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This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Our Muslim youth are hurting. Based on an article written by Omar Suleiman. And one of the most harmful results of that has been Western Muslim youth internalizing that Islamophobia. Internalized racism is a serious issue that is often subconscious. It's where members of a minority group adopt the negative stereotypes they hear from others about their own group. It affects children, but it carries well into young adulthood. That's why we conducted 30 in-depth interviews to document the effects of Islamophobic rhetoric on the religious identity and perceptions of Muslim youth in an urban American setting. And what we found was heartbreaking. All the participants were between 16 to 20 years of age, born and raised, and living in America. We found six big issues affecting Muslim youth that this internalized racism was contributing to. Number one, who am I really? Identity confusion forces Muslims to distinguish between levels of Muslimness by measuring how Muslim they seem to look.
I feel like I'm never Muslim enough, so I haven't bothered trying fitting in with the masjid. But at the same time, when I have to pray around my non-Muslim friends, I find myself not wanting to because I don't want to remind them that I'm different. The biggest of these outward religious displays is hijab. Instead of representing a personal relationship and commitment to God, young Muslim women end up having to navigate between fashion trends that would label them as liberal or extreme or religious. Every time I put on my hijab, I feel like I have to wear it in a way that tells Americans I'm not some oppressed Saudi girl, tells the aunties in the masjid I'm still a good Muslim, while telling other Muslim girls that I'm still prettier and cooler than the rest of you. But above all, Muslim youth feel they have to constantly prove their American-ness or their Muslim-ness, and that's exhausting. It's like you have no idea what pressure I already face as being a young Muslim brown girl. Don't tell me I'm not already struggling with my faith. This identity crisis is making Muslim American youth feel anxious and isolated, and like they don't belong anywhere. Number two, personal experiences. Bad experiences at home, at the mosque, and with other Muslims can reinforce Islamophobic stereotypes and negatively shape their perceptions of Islam. I've actually felt better about my Islam when I don't hang out with too many Muslims. It allows me to tell myself that they don't represent Islam. Otherwise, when I come to the masjid and see how girls are treated, I start believing that we really are as backwards as they say we are. In fact, most young people, especially women, feel like they aren't welcome in their community by religious leadership. Which brings us to number three, women's issues versus violence. There are two huge Islamophobic narratives coming from the media.
One, that Islam is a violent religion. Muslims know this isn't true and speak against it. And two, Islam oppresses women and gender injustice is rampant. Unfortunately, a lot of Muslims do believe this is true. In movies, Muslim women are six times more likely to be portrayed as victims than Muslim men. In Muslim spaces, Muslim women feel more targeted compared to men. The imams always yell at the Muslim women about their hijabs, but never really put any pressure on the men. It's like we have to face pressure from everybody. Number four, therapy is also affected by Islamophobia. With all of these pressures leading to anxiety and loneliness and mental anguish, therapy is a huge part of healing. But if a non-Muslim therapist unconsciously or subconsciously believes that the religion itself is an issue, then they may sway their patients away from it to save them. For example, one study notes, if a non-Muslim female psychologist assumes that a hijab is oppressive against women, she may unconsciously try to steer her client away from covering, instead of understanding the significance of the hijab in her Muslim client's life. Number five, being Islamophobic while Muslim is easier. Many young Muslims actually paradoxically want to believe negative impressions about their religion so that they don't feel guilty abandoning it. I told all my non-Muslim friends that I left Islam and they celebrated me for it. I went to prom and made up this story about how my parents threatened me for it, and that really impressed my date. We all talk about how we're going to do things our parents wouldn't let us do when we get to college.
It's not that we don't think Islam is true, it's that we want to get a break sometimes and do normal teenage things. Dari Mogahed of ISPU had a valuable observation about a similar situation. It was interesting to see how they believe our restrictions are burdens, not protections. Which takes us finally to number six. Did they see Islam as a tool for empowerment or an impediment? We asked them if they felt like Islam or being Muslim stopped them from pursuing their dreams. Sixteen out of thirty answered yes. It's no secret that we have to compromise our principles to get up there. If young people are not confident in their faith and identity, they either don't want to contribute to society or they find motivation elsewhere. These six issues are so powerful in making Muslim youth feel trapped. Many Muslim youth feel like they have to fight off both the prejudices of people who hate Islam and the restrictions of Islam itself. They're caught between two identities that they don't know how to reconcile and personal interactions only make it worse. So what's the solution? Muslim youth need to feel empowered by Islam. This can happen through Muslim role models who can instill conviction and confidence for a stronger Muslim identity and a strong, healthy, supportive community and family who can make them feel valued and responsible for contributing to society. Yaqeen aims to empower Muslims too. Be a part of the solution by donating today at Yaqeen's website, yaqeeninstitute.org.
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