seeks asylum in Russia (surprise, surprise). Ukraine still suffered afterwards. Putin and Yanukovych worked together to build Pro-Russian troops that have worked to take over Crimea. They've also began invading Eastern Ukraine, killing nearly 6,000 people.

The fight in Maidan is over, but Ukraine's fight for full independence is definitely not. Civil rights are not being recognized for millions of people. This needs to stop. Why do we keep trying to resolve our issues with violence and guns?

stay peaceful (and informed)!!

It Gets Better

Being gay in today's world is scary. It's common sense to know the struggles that these individuals face and suffer when they come out. People of all ages come out to their family and friends each and every day. These brave people may be welcomed with open arms, and others are disgraced. Turned away from their families and abandoned because they're viewed as an embarrassment.

I'm so excited to blog about the It Gets Better Program, which I recently learned about. It Gets Better is a project organized to communicate to lesbian, gay and transgender youth that it does get better. This program is so inspiring and uplifting for many teens that consider suicide as the only way out. PFLAG NYC states that gay teens are 8.4 times more likely to report having committed suicide and 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression when compared with teens that have not been rejected by their families.

It Gets Better Program posts videos from celebrities, employees of major companies and everyday people who upload their videos themselves. These videos have personal stories with messages that it gets better, and overall messages of support. Watching these videos was eye opening. Gay youth go through so many emotions. Worrying about what their friends will think, if their parents will support them and having to deal with bullying from classmates. I hear things in school I wish I didn't. Derogatory words intended for gay individuals and it angers me. Why is it so hard for us to accept other people for who they are?

It Gets Better is not just a resource for LGBTQ+ youth, it is a resource for all ages, races and sexual orientations. By watching these videos I had a better idea about the struggles youth face everyday. I know I can be more supportive. No one can do it on their own. They need a strong emotional support system behind them that tells them to keep going.

There are also so many ways to can get involved with the It Gets Better program. You can donate, buy a (super cute vintage) shirt which proceeds all go to helping youth. You can also take a pledge to help the LGBTQ+ community and even record your own video. By sending out a message of support to anyone that needs it, who knows how many people you may have just saved?

The bottom line is that we need to get involved. There's an alarming suicide rate amongst gay teens that needs to drop. Suicide is unbelievably hard on families, and tortures the individuals that are considering it. By spending ten minutes to record a video of love and support, you can save thousands of lives. Get involved, donate, buy a shirt, and make a difference!

LGBT Youth Hotline: 1-800-246-PRIDE (7743)
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
To learn more and help make a difference visit itgetsbetter.org

stay peaceful (and supportive)!!

"I agree with feminism, but I'm not a feminist"???

What? Maybe I heard you wrong? Oh I didn't? That doesn't make any sense? How can you follow and agree with feminist arguments, but not call yourself a feminist?

This is so confusing to me. I'm a feminist, I agree that everyone should be equal. EVERYONE. Transgender individuals, gay individuals, people of color, people of different religions, and get this: men and women. Feminism is not the idea that men should be "destroyed and gotten rid of". Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.

I think women, and men are afraid to identify as feminists because of the stereotypes that society has developed. Some stereotypes surrounding feminism include hairy arm-pits, anti-femininity, man-hating, angry individuals. Some feminists may have hairy arm pits, be masculine and tough individuals. "Man-hating" feminists don't follow the true meaning and message of feminism.

Feminists like these, that nit-pick what to follow give the movement a bad rep. You cannot only support your cis siblings, you must support your transgender siblings as well. You cannot only support white individuals, you must support every race and color of skin to be a through and through true feminist.

If you don't fully understand what feminism is, look it up. My biggest pet peeve is when someone disregards and "bashes" someone else's beliefs before they truly understand what they stand for and actually believe. Understand what feminism is and be proud to be a feminist. You're following in the footsteps of hundreds of brave women who fought and died for you to vote. Most of them didn't see the successes of their work, it took years for policy to change, and only later women got to reap the benefits that their blood, sweat and tears helped to grow.

stay peaceful (and proud)!!

Halloween

I hate to say it, but slut-shaming and Halloween go hand in hand. I'd like to think that I don't judge someone based on their costume, but I do, and I did last night. Mostly because it was 40 degrees outside and there were girls without pants on. But who am I to judge them? If they want to kill it in their baseball jersey or be cat for Halloween, my opinion doesn't matter.

In one of my classes the other day, I overheard and conversation, no I was not eavesdropping. What I heard made me mad. A girl in my grade wasn't invited to a party because the party thrower thought she would "dress like a slut, like always."

First off, it doesn't matter what she wears, if she's comfortable and wants to show off her features that make her confident, she can. She doesn't need anyone's approval of her Halloween costume. Any and every costume is up for criticism on Halloween. Last night I went as Rosie, and I trick-or-treated for UNICEF. There were definitely some people that took a second look at my costume. But I'm a feminist and I chose a strong and independent woman to dress up as.

Why do we slut shame anyways? Some people do it to feel better about themselves, which they shouldn't. All too often in society women are shamed for being sexual. Men can be sexual and they get high fives from their "bros", but when women are sexual, people get uncomfortable.

We can't get mad at girls for dressing the way they do on Halloween, when all the costumes advertised are "sexy". I recently went to Halloween store to look for costumes for my dogs, yes I am that person. There was a full wall with pictures of costumes on it, once you found one you liked you told the worker the number and they would get you the costume. All I saw up on that wall were leather cat costumes and costumes where the butts hang out.

I hope next Halloween you'll think differently about the costumes that everyone wears. They obviously chose that costume for a specific reason. It may represent something they believe in, or characteristics that they already possess. Be careful of what you think as well. Try not to judge a book by it's cover, we all need to work on that!

stay peaceful (and open-minded)!!

Hollywood Is Listening

It's no surprise, one look at cast lists and scripts will show you how male oriented Hollywood is. But it seems like they're learning something.

On this morning's airing of ABC's Good Morning America, they revealed a plan for an all female cast of Oceans Eleven. Oceans Eleven is a movie with A-List celebrities like George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. OE centers around a group of men robbing the Bellagio, a grand casino in Las Vegas. It's exciting to hear of an all female cast for a movie of this genre, because it's not typical. I can only recall one movie where a group of women are stealing a large amount of money. I am in no way encouraging women to go out a steal millions of dollars as a stance for equality, but this sort of story line doesn't typically portray women.

Another movie set to release in 2016 is Ghostbusters, this cast is also all female, with stars such as Kristen Wig and Melissa McCarthy. Ghostbusters will be just as empowering as well, showing strong independent women who "don't need no man" to fight off monsters.

Movies, books, and plays can be tested using the Bechdel Test. The Bechdel tests evaluates an entertainment piece based on how many women in the cast are talking to each other about something other than a man.

I'm not saying every cast needs to be all female, or that movies and tv shows can't have a heavy male presence. I'm just excited about this equal representation that we are beginning to see. I'm excited for the little girls who will watch Ghostbusters (probably not Oceans Eleven) and be empowered. We are influenced so much by what we see as we grow up. I'm exciting for what Hollywood will be able to teach the next generations, and how empowered and well-rounded they will become.

stay peaceful (and go to the movies)!!