Intra-Muslim Relations
Although, I cannot directly relate to the experience of being a Jew of color, many groups of people also experience this exclusion or being viewed as different. For example, many Muslims view themselves as better Muslims because they are from a certain country. Many Pakistani Muslims view Indian Muslims as strange because of the different traditions. Additionally, a friend of mine from Dallas, Texas, went to a private Islamic school where he was the only Pakistani Muslim, whereas others were from various Arabic speaking nations. When I asked him about his experience, he claimed that was the target of bullying. Other students would mock him and target him for being from Pakistan and being a different Muslim in their eyes. Additionally, I also attended a Sunday class at my local Mosque where many of the people were Arabic. Further, between the two sects of Islam (Shi’ite and Sunni) there is large disagreement and members of each sect tend to hold the belief that their sect is the correct one. As Adam Taylor of the Washington Post writes, “The tension between the two sects is one of the factors driving the violence in the Middle East (Taylor, washingtonpost.com). Tension between different groups and within groups hampers the development of an inclusive society for future generations to thrive.