Commentary: American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear by Khaled A. Beydoun
“While the Republican Party, particularly with Trump’s ascent, became the party of blatant and explicit Islamophobia, the Democratic Party under President Obama stood as the party of expanding structural Islamophobic policy and programming.”
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When I was in my 8th grade (2008) Social Studies class, my teacher performed Islamophobia time and time again when “teaching” us about politics. He referred to leaders in the Middle East by derogatory nicknames. He thought this was speaking truth to power. But he never spoke truth to power about America’s illegal war in Iraq and our country’s other crimes in the region.
We have all witnessed Islamophobia. We just didn’t know to call it that. In American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear, Khaled A. Beydoun spells out the layers of Islamophobia, in individuals, the media, and the state. He explores the policies that promote Islamophobia here in the US (before and during Trump.) And he pinpoints the intersections of Muslim identity with other groups that are targeted here in the US— communities that are policed, surveyed, and punished day in and day out.
The reason I chose the quote above (amidst the MANY brilliant thoughts Beydoun shares) is because the 2020 elections aren’t far off. For those of you who participate in the electoral system here in the US, this is the time to push your preferred candidate to take a stand against Islamophobia. Not just rhetorically. But structurally. Muslims in this country, even if they are citizens, are stripped of citizenry. This comes from the system. We stand in a moment when we can demand politicians to change things. If you are a Democrat, you are not excluded from the conversation. Democrats AND Republicans both contribute to Islamophobic policy making. If you are fighting against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia but you aren’t fighting against Islamophobia, then you aren’t seeing the connections between them all. The fight is a shared one and it’s time to be vocal and loud against Islamophobia. It’s been time for a long time.
Thank you to @khaledbeydoun for writing and advocating and fighting. This generation needs scholars and leaders like you.