Post on 24-Oct-2021
Support Muslim Students on Campus: Dispel Myths, Address Islamophobia & Break Barriers
September 23, 2015 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET
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This presenta,on and all materials provided during the presenta,on may not be altered. This presenta,on is not intended as legal advice and should be considered general informa,on only. The answers to legal ques,ons generally hinge upon the specific facts and circumstances of an ins,tu,on. Individuals with
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Panelist • Amer F. Ahmed • Intercultural Diversity Consultant
• Email: Dawahpoet@gmail.com
• TwiJer: @amerfarazahmed
The opinions expressed during today’s event are not necessarily those of PaperClip Communica:ons
Let’s Define the Problem… • The post-‐9/11 era in the U.S. has exposed a significant degree of
prejudice and bigotry towards Muslim people around the country. Underscored by the horrific murders of three University of North Carolina students earlier this year, there is a great need for educators to learn and understand the current and evolving reali:es and needs for Muslim students on campuses.
• Beyond support for religious prac,ces, Muslims (and those
perceived as Muslims) con,nue to be subject to widespread racial profiling, hate crimes, surveillance and bullying. Understanding the social, cultural and poli:cal contexts – and how they intersect for those living, learning and working on college campuses – is essen:al in understanding how you can best support this unique popula:on.
Overview • Founda,onal concepts about the religion of Islam • Common myths and misunderstandings about Islam • A historical context on Islam • Islamophobia as an issue of racism and religious discrimina,on,
why it is important and examples of profiling and hate crimes. • How the intersec,on of religion and culture creates different
contextual situa,ons in higher educa,on environments. • What you should be doing about fear and lack of understanding
on your campus to improve campus climate for all. • Recommenda,ons for responding to Islamophobic hate/bias
incidents, that can be adapted to your unique campus environment, should an incident happen occur on campus.
Islam: The Basics
• 5 pillars of faith – Faith and Declara,on in the Oneness of Allah and Muhammad (pbuh) as his prophet
– Daily Prayer – Fas,ng During the Holy Month of Ramadan – Alms/Charity (Zak’at) – Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
• Abrahamic Faith: Jesus, Moses, Noah, Isaac, Ishmael are Prophets in the Islamic tradi,on.
• Works MaJer: “Day of Judgement”
Myth vs. Reality
• Women’s Rights • Violent (Terrorism) • Jihad • An,-‐Semi,sm • Muslim = Arab • An,-‐American
Islam and Culture
• Difference between ‘Culture’ and Islam
• Similari,es across cultures
• Varia,ons across cultures • Muslim Iden,ty across the “Ummah”
• Interpreta,on of Islamic teachings
History: “Islam vs. the West”
• Orientalism • Crusades • Reconquista (Spain) • Colonialism • Post-‐Colonialism • Israel • U.S. inheritance of Colonial History
• Neo-‐colonialism
History: Islam in America • W. African Muslim Explorers in the Americas • Black Muslim Slaves (Estevan, 1527 A.D.) • Morocco, first to acknowledge U.S. sovereignty
• Georgian and Sapelo Islands • Noble Drew Ali, Farad Muhammad • Na,on of Islam • Immigrants (Arabs and others) • 1960’s change in U.S. immigra,on laws
Muslim in America: A Diverse Community
September 11, 2001
• A sudden focus on U.S. Muslims • Hate crimes/Threats/Harassment • Surveillance/Inves,ga,ons • Muslims seen as un-‐American and expected to apologize
• Muslim unprepared for response • From unknown people to pre-‐judgment and suspicion
Post 9/11: Racial Profiling
• Patriot Act • Disappearances • “Random” security checks
• Widespread support of profiling
• Discrimina,on • Customs used as a checkpoint for Homeland Security
“Ground Zero Mosque” Controversy • Not a Mosque or @ ‘Ground
Zero’ • Widespread Opposi,on incl.
