ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how young Arab Americans and Muslims think and feel about the images and stories presented by the media about their culture and faith. Arabs and Muslims in America often find themselves in the awkward position of defending their faith and culture, in part due to news coverage and how it is interpreted by the audience. The group expressed the significance of having an Arabic or Muslim name as an expression of self-identification. The young Muslims in this group had many stories to tell when we asked how others’ perceptions of them, acquired through the news, affected their lives. The women in the group said they had become immune to non-Muslims staring at their headscarves, and willingly explained that they choose to wear it as an expression of modesty. They admitted the challenges of being so easily identified as a Muslim but they were proud of their faith, and said being different made them feel stronger.
