Cure the bigot with a book
Cure the Bigot with a Book In November of 2013, Prabjhot Singh, a Sikh professor of Colombia University, had fallen victim to an assault by a group of teenagers (Georgescu). The misguided teens had mistaken Mr. Singh for a Muslim; therefore, they ruptured his ribs and left him with a broken jaw. This event represents a single drop in an ocean of hate crimes that occur daily in the world. Hate crimes are a form of discrimination that results from an individual’s intolerance towards people of different cultures and beliefs. According to the FBI, “U.S. Law enforcement agencies reported 6,222 hate crimes involving 7,254 offenses in 2011” (“Hate Crimes Accounting”). The high number of hate crimes suggests the existence of biased individuals and it also emphasizes the fact that minority groups face hardships in order to persevere in society. Regarding Muslim discrimination in America, the FBI reported that “anti-Islamic incidents […] became the second highest reported among religion-bias incidents. From pre-9/11 to post-9/11, a growth of 1600% took place” (“Statistics”). Considering this tremendous increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes, the issue of a chauvinistic society comes to light. Modern society has evolved to become very sophisticated and cultured, however it has failed to eliminate the narrow mindedness of its public. Due to the bigoted beliefs of its inhabitants, hate crimes against minorities continue to occur time after time. Despite the fact that it might contradict with certain people’s beliefs, students should take a mandatory course which educates them on major cultures and religions. Many argue that incorporating religion and culture in schools will lead to complications and create more problems rather than solving any.