Dalia Mogahed will deliver a talk on how fearing Islam is harmful to all. Photo courtesy of Mogahed’s FacebookTessa Case- News Editornews@insideuab.com
Dalia Mogahed, a former adviser to President Obama and current director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, will be the speaker for “Islamophobia: A Threat To All,” hosted by the Birmingham Islamic Society on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Student Hill Center ballroom. The speech will address how Islamophobia affects all members of society.
The Kaleidoscope spoke with Mogahed about her stances on the issue as a preview for the upcoming presentation.
How is Islamophobia unique in the South? What does this mean for a diverse campus like UAB that has both Muslims and extremely “sheltered,” Southern, white people?
I don’t know that Islamophobia is unique in the South. Studies show that 80 percent of national news coverage about Islam and Muslims is negative so the entire country is exposed to a toxic diet of anti-Muslim messages. College is a unique opportunity to get to know people who you may not have been around in high school and may not be around again once you join the job force and I hope Muslims and those of other faiths and no faith take this opportunity to build relationships of understanding.
How is Islamophobia manifested differently from culture to culture? And then country to country?
In the U.S., Islamophobia has many dimensions. There is individual Islamophobia between people and there is also institutionalized Islamophobia carried out in bias policies. One reinforces the other. The more the public hates and pretends to “fear” Muslims, the more government has license to abuse and violate the rights of Muslim citizens. The more the government targets Muslims, the more the public feels Muslims must be a suspect community to hate and fear. We need to address both individual and institutionalized Islamophobia at the same time. In the U.S., anti-Muslim prejudice is mostly framed in “security” terms. In Europe, in addition to this, an additional “cultural” layer exists where Muslims are seen as a threat to “European values.” Europe generally is a continent undergoing a massive identity crisis and seeks to define itself, not by who it is, but by who it is not, in this case by defining itself as “not Muslim.” Muslims in Europe remind the dominant culture that their colonial project resulted in death and destruction but not the winning over of hearts and minds. To many in Europe, the fact that there are still people who choose to live according to their faith, while still being fully European, is a problem. The need to extinguish anyone who doesn’t conform to the dominant culture of Europe, especially in a place like France, is unique to the continent and less prevalent in America, thank God. For example, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled in favor of a Muslim woman’s right to wear hijab (the religiously mandated head and body cover) while in France, the law favors the State’s ability to violate a Muslim woman’s religious liberty in grade school, in government jobs and now even on the beach.
What kind of socioeconomic impacts does Islamophobia have?
Islamophobia disproportionately targets the most vulnerable — the poor, young people and women. It is linked to depression and anxiety among Muslim young people. It hurts people’s chances of employment. It hurts Muslim civil liberties. It results in Muslim kids getting bullied twice as often as other kids, often times by their own teacher. And that’s only how it impacts Muslims. I hope to explain in my talk how Islamophobia impacts every single American: Muslims, Christians, Jews and everyone else. Fear kills freedom and Islamophobia is a threat to our democracy.
What trends have you seen in the media regarding Islamophobia? Do you see a difference between the ways major publications handle it? Have you seen any differences since the 2016 presidential election campaigns began?
As I stated, TV news media coverage of Islam and Muslims is 80 percent negative. One study found that the so-called “liberal” New York Times portrays Islam worse than cancer and cocaine. So what of other publications who are openly hostile to the community? We are fed hate and bigotry on a daily basis and it is toxic to every American. Anti-Muslim sentiment in America doesn’t actually follow terrorist attacks, it follows elections. It spiked during the 2008 and 2012 election cycles among Republicans and again now.
How do you think Islamophobia affects maturing young women and men? How can college campuses address this?
It impacts everyone. Islamophobia is built on fear and fear makes people more accepting of authoritarianism, conformity and prejudice. These are the most corrosive elements to the very foundation of our democracy, a rational and well informed citizenry. College campuses present a unique opportunity to reach out and get to know people who seem different from you, and to learn about different ways of thinking, different faiths and to work together for a better future for our country.
Can you parallel the sentiments towards Muslims to the sentiments toward Jews during the WWII era?
I would draw a parallel to the sentiment towards Japanese Americans during WWII, and Catholics during the turn of the century. In both cases, these groups were said to be un-American and disloyal. Public sentiment and policy targeted them unfairly. Now we regret this, or at least most people do. I hope we can learn from our history and not repeat it. But, it is important to also draw lessons from others. The first step in genocide is dehumanization. This is happening every day toward Muslims and other people of color in our media and we need to challenge this. Everyone has a responsibility to speak up.
How do we get local Islamic organizations into public discourse?
Everyone has a responsibility and Muslim organizations should step up into public discourse. Other people can help by reaching out and being inclusive.
What role do young people have in changing this?
Young people must first educate themselves about different religions and cultures. Young people should build coalitions for a more inclusive, stronger America. We can end bigotry with this generation but it will take courage and compassion.