ADL and +50% Democrats • Muslims compared to Nazis • Exposed opposi,on to
Islamic Centers around U.S. • Tennessee Mosque arson • Qur’an Burnings
King Hearings • “The Extent of
Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response”
• Salman Hamdani
Pastor Terry Jones
Pamela Geller
NYPD Muslim Surveillance
Wisconsin Shoo,ngs of Sikhs
Miss America: Nina Davuluri
@Cademinnick413 Are you serious??!!! The Arab wins??!!! This is miss AMERICA!!! Not miss Arabia!!! Miss Kansas is in the army and is a country girl!!! C'mon!
@Buckiller14 This is miss America not miss terrorist #getoffthescreen #USA
This is Miss America, not Miss Muslim. #sorrynotsorry
Nice slap in the face to the people of 9-11 how pathetic #missamerica
UNC Shoo,ngs
“30 Second Stretch” We think your health is important.
Please feel free to take a 30 second break to stand, stretch and/or reflect before we conKnue.
Addressing Islamophobia on campus • What resources are on your campus to address Islamophobia? (e.g. administrators, faculty, chaplain, student orgs, etc.) What is being done and what needs to be done?
• Who are the targets subject to the implica,ons of Islamophobia? Who are the allies?
• Who’s responsibility is it to proac,vely engage the issue and/or respond to any incidences that may occur?
• What are students and campus community cons,tuencies saying about this issue?
Proac,ve Campus Outreach • Develop strong rela,onships with leadership of relevant
student organiza,ons. • Muslim Student Associa,on (MSA) tends to be an important
star,ng point that represent a significant number of students. • Remember that not all Muslim students par,cipate in MSA.
Some chapters are deemed too conserva,ve or too liberal by other Muslim students on campus. Varies campus to campus.
• Some Muslim students prefer ethnic/na,onality student org over MSA. (E.g. Arab Student Assoc., Malaysian Student Assoc.)
• Recognize the need to outreach to American Muslims, Interna,onal Muslims, Refugees and others. Typically this requires collabora,on across Int’l & domes,c resources.
Proac,ve Campus Outreach (cont.) • Do not forget about non-‐Muslim students also subject to
Islamophobia (Arab Chris,ans, Hindu, Sikh, etc.) • Reach out to Hindu, Sikh, Arab and South Asian organiza,ons.
Consider also outreaching to interfaith groups. • Coordinate outreach efforts across campus resources possibly
including spiritual life depending on their effec,veness. • Consider facilita,ng cross-‐cons,tuency space to discuss and
address Islamophobia across these various groups. They oqen do not work together but may if they understand the value of collec,vely addressing islamophobia together.
• Ensure that these groups are aware of exis,ng hate/bias protocol resources on campus so that they report any incidences that occur.
Broad-‐based Campus Educa,on • Develop programs that are geared towards educa,ng the
campus community about Islam and Islamophobia. • Draw from faculty, student affairs professionals and staff as
resources of exper,se and experience. • U,lize available off-‐campus community resources like Islamic
centers, etc. • Bring outside speakers, educators & facilitators to conduct
educa,onal programs campus. • Create spaces for dialogue on the subject. • Protect the safety of Muslims students and other students
subject to Islamophobia in educa,onal spaces so they are not over-‐burdened with responsibility to educate the en,re community.
Hate/Bias Protocol • What is your Hate/Bias Protocol on campus like? • Is there a repor,ng system communicated and conveyed to all campus cons,tuencies?
• What types of responses occur when an incident is reported?
• Are there students engaged in addressing Islamophobia Hate/Bias incidents on campus as part of the broader Hate/Bias incident efforts?
U.S. Muslims Organiza,ons
• CAIR (Council on American Islamic Rela,ons) www.cair.com
• ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) www.isna.net
• IMAN (Inner-‐City Muslim Ac,on Network) www.imancentral.org
• Islam on Demand www.islamondemand.com
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• Historical context about Islam and Islamophobia
• Diversity across cultures and groups • Islamophobia is a form of racism • Campus Outreach and educa,on as part of a proac,ve effort to confront and address Islamophobia
• Hate/Bias Protocol as part of response effort to incidences that may occur on campus
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