The United States of America: once a small colony, now one of the most powerful nations in the world; a nation that has been riddled with wars, protests, and ongoing conflicts between religion and state. This essay will examine the relationship between religion and the state, discuss state statements about this relationship, and the practice of these statements. The Americans, after the September 11 attacks, marginalized the Muslim community, which is largely due to their Christian origins and their erroneous interpretations of Islam. Christianity has been present in America since the colonial era (1600-1700) and has held sway and dominance for over three centuries. deeply rooted in American society. Islam, however, was only recently introduced, giving rise to misinterpretation of Islamic believers (or Muslims) residing in America. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, immense hatred was expressed towards Muslims, as they were interpreted as a religion that promotes destruction in the name of "Jihad", or often wrongly translated as "Holy War ". Although the meaning of "Jihad" is much broader than simply "holy war", it is an internal struggle, within each Muslim, "...to be a good Muslim and advance the cause of 'Islam'. The Western understanding of “jihad,” however, has been distorted to become linked to terrorism. While Christians claim to promote the qualities of hard work, honesty, and moderation, and are therefore highly valued in American society, not only because of their purported universal teachings, but also because of their dominance as a religion in the Western world. .In 2000, Christians made up the majority of the American population. Shown by the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS)...... middle of article ......ion/amendment01/Robinson, BA (December 15, 2009). Religious discrimination embedded in. Retrieved May 29, 2010, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/texas.htm Robinson, BA (December 14, 2007). Separation of Church and State. Retrieved May 29, 2010, from Religious Tolerance: www.religioustolerance.org/scs_intr.htmRobinson, BA (September 26, 2000). The Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Retrieved May 29, 2010 from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/rfra.htm Sacirbey, O. (December 4, 2007). Does the United States tolerate anti-Muslim speech? Retrieved May 30, 2010 from The Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1204/p02s02-usgn.htmlTHE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT versus INDIVIDUAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE UNITED STATES (nd). Retrieved May 29, 2010 from Religious Tolerance: www.religioustolerance.org/govt_con.htm