I have received a variety of strange looks over the past years from people finding out general facts about myself— like not being at all fluent in Spanish or that I am Peruvian and not what they initially perceive as Filipino or even Chinese. However, the bewildered expressions that I expect more naturally when people encounter a characteristic of mine such as my Asiatic appearance that does not fit in their categorizing of typical Hispanic females pales in comparison to the looks on their faces when my religious background is exposed. As a little girl, I used to quickly get defensive about my Star of David necklace. A certain question would always be asked by my peers: How are you, a Peruvian, Jewish? My desired response: Simple—my father is Jewish and so is my abuelo who belongs to a Jewish community in Peru.

Why is it that the world is obsessed with labeling people in all aspects of their life? Matters are even more complicated when one’s racial identity destroys a person’s notion about a religious group. Although I am uncertain about whether I will continue to follow the Jewish faith in the near future, I am proud to say that I have in my life partook in a unique faction of the religious group.

Despite the progress that humanity has made in conquering the limitations posed on people’s perceptions due to stereotyping of religious faith, it is still challenging for one to not be judged simply on the basis of his or her belief. I can recall various times that I have been called fake jew, or a phony because of not only my ethnicity, also but my actual faith. What is the difference between what most people associate as a Jew and a Jew like me? I believe that Jesus is the son of God who sacrificed himself once to repent our sins— A Messianic Jew is what I am.

While it is most likely true that Mary who sits next to you in class is a Christian or that your science lab partner Abhi is a Hindu, it is dangerous for people to rely heavily on assumptions. Being dependent on labels and typecasts can only yield more unnecessary judgment. There is no need for people to be attacked solely because others feel threatened about their notions being destroyed about an ethnic or religious group due to their existence.

How come a Maria cannot be possibly a Muslim or that an atheist is perceived as nothing more than a cynic? Is there any justifiable reason for our own President to undergo scrutiny or be accused of having a certain religious identity by the masses because his middle name is Hussein?

Granted, perhaps people automatically assuming that I was Catholic once they discovered I was Hispanic were not trying to be malicious in their labeling. Yet, I feel that as a country, we have come a long way for us to be greatly skeptical of the diversity that is apparent in America. Dilara Hafiz of the Huffington Post expresses a great truth when she states: Being Jewish, Christian or Muslim is a state of mind, not a collection of physical attributes.