I hear a lot about “Jewlane” having a lot of Jews and white people. I am a Muslim, and my concern is that there maybe some discrimination against me since Jews and Muslims politically and historically do not get along.
My Muslim friend attends there, and he says he gets funny looks. My dream school is Tulane and I am afraid of not being accepted by the people around me and not fitting in.
Please be aware of casting stereotypes yourself… Not all Jews (or white people…or Muslims) think and act alike…
I cannot say there is no one at Tulane that doesn’t feel that way, but in general I suspect your friend is reading more into the “looks” than really exist. Tulane students in particular are often attracted to the school because it is so embracing of everyone and looks to serve all people, including Muslims.
I cannot tell you what to do or know how comfortable you would be doing it, but if I were you and this remained a concern after moving in at Tulane, I would confront the situation directly. How? By contacting the rabbi in charge of Hillel and telling him exactly what you are thinking. Even perhaps suggesting ways for you to get to know members and them you. Eventually perhaps you could show them what goes on in a typical mosque as opposed to what they might get from television.
In other words, perhaps it is an opportunity, if you are the type of person that can turn it into one.
Tulane students, like most educated people, “get it” that to pre-judge someone based on a group that they may belong to is wrong. They have grown up in households and communities where that message is clearly sent. While one must not stereotype any group, it is valid to speak in terms of aggregate measured data and, as a group, self described Jewish people are overwhelmingly liberal, and liberals as a group are less likely to support policies that exclude any particular group. All that being said, maybe you should engage in some self-reflection as to whether it is you who may have some fear of the other. If you do, it’s OK for now. You’re 18 or thereabouts, and that’s what college is for: to open up your mind.
As far as fitting in is concerned, I encourage you to visit campus and gauge for yourself whether the university is a good fit for you in terms of campus vibe as well as academics. If you don’t feel comfortable, that is OK. I do hope that you do feel comfortable there and that you can contribute to a rich diversity of viewpoints and perspectives. Best of luck wherever you wind up!
Thank you guys for your supporting words (:
Please don’t stereotype. Keep an open mind.
I think you will be accepted and make friends easily at Tulane. Your dormates and new classmates will get to know who you are as a person. Much of the college experience is about exposure to people of different backgrounds, and is part of the beauty of the freshman experience. You have a glorious opportunity to represent your Muslim culture by showing your positive character traits and talents that got you accepted to Tulane. Your character and day to day interactions have the potential to significantly overcome a persons preconceived negativity.
As long as you give no personality reason to be disliked, you should be fine. I think the best thing you could do is be vocal about being against the terrorists and their extreme views. As a jew with parents whose parents have islamaphobic views, I think it would help them a lot to hear non extreme Muslims speak out against extremists. To be clear, I don’t share their sentiments, but Ive grown up around their POV enough to have a thorough understanding of it and I’m telling you, if you put yourself out there as a friendly person against extremism , you will have no problem.