Within hours after Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi immigrant, allegedly detonated a pipe bomb in New York City on December 11, severely injuring himself and wounding four others, a most comprehensive official and media narrative emerged.<\/p>\n
The formulation of the narrative<\/a> concerning Ullah’s motives, radicalization and assumed hate for the US was so immaculate, one would have thought it took authorities months, not hours to compile such demanding evidence.<\/p>\n Strangely, Ullah’s own family was surprised<\/a> by the accusation concerning their son.<\/p>\n However, the exact nature of what truly happened matters little. Not only was Ullah instantly found guilty by the media, all Muslims and immigrants, in fact, were.<\/p>\n Following each attack of this nature, Muslims in the US mobilize to fend off accusations concerning their faith, their values and their allegiance to the country in which they live.<\/p>\n But it is not an easy fight to win. When President Donald Trump is constantly tweeting<\/a> anti-Muslim propaganda, while his administration exploits every opportunity to advance anti-immigrant initiatives, the beleaguered small community of Muslims in the US can do little to stop the rising tide of Islamophobia<\/a>.<\/p>\n The media has played a major role in propagating the negative attitudes towards Muslims and Islam, which, in turn, provide the much-needed public support for the government to continue with its anti-Muslim measures.<\/p>\n Compare such attitudes with the way in which mass shootings carried out by white…<\/p>\n