University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

The not so invisible veil

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The not so invisible veil

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Content The not so invisible veil By Erica Andrews A Thesis Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRAUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS (SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM) December 2015 Copyright 2015 Erica Andrews ii" TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract iii Chapter One: Introduction 4 Chapter Two: Discrimination because of faith 6 Chapter Three: News Coverage 8 Chapter Four: The “Other” 11 Chapter Five: Defining terrorism 13 Conclusion 15 Bibliography 16 " iii" ABSTRACT Since 9/11 and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has killed thousands of people, Americans have become increasingly weary of Muslims. This fear of the “other” is increased by the news media portraying Muslims in mostly extreme acts especially related to terrorism. More specifically women who wear the hijab stand out and face prejudice because it’s an outward symbol of their religion. Muslim American women who wear the hijab are now choosing to do so to represent their religion in a positive manner and to create a dialogue with people about the misconceptions of their faith. " " " " " 1" CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION She slowly runs her hand across the different soft fabrics. White with black skulls, brown with different color polka dots, bright yellow with a floral pattern. She hears the news in the background discussing the most recent ISIS attack. She chooses plain black. She carefully places it on her head with her hair securely tucked underneath. She doesn’t want to stand out too much. As she rides the metro to work she notices people looking at her, shifting their eyes uncomfortably. They choose to not sit next to her. Once she reaches her job in downtown Los Angeles her coworkers are talking about lunch plans, but seemingly forget to invite her. After work she takes the public transportation to school, where she’s getting her masters in public diplomacy. She decides to get a quick snack at her favorite restaurant on campus and overhears two girls talking about her, “Does she not feel hot?” ones asks. “She would probably be smelly because it’s hot,” the other replies. She can feel her face getting warm and tears forming. She holds them back. This feeling is new to Soraya Ahyaudin, who never felt different wearing her hijab for religious reasons in her home country of Malaysia, where according to Pew Research Center 61 percent of the country identifies as Muslim. However, in the U.S. where just 0.8 percent identifies as Muslim, she stands out. 1 “You feel when people treat you differently,” Ahyaudin said. “I used to wear my hijab covered more [around her face and neck], but recently I started wrapping it out like a turban style. When I was in Malaysia it was more being a majority and also being a Muslim is not something people would look at you differently for, but coming here I felt like sometimes treatment wise, it tends to differ.” 2 The cruelty of ISIS has made it even harder for Muslims to blend in. The U.N. found that in the first eight months of 2014, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had killed """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 1 Rogers, Simon. “Muslim Populations by Country: How Big Will Each Muslim population be by 2030?” The Guardian. January 28, 2011. <http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/jan/28/muslim- population-country-projection-2030>. 2 "Ahyaudin, Soraya. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, November 5, 2014." " 2" at least 9,347 civilians and wounded 17,386 wounded. All of these deaths are not attributed to ISIS alone, but they have been identified as the primary actor. 3 Then in August and September of last year, two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, were publically executed in a video made by ISIS. Before the masked killer beheaded Sotloff he said to the camera, “You, Obama, have but to gain from your actions but another American citizen. So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.” 4 In May of this year, it was reported by Syrian state TV reports that ISIS had killed at least 400 people in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra and most of them were women and children. 5 Since the rise of ISIS, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Cherif Abou El Fadl said hate crimes against Muslims have skyrocketed. “We get a lot more hate mail now saying things like, ‘I have a gun and will defend myself if you come onto my territory,’” Abou El Fadl said. “Through our social media platforms like Facebook, they will say things like, ‘Go back to your country.’” 