Muslim Students Breaking Stereotypes

Written April 11, 2018

Blame for the increased terrorist acts around the globe has been unjustly assigned to a majority of the Muslim community, including young Muslim students at university.

I spoke with Muslim Auckland University students about their experience with prejudice on campus. The Ministry of Social Development, shared that the Muslim religion is the fastest growing religious group in New Zealand, with a 50 percent increase between 2001 and 2013 with Muslims aged 15-29.

22-year-old Auckland University student Yasmeen Musa says this distorted view of Muslims is due to the lack of balance and representation in the media.

"As a Muslim, you feel like you have to explain yourself and represent your entire faith. It would be nice to see a fairer balance and also some positive stories about every day Muslims that just want to live their lives like everyone else.”

AUT Muslim student Sabeeha Rahman, 19, chooses not to wear a headscarf. Because of this, she finds that racism and prejudice isn’t part of her life because visually she doesn’t fit the media’s portrayal of a Muslim.

“The views of people today are so heavily stereotyped that they only associate being Muslim with what they wear e.g. a head scarf for girls and beards for guys. Until I physically tell them that I am Muslim, they already see that I am totally opposite to what is in the media.”

21-year-old engineering student Marwa Saad is the deputy president of the AUT Muslim Student Association.

During Islam Awareness Week, the AUT Muslim Student Association showed students what true Islam is about by breaking down the media’s stereotypes about Islamic culture.

Saad says, “We want people to feel comfortable and safe around us and to not take in what the media says all the time.”

AUT Muslim Student Association leaves whiteboard out for people to leave positive comments.

The 2015 Paris terror attack and the 2017 Ariana Grande concert terrorist attack sparked negative stories in the media, making Muslim student’s targets at university.

“I do feel like there is a bit of coldness in the air within that week," Saad continues. "People tend to have this harsh look on their face that says, 'It’s all your fault.'”

Marwa Saad chose to wear her head scarf when she moved schools in year nine; it was her idea of a fresh start.

“At the end of the day, when you choose to wear a scarf you are representing your religion with its bad sides and its good sides. Our religion is a whole story; I’m still learning about it. I think it’s big, and people need to explore it if they want to judge.”

AUT Muslim Association promoting support on campus