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Timothy Folkers
Rhiannon Catherwood
Primary Source Essay
24 October 2014
Religious Oppression
Religion in this new world has privileged and oppressed certain groups. Through events
in our history as Americans, Muslims in America have been oppressed more than the other
religions. Some people assume that if you believe in the Islamic faith that you are a terrorist
because of 9-11. I interviewed Roely Barber, a Muslim on campus at NIU, and he argues his true
thoughts on other religions, his reasons from what his faith has taught him, and the ways of
becoming a better person though Islam by promoting peace.
The teachings of Islam and Christianity are similar to each other. Both believe that:
there is one God, God sent prophets, people should follow the Ten Commandments, Mary was a
virgin Satan is evil, the Day of Judgment will occur and people will be judged (Islam vs
Christianity). Even though these religions are similar, people still discriminate the Islamic
religion. Many Muslims experience a range of discrimination, including verbal harassment, hate
speech, violent attacks and religious profiling. Many are also confronted with a lack of equal
opportunitiesand face restrictions on the public expression of their religion (OSCE). After the
events of 9-11, many Muslims were marginalized because people associated terrorism with
Islam.

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In the interview with Roely, he states that other religions are not perfect like Islam is. He
states, if you read all the religious texts from other religions, the have contradictions,
concoctions, but Islam is perfect on its own. In Islam, they follow the teachings of the prophet
Mohammad through the Quran, the Islamic holy book; however, in Christianity they follow the
teachings of the church. He argues how people who follow the teachings of the church end up
worshiping Jesus as a God even though he is a Prophet and is stated in the religious texts as a
prophet in all of the religions.
With his thoughts about other religions, people who are of other religions, mainly
Christianity, subjugate the teachings of Islam because of the dispute with the prophets. In a way,
Roely feels that people discriminate the Islamic religion because Muslims love Jesus more than
Christians. Both religions provide very similar information. They speak about similar ideas and
goals but have different methods of delivering their ways. But what is important is that people,
regardless of which deity you worship, should not discriminate other religions because of what is
said about it. Moreover, people should be considerate of others and should know about their own
religion.
In the Islamic religion, being called Muslim means submitting ones will to God. Within
it, there are the 5 pillars of Islam which are the basic tasks to fulfill in the region which is to
pray, to fast, to commit haj, zakat (help the needy), and to believe in one God. Roely explains
how all the other religions were good for that specific time but Islam and the Qu-ran was meant
for all of time and mankind. Think of Islam as an update 2.0, a summarization of all the holy
texts sent down before us. In the Quran, other religious texts, like the Bible, were mentioned in
it. Roely explains how Muslims follow the teachings of the text and that their purpose for their
existence is to worship God. Through the interview, he told me that Allah has sent down

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signs/rules in where it makes him more faithful. He feels to live up the Gods expectations which
make him feel that much stronger in his faith.
The teachings of the Islamic religion make Roely feel that much more faithful because he
self-reflects on the actions that he commits in his daily life. Being a Muslim, he knows that he is
submitting his will to follow the expectations of God and he chooses to live up to it. With living
up to these expectations, his faith is that much more important into becoming a better person.
As Roely grew up in this country as a Muslim, he felt that being a better person is the
ultimate goal regardless of what religion you are. As I listened to his answers, he talks about how
he struggles with not being good enough. No matter what, people want to be better and Roely
feels the same. God can only judge me because he is the all-powerful being that judges you but
it scares me. That though also eases me because it makes me want to be a better person and not a
f*ck up. Islam is perfect but I am not. Dont blame the Islam religion for my mistakes, blame me
as a person. As the interview continued, he stated that life is a test sent from God. This test
inquires that the point of Islam is to be the best person you can be. In addition to that, they want
peace between each other and that we should always keep faith in a higher power.
As Roely explains it, he feels that being a better person is what everyone should be
yearning for. The discrimination from others only brings out the arguments and violence in
ourselves which then stops us from becoming a good person. Everyone has flaws and we should
accept it because if you do not realize that you have weaknesses, then you cannot grow as a
person. The teachings in Islam are for us to learn from each other so that we as humans can get
past discrimination.

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In the interview, Roely talked about promoting peace as a way for the Islamic religion.
The 5 pillars of Islam not only create a better person but they also help promote the idea of
peace. In doing the actions that were commanded by God, it can make you a better person which
can help others become better people. He stated, We mean no harm. Islam is about peaceful
interactions between us and those around us.
Every religion has something that they want to preach. It is our choice in what we choose
to believe in but the teachings in Islam specifically bring forth certain goals for everyone which
is peace. With discrimination all over the world, peace is something that this world needs more
of. It is not right for us to be judging others based on what was said about them or how they look.
The teachings of Islam want to bring out the best in mankind to where we can stop this
subjugation and evolve as humans.
Through the interview I had conducted with Roely, his opinions on other religions, the
teachings in Islam, and becoming a better person have affected how Muslims are oppressed and
want social change of understanding. However, no matter what is done to stop the
marginalization of Muslims, there will still be people that do not see Muslims as equals like
themselves. But, learning from Roelys words, it is our task to still become a better person
despite the impurities in this world. We as humans have the right to be equal with one another
and that discrimination should be put behind us. In Roelys words, We should keep one eye on
the past and one on the future. Everyone has flaws but we must except it and look past it.

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Works Cited
"Islam vs Christianity." Islam vs Christianity. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.discoveringislam.org/islam_vs_christianity.htm>.
"OSCE." Combating Discrimination against Muslims. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.osce.org/odihr/90060>.