Jazaka Allahu khayrun dear Ms. Nusairat and Dr. Ghannouchi for spending some time with us for this session.
For the audience, could you explain what has been happening recently in the country that are indicators to the heghtened level of bigotry that is taking place on U.S. campus' across the country?
Answer
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Name
Tuqa Nusairat
- United States
Profession
Answer
As salamu 'alaykum to everyone...
First let me thank IOL for inviting me to this dialogue. As some of you may know, last week an event took place on different campuses around the country called "Islamo-fascism Awareness Week" which we consider to be a hateful and negative campaign to *misinform* Americans about Islam and Muslims.
While this event received a lot of attention, there have been events along the same lines that took place even before last week in some universities which aim to vilify Islam and generalize that all Muslims are extremists. In addition to these Islamophobic events, there has also been a heightened awareness of racist actions and hate speech on some campuses, including the ones that took place at Columbia University in New York where nooses were hung on a professor's office door.
These types of hate speech are all related and similar in their tone. That is why the Muslim American Society Youth have started a coalition of national and student organizations who will work against this type of hate promotion on our campuses and in our communities. The coalition is called "Students United Against Hate" and our first step was to create a petition against all forms of hate. You can find the petition here:
For the audience, could you explain what has been happening recently in the country that are indicators to the heightened level of bigotry that is taking place on U.S. campus' across the country?
Answer
Two factors are contributing to this phenomenon:
Some horrible incidents that were done by Muslims and in the name of Islam, in the U.S and elsewhere, which projected Islam in a negative way and projected Muslims as a violent people and as a security threats
Ignorance of people in the U.S because of the isolation of the Muslim community and its limited civic participation for a long time
these factors were abused by some interest groups to create a climate of fear of Islam and Muslims.
Our job is to intensify our outreach and civic participation, educate the public about Islam and Muslims, and expand our network of friends and allies, while opposing and exposing bigots and bigotry, obviously without interfering with people’s freedom of expression.
Name
Bill
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Who was behind the Islamo-Facism campaign and what did they do?
Answer
The 'Islamo-fascism Awareness Week' was hosted by The Terrorism Awareness Project run by David Horowitz Freedom Center on different campuses across the US.
They hosted speakers who are known to be racist, Islamophobic, and extremely right wing who talked about the "dangers of Islam" in the US and what they claim is oppression of Women in Islam.
They want to scare everyone into thinking that any Muslim who passes by on campus is a potential terrorist, including peaceful Muslim organizations on campuses dedicated to making student life more comfortable for Muslims.
Name
BM
- United States
Profession
Management
Question
What's the MSA doing to combat Islam-facism week in campus across the U.S. I understand some campuses have banned it...what can others do to help?
Answer
I am speaking on behalf of the Muslim American Society (MAS) Youth campaign which is called "MAS Youth Bridge", as well as the coalition that we launched, Students United Against Hate, [not Muslim Students Association (MSA)]. Other organizations such as the Muslim Students Association have also launched campaigns against these recent events.
MAS Youth is working with students and community members across the country to launch an educational campaign about Islam and Muslims. We called the campaign "MY Bridge" because it's an effort to bridge the gap in information about Islam.
Last year, we launched the “Muhammad: The Orphan Who Adopted the World” campaign which was aimed at raising awareness about our beloved Prophet, and now we hope to expand this project to include more information about Islam and Muslims.
Some campuses have banned Islamo-fascism AwarEness Week which was planned for last week, saying that such events do not adhere to the university's ideals of tolerance.
That week is over now, but that doesn't mean that Islamophobia will not continue to be spread by such groups. You can join one of these campaigns to help create educational materials with whatever skills you have.
On a personal level, you are an ambassador for Islam in your everyday life, and we should all realize that our actions will reflect on all Muslims. You can write letters to the editor of your school or community paper discussion what Islam means to you and what it means for you to be an American Muslim.
Name
Host
-
Profession
Question
Is it really a case of Islamophobia, or has it been happening to other communities on and off campus. I hold in mind the Chinese American community who have been undergoing such paranoid treatment recently
Answer
America is a free country, but is also a very competitive society. While America is a very diverse society of immigrants and minorities, it has never been easy for a minority to integrate successfully in society. This has happened to all religious and ethnic groups, and now it is our turn to take the challenge of integration. However, despite the difficulties that we are facing, we still enjoy a degree of freedom of religion and expression that is not available for most Muslims around the world, and we are determined to build a model Muslim community that is valued, effective, and fully integrated in society without compromising our faith and our principles.
We will intensify our efforts of public education, civic participation, and coalition building while engaging our opponents through media and political process
Name
Zizi
- Egypt
Profession
Question
What do you mean by Islamophobia sister? What kind of things have been happening in the U.S. to create such a panic?