6 Riham Osman, 24, communication coordinator for MPAC, has dark brown penetrating eyes, an engaging smile and wears a gray headscarf. She said she initially experienced prejudice when she first began wearing her hijab in college at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia in 2010 and continues to experience it today living in Washington, D.C. She was working at Air France and was told to remove her hijab, which she declined to do because it’s part of her faith. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 3 "“Report of the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Iraq: 6 July-10 September 2014.” United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. September 10, 2014. <http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IQ/UNAMI_OHCHR_POC_Report_FINAL_6July_10Septe mber2014.pdf>." 4 "Miller, Zeke. “ISIS Video Shows Killing of Second American Journalist.” Time. September 2, 2014. <http://time.com/3258167/steven-sotloff-isis-video-james-foley/>." 5 "Agencies in Beirut. “At Least 400 Killed by ISIS in Palmyra, Say Syrian TV Reports.” The Guardian. May 24, 2015. <"http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/24/killed-isis-palmyra-syria-tv-reports- tadmur-islamic-state>." 6 "Abou El Fadl, Cherif. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Long Beach, November 20, 2014." " 3" CHAPTER TWO DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE OF FAITH “I was fired from my job within the first couple of hours because they wanted me to remove my headscarf,” Osman said. “I still personally experience it. I’ve been in car rides in D.C. and the cab driver finds out I’m Muslim and will say to me ‘Why are you a part of this faith, this faith calls for killing and violence.’ The same thing happened to me last month, I was at Panera [café] and this woman comes up to me and starts telling me ‘You need to leave this horrible faith.’” 7 A Gallup World Religion Survey found that Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists. 8 According to a study done by the Pew Research Center recently, six in ten Americans are “very concerned” about the rise of Islamic extremism around the world, the largest share since 2007, and 53 percent are very concerned about the possibility of rising Islamic extremism in the U.S. 9 Rachel Gillum is a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford’s Center for International Conflict and Negotiation and the principal investigator of the Muslim-American National Opinion Survey. Her current book focuses on the Muslim-American community and examines the determinants of a variety of political beliefs and behaviors, from integration and identification with the United States to various forms of political mobilization. “I would absolutely say that women who wear hijabs definitely face a different level of scrutiny or reaction of people acting strange or different,” Gillum said. “The hijab is a very visual signal of religion versus someone who is maybe Muslim, but there’s no outward indication that they’re Muslim. That is an outward symbol that people can target or they react to.” 10 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 7 Osman, Riham. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, March 26, 2015. 8 “In U.S., Religious Prejudice Against Muslims,” Gallup Center. January 21, 2010. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/125312/religious-prejudice-stronger-against-muslims.aspx>. 9 “Growing Concern about Rise of Islamic Extremism at Home and Abroad,” Pew Research Center. September 10, 2014. < http://www.people-press.org/2014/09/10/growing-concern-about-rise-of-islamic- extremism-at-home-and-abroad/>. 10 "Gillum, Rachel. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Long Beach, June 11, 2015." " 4" In February of this year, three Muslim college students—two of whom were women wearing headscarves—were shot and killed near the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. 11 In May, Pamela Gellar, President of Stop Islamization of America, sponsored a “Jihad Watch Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest” in Garland, Texas, 20 miles from Dallas, where two gunman opened fire on a security guard and were shot and killed by police. 12 Then in late May, ex-marine, Jon Ritzheimer, organized an anti-Muslim rally outside the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix which garnered 500 protesters, some carrying American flags and rifles. 13 In the same month, Tahera Ahmad, a Muslim American chaplain at Northwestern University, was refused an unopened can of soda by a flight attendant who said it could be used as a weapon. However, the man sitting next to her received an unopened can of beer just moments later, to which Ahmad protested. Another passenger of the plane then allegedly yelled at her, “You Muslim, you need to shut the fuck up,” and said “You know you would use it as a weapon.” 