In modern society, islamophobia, has undoubtedly become a
growing issue. This factor connects to the stereotype that a person of the
Islamic faith must practice terrorism, or justly, that terrorism in a trend in
certain families. Due to the repercussions of these issues, peace campaigner
and author, Zak Ebrahim, gave a TED Talk entitled, I am the son of a terrorist. Here’s how I chose peace. In the lecture,
Ebrahim argues that a son does not have to be like his father, in order to
break the stigma surrounding peace in the Islamic faith. A societal belief is
that Muslims and Jews are enemies, and therefore cannot be friends;
fortunately, Ebrahim did not let this false hood impact his childhood
friendships. He describes, "I had never had a Jewish friend before. And
frankly, I felt a sense of pride in having to overcome a barrier, that for most
of my life, I had been led to believe was insurmountable" (Ebrahim). The fact
that Ebrahim was willing to overlook the difference of religion, and the beliefs
his father instilled in him, proves that acceptance is more powerful than
family trend (of hatred). In other words, the history does not matter; the
ability to forget that history is what matters. In addition, to wrap-up his
argument, Ebrahim shares the inspirational tale his mother told him. He says, "She
looked at me with the weary eyes of someone who had experienced enough
dogmatism to last a life time, and said "I'm tired of hating
people."" Her weary eyes represent the hatred that had been placed in
her mind for years on end. Hatred is not natural, it is only a concept that is
taught, which is what Ebrahim stresses is possible to overcome. The saying “like
father, like son” can apply in some cases, but not all, and Ebrahim is proof of
this, and that stereotypes do not define a person.
Visual: http://www.halalinthefamily.tv/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/take-on-hate.jpg
Caption: "Take on Hate"
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