Islam is not a new religion. Islam’s final message was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH), 1,400 years ago. Allah, or God, revealed this message to him through the angel Gabriel. This message was preserved in the Holy Qur’an during the holy month of Ramadan. Earlier revelations consist of the Torah of Moses, PBUH, and the Injeel, or Bible, of Jesus, PBUH. Man, however, has corrupted these revelations over time and because of this the final revelation of the Qur’an was deemed necessary. “This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed my favor unto you, and have chosen for you as you

Islam is now a religion that shows much strength in this country. It needs to be accepted and the stereotypes associated need to be clarified for the many people who misunderstand the religion. Young Muslims all over the country that attend school face many prejudices everyday. They are often discriminated against because of their differences. Adding to this are the stereotypes that have been associated with Muslims by the ignorance of many people, especially the media. In recent years, mosques all over the country, close to 2000 in number (Smith, 1990), are taking larger roles in Muslim communities, not only to make non-Muslims aware of their religion, but also to teach and inform young Muslims what Islam is essentially about. Because young Muslims are being forced to integrate into American society, the conservatism that is a major part of Islam is being moderated. Young Muslims are becoming less traditional and more moderate. They want to be like their fellow peers. They realize eventually that they are different in a sense and want to fit in. They struggle because, in a way, that is what they are forced to do. Mosques in the northern Virginia offer Sunday school classes in which young Muslims are taught the religion, how to deal with stereotypes and how to fit into their surroundings without losing the fundamental teachings of Islam. They are taught not to take offense to ignorant comments, but instead to explain to their peers and teachers what Islam is all about when these comments are made. The stereotype that all Muslims are terrorists unfortunately has a huge hold on America. There have been cases of terrorism related to “Muslims” but Islam is not about violence at all. It stresses peace and patience and many other virtues. The American media has done a lot to make this a common stereotype, even though it is definitely a misconception, and one of the biggest misconceptions about Muslims and Islam. This stereotype needs to be proven false to the American people and strong efforts are being made to do so. Muslims are being taught to be patient, even though it is sometimes difficult to do so. They are told to enlighten people about the religion. Local television stations in the Washington, D.C. area are running announcements, funded by the Muslim Societies around the area, to inform people that they should not believe to the common stereotypes but instead learn more about the religion and its true beliefs. (Sheler, 1990)

In the United States, however, the Muslims have to adapt to their surroundings. They have to change the many ways they practice Islam, without losing the fundamental teaching, in order to function with the people surrounding them. For example, the male and female relationship between young adults in Islam does not exist unless they are family, or they are married, or they are in a certain environment that eliminates, if not all, then most sexual thoughts. Here in the United States it is difficult to live that way when Muslim students have to attend school with the opposite sex. In Islam, same sex schools are preferred because co-ed schools could allow sexual temptation, which woul

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