Advocates must demand Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein to provide religious security for minorities like Muslims in mosques, it will be the first step towards the abolishment of hatred for Muslims.

Islamophobia has been on the rise for decades which has resulted in hatred for Muslims in forms of vandalizing mosques, the shooting of mosques, harassment and hate crime incidents.

It’s exhausting having a spike in hatred considering we’re in the year 2021 and we should be the generation that starts the end to hate towards Muslims.

States like California, Texas and Florida have experienced 11 or more anti-mosque incidents, such as an arsonist burning down the Islamic Center of Victoria.

Mosques in Texas have received multiple actions of vandalization such as urine on their prayer carpets and derogatory words written on the surface.

How inhumane does one have to be to sit back while Muslims suffer the consequences of hateful people? By bashing places of worship like mosques, it snatches the First Amendment right of Muslims to be able to practice their faith.

Media outlets express little to no concern about the fact that innocent Muslims in America are being verbally and physically harassed left and right. If this was another religion, the entire world would stand up for them.

Texas has also experienced multiple threats to set mosques and synagogues on fire, yet the media has only labeled the convicts as arsonists rather than terrorists. It’s an act fueled with hate to threaten or follow through with lighting up a place of worship on fire, but once again there was hardly any support for the news to begin with.

Mainstream news organizations explain white men to have a mental illness if they shoot up a school but if a brown person commits a crime, they’re labeled as a terrorist. The U.S. continues to show disregard for Muslims concerned about their place in society and their wellbeing.

It seems the only time Muslims appear on the news is to bash on them for their religion rather than spreading coverage of others terrorizing Muslims.

America seems to have the motive to paint Muslims in a bad light because of radicals like ISIS. America also stays silent when innocent Muslims are killed because they clearly don’t care.

Victims of biased western media tend to follow the stereotype of Islam being a violent religion, when in reality this is a myth and extremism goes against Islam. Islam focuses on virtues such as donating to charity, fasting to remind themselves of helping the less fortunate and true submission to God.

According to Pew Research center, about 11 Muslim countries declare their hate for ISIS because they believe the true Islam is one that brings peace and love rather than violence or extremism. It appears people lack the skill to do their own research and fall into the trap of false media.

Why do people feel the need to even talk about a Muslim woman’s decision to cover her body? A clear double standard is represented when artists like Billie Eilish is praised for her modesty as she often wears baggy clothing but when a Muslim woman chooses to cover herself up, she’s called oppressed.

Kim Kardashian’s audience is also a perfect example of double standards because when she showed up to the 2021 Met Gala fully covered, she wasn’t titled as oppressed. Yet when a Muslim woman wishes to wear a Niqab, she’s called extremist or oppressed. People hardly research the Quran to even notice there’s an entire chapter on how women have a high status in Islam.

It’s ironic how people will advocate for my body my choice when it comes to a woman or any gender wanting to reveal their body but if a Muslim woman wishes to conceal it, she receives backlash from society and her peers. It’s not that difficult to stand up for a fellow human but when that fellow human is a Muslim, it becomes a chore for most people.

Zainab Merchant, graduate student at Harvard University, was traveling from Boston to Washington D.C. when she experienced harassment from the Transportation Security Administration. Merchant said she was forbidden to call her lawyer as she was forced to pull down her pants in a private room despite being on her menstrual period. Hardly anyone stood up for her but if it was a non-Muslim, people would make the footage of this situation go viral.

It’s disgusting and discriminatory to make Muslims feel uncomfortable simply for practicing their beliefs which involve wearing a hijab. We should be the generation that starts the end to hate towards Muslims.

Students in Massachusetts have reported a 60% increase in being verbally or physically harassed because of their Islamic faith and unfortunately this is the reality of many Muslims regardless of age. It’s utterly shocking that people will stand up for the rights of others but if it’s a Muslim, they’re afraid of losing their job because they believe standing up for Muslims is supporting terrorists.

Why is it normalized to not speak up about Muslims experiencing hatred and violence for their beliefs? There shouldn’t be a scenario where one hears gunshots while praying. No religion deserves to go to their place of worship wondering if they’ll even live to come home the same day.

On Oct. 11, the Islamic Center of Tacoma was lit on fire by an arsonist committing a hate crime. There was hardly any coverage of the incident and rather than labeling this a hate crime, it was titled as just an arson.

It’s unfair and painful that Muslims have to fear situations like this on their way to a mosque. The purpose of a mosque is to bring the diverse Islamic community together to connect and worship their God.

Sources have declared their fear of performing Eid prayer in a closed setting because of the many shooting incidents that have occurred as other Muslims have gone to connect with their God.

The time to stand up for Muslims deserving religious peace is now. In order to work towards coexistence, it should be a reflex for people to stand up for minorities who deserve the safety to practice their religion or beliefs.

By demanding our state senators, for example Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein, we can urge them to increase security for the mosques within our state by a signed petition by Muslims and advocates for this cause of justice.

Starting out with California, advocates who care for peace can work their way up to reaching Governor Gavin Newsom who can reach out to the Biden administration.

It’s pointless to discriminate against anyone for their religion, beliefs, sexual orientation or gender because it shouldn’t even affect anyone else. What a person practices or feels is no one’s business.

It’s heartbreaking to see Muslims struggle in a world that stereotypes them as terrorists without realizing that the true Islam denounces terrorism and extremism. The Islamic community has been facing hatred to an extreme extent and the world is just sitting there watching them fall.

For anyone who has an ounce of humanity in their heart, be there for Muslims the same way you hope to receive support. It costs no money to be polite to those of a different religion.

The time to stand up for Muslims deserving religious peace is now.