Cyberbullying and What it’s Doing to Muslim Children

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Oh, the Internet. The best friend to everyone. Also, the same Internet that allows cyberbullying to be a thing and to be a tool for disaster. Especially if you are a Muslim.

Incidents of bullying against Muslim students, from hijab pulling to cyberbullying, have escalated, and a report done by the Council on American Islamic Relations school bullying report say Islamophobic rhetoric from the U.S. election in 2016 played a role.

The study discovered that out of about 1000 Muslim students ages 11 to 18, more than half reported being bullied and feeling less comfortable at school.

Several students have reported hijab-pulling incidents since the 2016 election. In Minnesota, a family of a female student reported that their daughter’s hijab had been pulled and thrown to the ground. The study also reported that 36% of respondents said they had their hijabs tugged, pulled or offensively touched. Parents fear for their daughters and have begun telling them not to wear their hijabs to school.

In addition to physical harassment Muslims have faced, there have been reports of faith-based harassment online – cyberbullying. Muslim students responded that they often see their peers posting about their faith on social media with 57% of students saying that their peers have made offensive remarks online. Maybe its because when you aren’t face to face with someone, people tend to be more emboldened online.

The media plays a huge role in this. Trump has called Muslims distasteful things, stating in December 2015 “There’s a sickness. They’re sick people. There’s a sickness going on. There’s a group of people that is very sick.” when he was asked if the ban he wants to put in place would include Canadian businessmen who are Muslim.

Not only does it affect Muslim students in schools, but it also has a dangerous second-hand effect on bystanders and observers of harassment to bullied Muslim students.

The impact on Muslim students is devastating. In an effort to be safe from harm and harassment, some choose to dissociate and prefer to not be identified as Muslim and go as far as denying their true faith. This includes taking off the hijab completely and not praying during school hours.

Cyberbullying has impacted our current social media crazed society in morbid ways. We often hear of high school kids being bullied online and suiciding shortly afterwards. A blog we stumbled upon shows a first-hand account of how cyberbullying has impacted a young Muslim woman’s life and the lengths she went through to try to stop it from continuing.

He even told me that I should be crucified, burned, and killed, which frightened me even more. I don’t even know this person…

The comments section of YouTube videos, Instagram photos and videos, and Facebook videos are riddled with intense foul language directed at destroying the self-esteem and faith of Muslims every single day.

Children are extremely impressionable ad their brains are yet not fully formed. The long-term effects of these incidents can cause are endless and horrific to even think about.

Is a Love a Muslim Day enough to counter Islamophobia?

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I’m sure you have all seen it – the deeply disturbing viral photo of the one piece of paper that has affected thousands of Muslims worldwide titled Punish a Muslim Day. The letters started circulating in late March, sent anonymously to multiple communities in Britain. It was sent to homes, businesses, and lawmakers. It detailed an extremely disturbing and inhumane point-based system that would AWARD attackers for acts of violence on Muslims. 500 points for “butchering a Muslim using a gun, knife, vehicle, or otherwise.”

 

For many, April 3rd felt like Doomsday. Muslims around the world took to social media to share their thoughts on the hate-motivated campaign. People were sending well wishes and urging Muslims to take care and look out for each other. Many were determined that the letters would not cause them to change their daily habits.

Just as quickly the letters went viral, so did another one – Love a Muslim Day. The letters promised rewards if anyone smiled or threw flowers at Muslims – while 2,500 points were on offer if a family was bought a trip to Mecca. Dozens formed a human chain around a mosque in London. Their message was clear, spread love not hate.

But is it enough to counter Islamophobia?

There may not have been a major incident, but “Punish a Muslim Day” did what it was designed to do – strike fear in the hearts of individual Muslims and those already being impacted by hate crime and racism. Many women refused to leave their homes yesterday, taking the day off work or changing their social plans.

Many argued that the best way to deal with “stunts” such as “Punish A Muslim Day” is to ignore them. Best not give oxygen to whoever is responsible for orchestrating this campaign of terror. We cannot avoid the fact that British Muslims are facing rising levels of Islamophobia, anti-Muslim hate and the mainstreaming of racism in our country on a daily basis.

This “Punish a Muslim Day” is not a one-off day of hate targeting Muslims; for many, it represents the daily structural Islamophobia we are up against and the increasingly poisonous rhetoric directed against Muslims in everyday life. Islamophobia is fully mainstream and is part of our daily public and political discourse.

To counter Islamophobia at its roots, we need a grounded and honest national conversation about the extent of the problem. We also need a strong and diverse anti-racism movement willing to tackle the politics of bigotry and division head-on. “Love a Muslim Day” is a worthy gesture but most Muslims I know are not bothered about being loved – we just want to feel safe and secure in our country. We’d like the right to live with dignity, to be seen and valued as full human beings and citizens without having to prove how good we are.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Comment below with your feedback.

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