Models Of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective, By George Fredrickson

After 9/11 the perceptions of Muslims in America were forever changed. Seeing the violent images of the Twin Towers on the news deeply frightened people in Western society. As result, fear and anger were directed towards innocent Muslims. In a growing society where many are no longer afraid to speak their beliefs, prejudice occurs in almost every aspect of life. Prejudice is defined as “an unjustified or incorrect attitude towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership of a social group” (McLeod). In the United States, people of the Muslim faith frequently experience prejudice and racial inequality. Vincent Parrillo outlines negative sociological understanding and how the effects of our culture influence the way we perceive
The four models are ethnic hierarchy, pluralism, separatism and one-way assimilation and each define how groups should interact with one another. Ethnic hierarchy is when one group of people assert dominance over the others and withdrawal rights and privileges from the other “outsider” groups. Ethnic hierarchy is the reason that Muslims are feared and considered foreign to the American culture as Christianity is considered the dominant religion. Ideally, in a perfect world cultural pluralism a concept that individual ethnic groups have a right to exist on their own terms within the larger society while retaining their unique cultural heritages (Haas). This concept would most benefit all races, religions, and cultures. Group separatism forms when a group detaches themselves as much as possible the other groups creating isolation. One-way assimilation assumes that one single culture is the most stable and ideal for a productive society. The main goal of one-way assimilation is to promote equality, however in order to achieve equal opportunity all around the groups must conform to the dominant group. Muslims trying to conform and comply to American society and culture is an example of one-way