As nations around the world work to create policies that will counter the escalating threat to the security of their citizens, terrorism has emerged as a global threat. Although every country has a different strategy for combating terrorism, most have specialized groups tasked with preventing and reducing the harm caused by terrorist attacks. According to Das, et al. (456), the problem of terrorism has caused the public and figures of authority to develop prejudice and stereotypical perceptions against people of Islamic origin and faith, making them an easy target to blame and even convict. Some of these issues seen today can be related to what happens in the crucible. The crucible is a fictional narrative written by Arthur Miller in 1953 about the witch-hunt that took place in Salem back in the late 1600's.
The relevance of this play in the society today cannot be overlooked, especially since some of the central themes are relatable to the political and social issues. This paper seeks to analyze the social and psychological effects of terrorism and the fear it produces in people of the Islamic religion using the play of the crucible as a reference to the arguments made. The concept of terrorism has become a negative identification symbol for Muslims not only in their home country but also in other nations. This can be related to the Salem witch trials which were a result of hatred, fear, and ignorance which leads to blaming, destruction, scapegoats, and cowardice.
Salem Witch-Hunts and Terrorism Today
In the plot of the play was set during a period of in which colonists controlled Massachusetts, and there was a ceaseless conflict between them and the local inhabitants (Miller 15). This portrayed lack of civil rights and instability which caused tension within the colony. Civil rights are provisions made by the bill of rights to protect against discrimination of any kind. The slaves in Salem were oppressed and denied equal treatment from their owners. The same can be seen today whereby Muslims are isolated and treated indifferently in public institutions. According to Choudhury & Helen (153), there has been rising concern regarding the alienation of Muslims by terror-combating laws. There have been cases reported where some have had to undergo a further examination at security checkpoints. At times, Muslim women, have been forced to take off their religious dresses, hijab, which is purely a violation of their fundamental human rights and civil liberty to expression and association.
The most famous witch-hunt in the history of Salem was driven by greed for power, recognition, and fear of losing control. The Reverend, Samuel parries, beats up Tituba forcing her to confess to the charges against her just so the reverend can be right in his judgment (Miller 78). This kind of confession-seeking process also happens today against Islamic individuals found at the wrong place at the wrong time. They are sometimes tortured, and their families threatened to force them to give in to the claims made against them. Tituba becomes the principal witness in the witch trials, and out of fear she incriminates other individuals some of whom were innocent. Those in charge of the trials made unjustified rulings which condemned innocent people including committed churchgoers to their deaths, which was the ultimate punishment for practicing witchcraft.
The need for some authority figures to establish relevance among their subordinates places pressure on them to solve cases involving terror given the serious nature of such threats. This might force them to make unjustified assumptions which lead to the incorrect conviction of innocent people for their association with the Islam religion and family ties. Although Tituba was not the only one with knowledge of witchcraft, she was an easy target, given that she was of mixed race, and also because she was a slave. It was much easier for the reverend to blame her for the strange behavior that some of the young girls in Salem had begun to portray. In the current world where terrorism has become prevalent, Arabs and especially Muslims,Das et al, ( 458) explains that even those with certified citizenship have become the target of unsubstantiated blame.
Conclusion
This study has established the relevance of the issues put forth by the play, the crucible written by Arthur Miller. There are notable similarities between the victims of the Salem witch trials and Muslims today. It is evident that there are times when terror threats and investigations are conducted subjectively with officials in charge seeking easy targets to blame and close cases. Muslims and especially Islamic individuals have developed fear out of the scrutiny and discrimination they face from their fellow civilians and law enforcers. It is, however, important to note that the prejudice against Muslims is partly because most of the terror attacks have been committed by people claiming to be Islamic like the 9/11 attack, thereby resulting in the discriminatory treatment of Muslims (Gould & Esteban 2082). In as much as the constitution has made provisions to protect the interests of the marginalized individuals in the society, more effort need to be put into changing the biased perspectives from citizens and legal authorities against Muslims.
Work Cited
Choudhury, Tufyal, and Helen Fenwick. "The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities." International Review of Law, Computers & Technology 25.3 (2011): 151-181.
Das, Enny, et al. "How terrorism news reports increase prejudice against outgroups: A terror management account." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 45.3 (2009): 453-459.
Gould, Eric D., and Esteban F. Klor. "The Long‐run Effect of 9/11: Terrorism, Backlash, and the Assimilation of Muslim Immigrants in the West." The Economic Journal 126.597 (2016): 2064-2114.
Miller, Arthur. "The Crucible (1953)." The New York Times (1953): 15.