Answer
Islamophobia refers to prejudice or discrimination directed at Islam or Muslims. In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, Muslims in the US have witnessed increasingly hateful speech directed at peaceful, law-abiding Muslims. The mainstream media provides sound bites of information about isolated incidents which portray Muslims as unpatriotic and extremist elements of American society. That is why Muslim organizations are playing a greater role in educating and raising awareness about Islam and Muslims in the US. We are worried about this kind of Islamophobia because it resembles a combination of hate and fear propogated against other minorities in history that ended up in disastrous ways.
Here is an excerpt of "The 6 Steps from Discrimination to Extermination" by Bart Charlow.
They include: 1. Spreading myths or stereotypes about people which result in denigration and social distancing from them;
2. Creating mistrust about a people that isolates that group;
3. Fabricating a threat they pose to the public, which creates
agreement with illegal laws or restrictions upon the group;
4. De-humanizing the target group, which prepares the public for
suspension of its rights;
5. Isolation & concentration, which ensures that the group is away
from the public eye, where it is subject to oppression; and the last step is
the resultant atrocities that take various forms.
6. Genocide.
We realize that the American people are welcoming and tolerant, and we as American Muslims are worried about these fringe elements that are attempting to change the fabric of this wonderful country by promoting this kind of hate speech.
Name
Fatima
- Belgium
Profession
Question
I am not American, but I would like to know what I can do as a student to defend myself against Islamophobia
Answer
Thank you for this question Fatima. Islamophobia is not limited to the US, and it appears to be even more active in Europe, that is why any Muslim can be part of the campaign against Islamophobia.
As I mentioned before, you can be a representative of Islam in your everyday life by being kind to your neighbors, being honest in your job and school, and participating actively in your community. We cannot be isolated from the larger communities that we live in, because we are part of them, and we must contribute to their betterment.
There may be some organizations in Belgium which you can join in their efforts to education people about Islam, to speak out against hate in all forms, and to work to criminalize hate speech - Tuqa Nusairat
Name
N
-
Profession
Question
What is Islamophobia and how can it effect me?
Answer
I've answered what Islamophobia is in a previous question.
It effects us through hate speech directed at you personally or your Muslim community. It can cause politicians who fall into the Islamophobia trap to initiate or sign off on legistlation that is harmful to Muslims. It can cause some individuals participate in violent incidents against Muslims.
We don't want to be victims, and that is why we are working to provide accurate information about who we are and what our faith is all about.
Name
Fatima
- Belgium
Profession
Question
If I am faced with Islamophobia, will I have time to be kind? What I mean is it like racism, whereby people get attacked and all kinds of bad things are done to them?
Answer
It depends on what you are faced with. If you are violently attacked, then you would take action by contacting the authorities and seeking justice through the system. If it is verbal, but amounts to a threat, then there maybe laws in your country that would criminalize this as well. I do not mean that we should be passive in any way.
I was referring to preventive action, ways in which we can dispel myths about Islam so that when people hear Islamophobic propaganda, they understand that it is just that, propaganda, and not the truth.
Name
Soha
- Egypt
Profession
Question
You just said that US is a free country and sure in a part of our junior life we also believed that it is the symbol of freedom, but after we grew up and saw it's vicious bloody hands in Iraq ,Palestine, Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and the poor people who are getting poorer and the environment which they are destroying etc. I wonder what is freedom??? Is it a sparkling word in "peace time"…or is a real attitude that should be implemented every time everywhere!!!
Answer
There is no doubt that several U.S. foreign policies are unfair and reprehensible, especially with this current administration which is dominated by the neo-conservatives, who added the ideological flavor and justifying all means to achieve hegemony.
It is true that when it comes to foreign policies, double standards prevail and actions are not consistent with rhetoric. Also, some domestic policies do not foster social justice, and recently there were some laws (that were passed in the name of security and war on terrorism) that affected people civil liberties . This is due to the disproportional power of some interest groups (lobbies) and to the role of money in politics, which significantly weaken the American democracy.
However, freedom of religion and expression are guaranteed by the constitution, and people can always work to challenge and possible change laws and policies that they oppose.
Name
Host
-
Profession
Question
Finally, we would like to thank Tuqa Nusairat & Dr. Souheil Ghannouchi for taking the time to answer the questions of Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. Look out for upcoming sessions…
Answer
Thank you to IOL for hosting this dialgue. I want to refer the readers to the MAS Youth Bridge campagin website and also encourage them to sign the Students United Against Hate petition. We are always looking for volunteers to help us with their special skills as this is just the beginning of the campaign which will definitely not end after Islamofascism Week.
