Have you ever been left out or humiliated because you belong to a different nation, or because you believe in something? Well, it might not seem like it’s such a big problem, but I have. I, and many other people too have been made fun of or been discriminated against for something they haven’t chosen.

One time at school, I was eating my lunch quietly when I overheard someone from another table loudly stating, “All Muslims are terrorists!” I was shocked at this - I had never experienced anything like this before. It was a horrible feeling, I felt helpless and tiny-weak. It made no sense at all.

None of us choose how and where we’re born. We don’t get to choose our appearance and we don’t choose our cultures. I didn’t get why, and I still don’t get why people are so hateful towards us. A lot of people are protesting and hating against my country and religion because of the media and negative side of it.

One day, I when I got home, I turned on the TV and put on the news. On the news, were people protesting against my religion, Islam. Just because of our different beliefs, people were harassing, bullying, and even sometimes killing others. Not only Muslims as a whole, but also Turks.

As I entered the classroom, I picked out a seat. Another student sat next to me. 

“You can’t sit there”, they blurted out.

“Why not?” I asked.

“My friend’s going to sit there, you better get out.”

“I’ve been sitting here since the beginning, how come your friend gets to sit here instead of me?” I replied.

“Because he’s not a dark hairy Turk like you.”

This incident had stayed with me for months and months on end. I didn’t look different, I didn’t think I was. Why was it such a big problem?

Another time, I had been scrolling online, reading comments about my country. Most of them were about conflicts between my country and other countries, however, there was one comment that stayed with me. 

“Middle Easterners are all hairy monkeys”, someone had put online. 

I laughed it off, but it did make me think. How did other people view us? Why would they discriminate us based on something we wouldn’t choose?

Everyone is different, and difference itself has its own beauty. However, people still get discriminated against for things they don’t choose. “Why?” you might ask, but really, there is no good reason why. Fortunately, I came to realize that these people are ignorant and choose not to understand. People are and always will be different, whether you like it or not.