Campus Connection

While Islamophobia in the U.S. is not new, the presidential campaign has brought a new round of anti-Muslim discourse, says Mahruq Khan, UWL associate professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. The rise of Islamophobia in the U.S. is the subject of a talk on campus Monday, April 4. Corey Saylor, director of the Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington D.C., will talk about the impact of religious bigotry and racism on the lives of Muslims in the U.S. The presentation will be at 5:30 p.m. in 1400 Centennial Hall. “We hope that further education and discussion on this topic will lead to greater understanding of Muslims at UWL, in the U.S. and around the world,” says Khan. Saylor will also discuss the threats Islamophobia presents to American ideals and the U.S. Constitution, as well as pragmatic solutions to the problem. The demonization of Muslims is nothing new, notes Khan. Hollywood, the mainstream American news outlets, and Orientalist literature, at large, have historically perpetuated notions of Muslim men as barbaric, terrorists, and criminals, and Muslim women as oppressed, yet exotic victims of unbridled patriarchy, says Khan. Immediately following Sept. 11, 2001, anti-Muslim fervor led to the FBI profiling of innocent Muslims, vandalized mosques and homes, hate crimes, indefinite detentions of Muslim men, anti-Muslim legislation, employment discrimination, xenophobic rhetoric, and more, says Khan. Today hate crimes against Muslims have spiked to a level five times higher than the time immediately following Sept. 11, 2001, according to the FBI. Saylor is an expert on political communications, legislative advocacy, media relations and anti-Islam prejudice. He has conducted dozens of leadership, advocacy and media training sessions across the U.S., including speaking to audiences at NASA and the U.S. National War College. Saylor has also authored a number of reports documenting anti-Islam sentiment in the U.S., is a regular voice on U.S. and international news outlets ranging from Fox News to CNN, the BBC, the New York Times and Al Jazeera. Event sponsors include: Campus Climate; College of Business Administration; College of Liberal Studies; International Education & Engagement; International Student Organization; Provost Betsy Morgan and the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Economics; Ethnic and Racial Studies; History; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and the School of Education.