When a 19-year-old University student encountered a person of ignorance who claimed that “Muslims don’t condemn things”, she did what no other person has done before: she made a 712-page long list of Muslims around the world condemning acts of hate, violence, and racism, among others.
From an argument with a classmate that had started in class, Heraa Hashmi made it a personal obligation to prove him wrong. She went home that day in anger and confusion, and she eventually came up with a way to respond back to this individual. In just about three weeks, by using Google and the internet, she had gathered different sources, which varied among new articles, tweets, declarations, and official press releases. Her spreadsheet had five columns, noting the individual/community organization, bio/description [of said individual/community organization], location, what was condemned, and source(s).
First and foremost, Heraa’s audience was to the ignorant boy that she had spoken to, but it was also to anyone else that may be willing to listen. Her tweet had gained recognition from Muslims and non-Muslims, alike, all varying in age, color, race, gender, and ethnicity. The purpose of her argument was to open the minds of those who stigmatize Muslims. Since many people think that Muslims don’t condemn terrorism enough, she wanted to convince the boy, and maybe even some others along the way, that we do more than enough explaining and apologizing for the acts of a few, even though we don’t have to.
She beautifully used an argument of fact as she provided evidence to refute the boy’s claim. Her sources differed in a variety of aspects to strengthen her side of the argument. Logos and ethos were both used as she not only stuck “to the facts”, but she carried it out in a fair and respectful manner. Instead of saying or doing something mean, hurtful, or rude to the boy in class, she gathered her own personal emotions and used her skills and knowledge to formulate a groundbreaking response. She even managed to indirectly use pathos by telling the background story behind her research as well as centering her research on sensitive topics, such as religion and terrorism.
Heraa is an inspiration to all. If everyone had the charisma that she so dearly carried, the world would be a better place.
To check out Heraa’s spreadsheet, which is now a website, feel free to visit https://muslimscondemn.com/.
For more information on the story behind MuslimsCondemn.com, watch her amazing speech here.
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