I don’t know if many of you may have read the recent New York Times article, as well as the CNN interview, about how there may be Sunni-Shiite tensions escalating in America, but I was very disappointed in this spread of, basically, rumor and gossip. One of the people interviewed for both of these interviews was the president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn -- the university I attend.
As a Muslim student myself, as well as an active member of MSA, I was disgusted by how CNN and the New York Times basically tried to manipulate facts and the actions of certain individuals to show that the sectarian differences are a major problem for the majority of the Muslim population in America. This can’t be farther from the truth.
Yes, some people do hold strong views about the Sunni and Shiite differences, but once again, those are INDIVIDUALS, not the entire Muslim population. The media has already been manipulative (and successful!) in ruining the image of Muslims abroad, and now they are trying to attack Muslim Americans, causing more stereotypical tensions and problems. As mentioned before, I am a student and active member at this university which happens to be located in Dearborn, the city with the highest Muslim population in America. So if there is any problem within the Muslim population in America, it will definitely show here. And I can guarantee you that the problem as the New York Times claims it to be and CNN claims to “continue to follow” is not as a big of a “problem.” There is hardly any tension between the two sects. The Muslim organizations on campus often work together to preserve the bond and understanding that already exists (and is not diminishing!) between the different schools of thought.
There are so many more similarities between Sunnis and Shiites than there are differences, and people are exaggerating things completely out of proportion (like they always do)! Unfortunately, the media we should trust is the number one producer of stereotypes and problems.
