Example Essay

Prejudice = Ignorance

All my life I studied in the same school. It was a military academy and because of that we had students from all around the world. When I was in first grade some kids from Palestine got enrolled in the academy and one was my classmate. When we were little, it did not matter that they talked weird or that, at some point of the day, they kneeled down and started praying in a strange language. Sadly, as we grew up, everything changed.

Since I was also considered weird because I always carried a book with me, I grew close to Remma. Since we became good friends, I was able to learn from her culture and customs. Most of them were strange, but I understood them nevertheless. On the contrary, the majority of the other students were mean to Remma. For example, when we turned thirteen, one day Remma came to school with her head covered and with long sleeves under her uniform. I knew what it meant and so did everyone else. The other girls chose to make fun of her and her “ugly hair rag”. Remma used to laugh and say that she was used to it and I believed her. In my opinion, boys were the worst. For instance, they use to say that the school should check her and her brother’s book bags for bombs because of what happened in 9-11. Also, they would call her terrorist and many other names. A couple years later, when we were fifteen and went to high school, things got worse.

Remma was engaged at fifteen and married a thirty five year old man when she turned sixteen. Thankfully, her husband gave her permission to finish high school and to go to college as a wedding present. We all know that sixteen year old girls can be cruel and my poor Palestinian friend suffered them reluctantly and proudly. As a hobby, the girls made fun of her and her husband. For example, the girls would ask if her husband was really her father. Another example is that when her husband left her at school and kissed her goodbye, the would all ask her how it felt to kiss her father.

By the time she turned seventeen she was pregnant. Remma was happy and excited about becoming a mother. During her pregnancy nobody talked to her or about her, at least not in her face. Later on, when she was four months pregnant, she decided to have her baby and the finish high school elsewhere. Two years later, she moved to Texas, finished high school and is currently studying culinary arts, but most importantly, she is very happy.

To conclude, prejudice is found everywhere you go. Half the students did not know Remma Lenna Hammid Yassine the way I did, but still they all judged her because of her religion and culture. Probably, it was because of ignorance or because they didn’t like the things they didn’t understand. The ugly truth is that Muslims are all viewed as terrorist after 9-11. Racial prejudice can be seen in many different ways that is why all, in everybody’s mind, Muslims are terrorists, Mexicans can only be good at gardening and black people are criminals. It is truly sad, but until the cure of ignorance is found, should we all sit down and do nothing?