“Oh no, the rag-head Taliban is here.” “We all think you are a terrorist.” “Is that a bomb in your backpack?”
That’s a small sample of the types of comments Muslim American students have been subjected to recently. But the worst part is that these comments were not made by students. They were made by their teachers.
We have all heard of “Flying while Muslim,” the frustrating adventures of being Muslim when you head to the airport. But sadly a new, far more concerning challenge appears to be emerging for Muslim American children. Let’s call it “Studying while Muslim” or simply being a student while Muslim in America today.
Another example of this alarming trend came last week when 17-year-old California high school student Bayan Zehlif, a hijab-wearing Muslim, was identified in her yearbook not by her own name but by the words, “Isis Phillips.” Imagine the joy of receiving your senior high school yearbook only to see that you have been labeled in it as a terrorist.
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