14 Then recently in June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Samantha Elauf, who was denied a sales job at Abercrombie & Fitch because of her headscarf. The court ruled the clothing company had violated a federal ban on religious discrimination. 15 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 11 Zucchino, David. “North Carolina Prosecutors seek Death Penalty in Killing of 3 Muslims.” Los Angeles Times. April 6, 2015. < http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-north-carolina-muslim-killings-20150406- story.html#page=1>. 12 "Bever, Lindsey. “Pamela Geller, the Incendiary Organizer of Texas ‘Prophet Muhammad Cartoon Contest.” The Washington Post. May 4, 2015. < http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning- mix/wp/2015/05/04/why-a-woman-named-pamela-geller-organized-a-prophet-muhammad-cartoon- contest/>." 13 "Molinet, Jason. “‘Tyranny is n America’: Anti-Muslim Armed Rally Organizer says he’s headed into heading after getting death threats.” New York Daily News. May 29, 2015. <"" http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/anti-muslim-rally-phoenix-islamic-center-heats-article- 1.2240770>." 14 "Mai-Duc, Christine. “Flight Attendant Who Denied Unopened Soda Can to Muslim Will No Longer Serve United Customers.” Los Angeles Times. June 3, 2015. <"http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb- diet-coke-airline-apology-20150603-story.html>." 15 "Kasperkevic, Jana. “Top US Court Rules for Muslim Woman Denied Abercrombie Job Over Hijab.” The Guardian. June 1, 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/jun/01/supreme-court-rules-favor- muslim-woman-hijab-abercrombie-fitch>. " 5" CHAPTER THREE NEWS COVERAGE “The news coverage of Muslims in America tends to focus on the most extreme cases and to play into public sentiment that equates Muslims with terrorists,” said Prof. Philip Seib, an expert in the Middle East and political journalism. “As with any religion, Islam is complex. There are huge variations in the beliefs of Muslims in the United States and everywhere else and just like the case with Christians, you’ve got moderate Christians and you’ve got fanatical Christians.” 16 Seib explained that before 9/11 Muslims were largely invisible to news organizations in the United States and did not elicit an extraordinary amount of coverage, but 9/11 changed everything. “Now you get a range of news coverage that encompasses the very thoughtful to vicious stereotyping,” Seib said. “The problem is that you have journalists in many cases doing news stories about Islam without having the faintest idea of what they are talking about and relying on the first source they come upon.” Nashwah Akhtar, 22, believes the news media are partly to blame for the misconception that Muslims are violent and oppressed because they wear a hijab. Wearing a bright pink long sleeve shirt and headscarf adorned with a circular pattern of pink and violet, Akhtar doesn’t mind standing out. Her eyes are a magnetic brown, which she adorns with black catlike eyeliner. She has a pretty smile, speaking enthusiastically and quickly. “Before we were just a small minority, (and) nobody really asked that many questions,” Akhtar said. “After 9/11 people became more conscious of their faith and I think because obviously the attackers were Muslim, those ideologies became attached to anyone of that faith, which is not really fair. Even today the media sort of labels Islam as a whole as violent or oppressive even though that applies to just a few people, but it doesn’t represent the religion as a whole.” 17 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 16 "Seib, Philip. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, November 7, 2014. 17 Akhtar, Nashwah. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, November 5, 2014." " 6" She explained to me there are a lot of misconceptions about the hijab and she has never been forced to wear one by her community or family. Her mother didn’t wear one until she was 35, which was completely her choice. She began wearing it because she felt it aligned with her beliefs. “It’s become such a big part of my identity that it’s just kind of part of my wardrobe,” Akhtar said. “It reminds me every day why I put it on—what’s my purpose in life, what’s my role as a person, and that it should always relate to the higher purpose and the higher being of God. “It’s kind of implying that your physical beauty or features shouldn’t be held to that much value. It should be a greater emphasis on your character, your behavior and your intellect or more who you are than what you look like.” Akhtar was born in the U.S. and has lived here her whole life. Her parents seeking economic opportunities emigrated from Pakistan before she was born. Her father is an engineer and her mother a doctor. Akhtar grew up religious and the mosque her family attended, one of the largest in California, was just four minutes away from her childhood home in Santa Clara, Calif. “It’s