Attitudes about Muslims around the world are changing in America and abroad, and that is partially due to today's college generation.
Farah Pandith, U.S. special representatives to Muslim communities, discussed issues Muslims are facing in a phone conference with college journalists Thursday.
Pandith, who was appointed as the first special representative to Muslims by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said college students are part of a generation making changes in today's thinking.
"This is a really exciting moment in time. This generation can really challenge people and talk about issues that weren't always discussed peer to peer," she said. "[This generation] can put those issues on the world stage."
When stories about Islam are in the media, Muslims are often portrayed in a negative light, Pandith said. That portrayal often causes people in other countries to think Americans are more close-minded than they really are.
She said young people around the world pay attention to what happens in American and how the country shapes the discussion on Islam.
Pandith said some Americans struggle with recognizing Muslim-Americans.
"By stating Americans versus Muslims, you're suggesting that Muslims aren't Americans," she said.
One thing Pandith has been working on is highlighting issues young Muslims are dealing with, she said. Muslims around the world have identity issues, whether they're dealing with being considered modern Muslims or dealing with issues in a post-9/11 world.
Pandith said the conversation about Islam has changed over the years.
"We've had many challenges over race and diversity [in America]," she said. "Diversity of religion pre-9/11 didn't take the spotlight. There wasn't a single conversation."
Pandith said growing up in a private school with mostly white Christians outside of Boston, she was never asked questions about her Islamic faith growing up. In the post-9/11 world, she said she hears stories of teenagers getting called terrorists.
"Nobody really cared about Islam before 9/11. No one was asking questions about what a mosque is or is Islam a terrible religion," she said.
Pandith said she thinks the negativity is temporary.
"We're in a learning moment," she said. "It's up to the world citizens if it's time to seize the day and ask the right questions."
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