11 year old child calling me a Muslim-shocking

[concertplayer]

We are GB white lived in the area for 18 years.
No Ethnic minorities here.
Out walking the dog.
This child looked at us and taunted "you are Muslim."

[trafalgargal]

And they are clearly not very bright .......although neither are you if you assume there are no white British born Muslims.

[RobinsAreTerritorialFuckers]

Yes, it's shocking if a child is using 'Muslim' as an insult.

No, it's not more shocking because you're white. Islam is a religion, not a race.

[SymphonyofShadows]

No Ethnic minorities here

[stopgap]

I am a quarter Italian, but with dark hair, and dark olive skin, especially as a child in the pre-SPF 30 days. I can't tell you the number of times I was called racial slursthe p-word while walking around, or riding my bike, or on the school bus. This was in the late 1980s and early 1990s in a town in NW England.

Brexit has caused an uptick in openly expressing racist views, but in the words of David Byrne, it's the same as it ever was.

[AThousandTears]

You can't tell what religion someone is by the way they look.
Calling someone a muslim isn't an insult.

E.g. "You're a muslim"
"Yes I am"

OR

"You're a Muslim"
"Actually I'm not"

Sounds ill educated on both sides here.

[WorraLiberty]

He was basically using it as an insult by the sound of it.

Horrible, but not exactly 'shocking'.

Have you never heard 'gay' used as an insult? That's horrible too but again, not exactly shocking.

[rosiecam]

Sounds like "muslim" is the new "gay" in kids' insults in your area - used as an insult regardless of religion or orientation.

Unless you were wearing a headscarf...?

[alexandragimenez]

this sounds like it was so out of place, I would be shocked if a child used this word as an insult as well.

[rosiecam]

Xpost Worra!

[RiverTam]

Of course 'Muslim' can be used as an insult as well as a descriptor, context is all.

I think using someone's supposed religion or ethnicity, or sexuality, as an insult is pretty shocking in 2016.

[KayTee87]

So you can't be white and Muslim?
Muslim isn't an ethnic minority, it's a religion.

[HerRoyalNotness]

Are you a Muslim? Was he just being factual or did he throw two fingers up at you when he said it?

From what you've written I wouldn't be shocked, I'm not that delicate

[WorraLiberty]

Unless the OP was wearing muslim attire, why would he randomly say she's a muslim, other than to insult her?

[mamamea]

Sorry the AIBU here is what exactly?

[eatyouwithaspoon]

I have a similar heritage to stopgap and by the sound of it had similar experiences, I was called all sorts of names in the 80's and told to fuck off home more times than I can remember, even spat at, last time was I guess about 15years ago after a holiday when I was looking paticularly brown . Not had anything yet but fully expecting it, nothing has changed sadly

[NicknameUsed]

That was entirely unnecessary Symphony. The village I live in has no-one with a different ethnic background either. That just happens to a fact of where I live.

The nearest town has one of the lowest ethnic minorities in the country as well (2% in the 2011 census).

[JessieMcJessie]

I think in general it's shocking that an 11 year old would randomly insult an adult in the park. It's also shocking that somebody somewhere has given this child the impression that "Muslim" is an insult.

However I am struggling to understand what prompted this. It was your only interaction?

[pigsDOfly]

I'm not entirely sure if you're shocked at the child's words OP or the fact that the child knew the word Muslim in an area where there are no ethnic minorities?

And is saying 'you are Muslim' a taunt? Rather depends on the tone tbh.

Walking my DCs to school back in the early 90s, small child (looked no more than 5, and undersized at that) yelled a really nasty racist name at us; now that was shocking, on several levels mainly because it was delivered in such a hate filled tone.

I think mostly I found it incredibly sad that a small child would think it normal to spit racial venom at some random people walking past her gate.

[SloppyDailyMailJournalism]

You need to explain what your stance is on this, OP. Yes, shocking if they were trying to use it as an insult.

[Girlgonewild]

Awful. Children and teenagers also use "old woman" and "you're gay" as insults. Dreadful.

Children tend to mirror adults around them. I hope all of us try always to be kind to everyeone. Children follow who we behave rather than what we tell them to do. If you are kind they tend to be kind children.

[Helmetbymidnight]

You need to explain what your stance is on this, op

Er- really? she's shocked that a child would taunt an adult with the phrase 'you are Muslim'

[MarklahMarklah]

Muslims can be white, you know. Or any other colour.
Calling someone a muslim isn't in itself an insult.

[Pinkheart5915]

Muslims can be white, or any other colour. I don't think being called a Muslim is an insult on its own.

[amarmai]

Def intended as an insult.Maybe laugh if you run into him again? AN extreme Christian family living 2doors down from us lined up the whole
family to applaud their 2little boys yelling witch at me and my dd. WE had long hair and maybe looked too sexy??

[nannybeach]

Is being called a Muslim that insulting then? I dont understand, there are far worse things you could be called that would be upsetting.