a really strong community with thousands of people,” she said. Akhtar went to an Islamic school from kindergarten to eighth grade and took English, history, math, and science, in addition to three extra subjects, Quran studies, Islamic studies and Arabic. Akhtar was just nine years old when the 9/11 attacks happened, but said she remembers their mosque getting threats from angry residents in the area after the twin towers were demolished. Her parents being fearful for their safety, she said. Ten years later, in 2011, Akhtar decided to attend the University of Southern California to study communication. It was there, she said, that she began to think more about her faith because suddenly she was a minority, rather than in the majority as she was in her home community. “Coming here, since there are so many cultures, you kind of have to figure out on your own how much you want to fit in and how religion plays into that,” Akhtar said, “versus if you’re in a place where the population is very homogenous and the same culture, same religion, then religion kind of becomes blended with culture and you kind of only do it if your family and everyone else is. The meaning behind it goes away, " 7" versus when you’re here (in Los Angeles), you’re very conscious of why you’re doing it.” She brushes her hair away from her face and looks off for a minute as she gathers her thoughts. Akhtar explains she doesn’t feel outright discrimination, but she knows other Muslims experience it. She believes events like 9/11 and the atrocities committed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq perpetuate this issue. " 8" CHAPTER FOUR THE “OTHER” In writing her book, Gillum said she has interviewed hundreds of Muslims across America and women have many different reasons for wearing the hijab. “I’ve talked to many women [who] before 9/11 wore hijabs daily and then afterwards they were afraid and worried about discrimination and harassment, so they stopped wearing the hijab,” Gillum said. “But there’s also some who after 9/11, between all the dialogue, some of these Muslim women themselves didn’t know a lot about their own religion and after they studied and revisited it, they decided to then begin to wear a hijab to represent Islam.” She said Muslim women have told her they wear the headscarf now so they can be a good representation of their religion, so people know that not all Muslims are terrorists and that they are well functioning people. “A lot of women took that on as let me represent my religion and my faith accurately,” Gillum said. In The Myth of Religious Violence, William Cavanaugh writes “Contemporary liberalism has found its definitive enemy in the Muslim who refuses to distinguish between religion and politics. The danger is that, in establishing an ‘other’ who is essentially irrational, fanatical, and violent, we legitimate coercive measure against that ‘other.’” 18 This “other” mentality and coercive measures manifest in various ways in American culture, including the seclusion and hostility Ahyaudin felt on the metro and to Akhtar’s family mosque being threatened by non-Muslims in their community. According to the Pew Research Center there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world and two thirds of them—worldwide not only have serious concerns about religious extremism, but also reject Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and violence in the name of Islam. The rest of those surveyed said they were not concerned about experiencing violence. 19 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 18 Cavanaugh, William. "The Anatomy of the Myth." In The Myth of Religious Violence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 19 “Muslim Publics Share Concerns about Extremists Groups.” Pew Research Center. September 10, 2013. < http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/09/10/muslim-publics-share-concerns-about-extremist-groups/>. " 9" Similarly to the events committed by ISIS—after the trade center was destroyed and 2,753 people died—people were looking for an enemy, Professor Seib explains. 20 “That’s always been one of the issues in dealing with terrorism,” Seib said. “It’s not like Pearl Harbor—the Japanese Navy bombed Pearl Harbor we know what Japan is—it’s a state, we know who the Japanese are, they are a nationality. Let’s go get them. “Instead, we’ve got this sort of vague group called Al Qaeda, which is associated with Islam but we don’t really know, they don’t really have an identity. They don’t have a state. Where do we attack? What territory do we occupy? So in searching for a definition of this enemy, Islam seemed a convenient sort of umbrella.” As a community outreach coordinator for the MPAC, Abou El Fadl is often asked to speak at local mosques and also go into high schools and explain the meaning behind historical events that involve Muslims. Recently he’s been asked to explain ISIS events. “Most of my interactions are with people who genuinely want to understand and they may get confused or look at Islam, Muslim and Arab as one in the same thing,” Abou El Fadl said. “So they kind of say things that are offensive and are racist, or we look at them racist, but really it just comes from a place of ignorance and they genuinely want to learn about it.” """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 20 “September 11 th Fast Facts.” CNN. September 8, 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/27/us/september- 11-anniversary-fast-facts/>. " 10" CHAPTER FIVE DEFINING TERRORISM Feeding this misunderstanding is the misconception that all terrorists are Muslims. Terrorism as defined by Martha Crenshaw, an internationally renowned expert in terrorism studies, “is a form of violence that is primarily designed to influence an audience. Its execution depends on concealment, surprise, stealth, conspiracy, and deception. Terrorism is not spontaneous, nor does it involve mass participation.” 21 By this definition, this would include American-born, Ted Kaczynski also known as “the unabomber” who killed three people by sending bombs through the mail from 1978 to 1995 before he was caught. 22 This violence was meant to send a message of fear to the public. Another non-Muslim American terrorist was Timothy McVeigh, who drove a van filled with explosives to the federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. 23 Nevertheless, people continue to believe that only Muslims fit the description of a terrorist. This misconception is part of the reason Akhtar felt compelled to study public diplomacy and focus on Muslim advocacy and civil rights. She wants to help people understand what it means to be Muslim and wear the hijab. Her eyes become animated as she tells me it’s her passion. “I love getting involved in organizations—it unites people and makes them want to be more engaged,” Akhtar said. “We’re more conscious of social issues and political issues. Activism is growing in this generation.” Osman, of MPAC, said she wears her hijab to raise awareness and for religious reasons. “It was one of those things where I just started learning more about my faith and started to wear it,” Osman said. “I do it because in the Quran it does say you’re supposed to cover for modesty and all of these different reasons and also it means a lot for me to """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 21 "Crenshaw, Martha. “Definitions, Approaches, Responses and Trajectories.” Explaining Terrorism. Routledge, 2011." 22 Silverleib, Alan and Smith-Park, Laura. “Tracking Suspects Down: Some Landmark U.S. Manhunts.” CNN. < http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/us-manhunts-history/>." 23 Silverleib, Alan and Smith-Park, Laura. “Tracking Suspects Down: Some Landmark U.S. Manhunts.” CNN. < http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/us-manhunts-history/>. " 11" wear it in public. I wouldn’t say it’s a political statement for me, but I just feel proud when I wear the headscarf and people recognize me as a Muslim and ask me questions about my faith.” " 12" CONCLUSION Ahyudin agrees and believes with time there will be more understanding. She has two sons, 8 and 10, and would like for them to move to Los Angeles with her and her husband once she finishes school this year. She hopes that in the future, her sons can be accepted for who they are and not feel they have to hide their religious beliefs. “Ever since I moved here, I identify myself as being a Muslim first,” Ahyaudin said. “Coming from a country that’s very multiethnic and multi-faith and seeing how everybody lives together, that example makes sense to me. “Knowing that people in America are also multiethnic and different, it’s something that can be achieved,” she said. “It’s something that comes back down to tolerance.” As we finish the interview and she packs up her things, I can see Ahyaudin mentally prepare herself for the walk through campus. She gently readjusts her hijab, she’s apprehensive, but walks with a steady pace. She is safe here, but when she wakes up the next morning she knows she will face the same level of societal intolerance. She doesn’t know if she’ll continue to sit alone at lunch. " 13" BIBLIOGRAPHY Abou El Fadl, Cherif. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Long Beach, November 20, 2014. Agencies in Beirut. “At Least 400 Killed by ISIS in Palmyra, Say Syrian TV Reports.” The Guardian. May 24, 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/24/killed-isis-palmyra-syria-tv- reports-tadmur-islamic-state>. Ahyaudin, Soraya. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, November 5, 2014. Akhtar, Nashwah. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, November 5, 2014. Bever, Lindsey. “Pamela Geller, the Incendiary Organizer of Texas ‘Prophet Muhammad Cartoon Contest.” The Washington Post. May 4, 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/04/why-a- woman-named-pamela-geller-organized-a-prophet-muhammad-cartoon-contest/>. Cavanaugh, William. "The Anatomy of the Myth." The Myth of Religious Violence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Crenshaw, Martha. “Definitions, Approaches, Responses and Trajectories.” Explaining Terrorism. Routledge, 2011. Gillum, Rachel. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Long Beach, June 11, 2015. “Growing Concern about Rise of Islamic Extremism at Home and Abroad,” Pew Research Center. September 10, 2014. <http://www.people-press.org/2014/09/10/growing-concern-about-rise-of-islamic- extremism-at-home-and-abroad/>. “In U.S., Religious Prejudice Against Muslims,” Gallup Center. January 21, 2010. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/125312/religious-prejudice-stronger-against muslims.aspx>. Kasperkevic, Jana. “Top U.S. Court Rules for Muslim Woman Denied Abercrombie Job Over Hijab.” The Guardian. June 1, 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/jun/01/supreme-court-rules-favor- muslim-woman-hijab-abercrombie-fitch>. Mai-Duc, Christine. “Flight Attendant Who Denied Unopened Soda Can to Muslim Will No Longer Serve United Customers.” Los Angeles Times. June 3, 2015. " 14" <http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-diet-coke-airline-apology-20150603- story.html>. Miller, Zeke. “ISIS Video Shows Killing of Second American Journalist.” Time. September 2, 2014. <http://time.com/3258167/steven-sotloff-isis-video-james- foley/>. Molinet, Jason. “‘Tyranny is n America’: Anti-Muslim Armed Rally Organizer says he’s headed into heading after getting death threats.” New York Daily News. May 29, 2015. < http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/anti-muslim-rally-phoenix- islamic-center-heats-article-1.2240770>. “Muslim Publics Share Concerns about Extremists Groups.” Pew Research Center. September 10, 2013. <http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/09/10/muslim-publics- share-concerns-about-extremist-groups/>. Osman, Riham. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, March 26, 2015. “Report of the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Iraq: 6 July-10 September 2014.” United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. September 10, 2014. <http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IQ/UNAMI_OHCHR_POC_Report _FINAL_6July_10September2014.pdf>. Rogers, Simon. “Muslim Populations by Country: How Big Will Each Muslim population be by 2030?” The Guardian. January 28, 2011. <http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/jan/28/muslim-population- country-projection-2030>. Seib, Philip. Interviewed by author. Tape Recording. Los Angeles, November 7, 2014. “September 11 th Fast Facts.” CNN. September 8, 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/27/us/september-11-anniversary-fast-facts/>. Silverleib, Alan and Smith-Park, Laura. “Tracking Suspects Down: Some Landmark U.S. Manhunts.” CNN. < http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/us-manhunts-history/>. Zucchino, David. “North Carolina Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty in Killing of 3 Muslims.” Los Angeles Times. April 6, 2015. <http://www.latimes.com/nation/la- na-north-carolina-muslim-killings-20150406-story.html#page=1>."

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Since 9/11 and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has killed thousands of people, Americans have become increasingly weary of Muslims. This fear of the “other” is increased by the news media portraying Muslims in mostly extreme acts especially related to terrorism. More specifically women who wear the hijab stand out and face prejudice because it’s an outward symbol of their religion. Muslim American women who wear the hijab are now choosing to do so to represent their religion in a positive manner and to create a dialogue with people about the misconceptions of their faith.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Andrews, Erica (author)

Core Title The not so invisible veil

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Publication Date 09/08/2015

Defense Date 09/08/2015

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag invisible,OAI-PMH Harvest,veil

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Tolan, Sandy (committee chair), Parks, Michael (committee member), Seib, Philip (committee member)

Creator Email elandrew@usc.edu,erica.andrews0208@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-175847

Unique identifier UC11274347

Identifier etd-AndrewsEri-3884.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-175847 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-AndrewsEri-3884.pdf

Dmrecord 175847

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Andrews, Erica

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

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