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Islamophobia (teachers)

Dr. Susan Douglass

Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University

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Islamophobia Definitions

  • "An exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion of Muslims from America’s social, political, and civic life.” (Source)

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  • ”Islamophobia often leads to hate speech and hate crimes, social and political discrimination, can be used to rationalize policies such as mass surveillance, incarceration, and disenfranchisement, and can influence domestic and foreign policy.” (Source)

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  • ”Islamophobes assume that Islam is inherently violent, alien, and inassimilable, combined with the belief that expressions of Muslim identity correlate to a propensity for terrorism. . .” (Source)

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https://bridge.georgetown.edu/about-us/what-is-islamophobia/

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  • Islamophobia has been used in Europe since the Middle Ages. Negative stereotypes about Muslims helped build support for the Crusades.
  • Muslims were stereotyped as uncivilized and violent to justify European colonial domination of most Muslim countries from the 1800s to the 1900s.  
  • American scholar Edward Said (d. 2003) used the term “Orientalism” to describe the pattern of negatively stereotyping Muslims and other colonized peoples.

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  • Like anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, homophobia, and other prejudices, Islamophobia is often used to promote discriminatory policies that serve the interests of political actors.

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  • Islamophobia exists in public and  private spaces where Muslims are viewed as suspect and unwelcome;
  •  in workplace discrimination where Muslim practices such as wearing a scarf and praying are prohibited;
  • in traditional and social media and political discourse where Muslims are portrayed as violent, misogynist, and untrustworthy.
  • It is evident at local, state, and national levels when alleged Islamic violence is used to justify intrusive surveillance of domestic Muslim communities,
  • and at the international level when it is used to justify acts of war.

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  • Islamophobia does not include the rational criticism of Islam.
  • However, it is Islamophobic to generate fear of Islam for the purpose of advocating social and political measures that discriminate against and violate the rights of Muslims.

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  • Islamophobia affects Muslims and those perceived as Muslims. It disproportionately impacts those visibly identifiable as Muslims, such as women who wear scarves and people who are often mistaken for Muslims, such as Sikh men who wear turbans.

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What is the difference between Anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia?

  • “Phobia” means fear – usually irrational, meaning that it is not based on a real threat, or excessive and not proportional to any actual threat.

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  • Anti-Muslim hate is fear that is intentionally stoked, for the purpose of achieving some goal – to exclude, to intimidate, to drive Muslims out of civic life.

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Anti-Muslim Hate Groups

  • Anti-Muslim hate groups are a new phenomenon in the United States. Many appeared after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Such groups defame Islam and spread conspiracy theories that Muslims are a threat to the nation. They stoke fear, hate and intimidation toward Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim.
  • Anti-Muslim hate groups spread disinformation, prejudice and conspiracy theories about Muslims and Islam. Despite Islam’s long history in the US, these groups portray Muslims as alien and foreign. Hate groups portray Muslims with a set of inherent negative traits. They denigrate Muslims and their faith as irrational, intolerant and a violent threat to American society. 
  • The organized, well-funded anti-Muslim movement vilifies Muslims and the religion of Islam. Anti-Muslim groups have expanded their fearmongering to other issues like the southern border, alleged voter fraud and inclusive education . . . 

- Southern Poverty Law Center, 2022

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Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate are:

  • Against freedom of religion
    • Both denigrate the faith of over 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide
  • Against social justice
    • Both seek to de-humanize Muslims

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Boston Globe, 9/2021

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Mental health effects

  • According to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), every year since 2016, over 60% of American Muslims have reported experiencing at least one instance of religious discrimination—higher than all other religious groups in the U.S.

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  • Twice as many Muslim children report being bullied compared to the general U.S. population. In a 2021 California study, 56% of Muslim school-age respondents reported feeling unsafe at school due to their identity, and 20% of them reported missing school due to these feelings.

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Impact of bullying

  • Persistent bullying and harassment can cause:
    • Depression
    • Anxiety and fear
    • Trouble sleeping
    • Poor school participation
    • Low self-esteem
    • Psychological distress
  • Some Muslim students” experiences:
  • “My teacher stereotyped Muslims in a lesson and called on me to explain horrific acts carried out by people in Muslim countries I had never been to.”
  • “Some classmates in 4th grade thought Muslims shouldn’t be allowed into the United States and said Muslims are terrorists.”
  • “People made fun of my name and my religion. I told my mom but I cried in my room at home.”
  • “I heard another student call a Muslim classmate a terrorist and was scared to let anyone know I am Muslim.”

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Middle East/North Africa Student Experience Panel CA, 2/10/2021

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Have you ever experienced Islamophobia yourself or witnessed it? Explain.

  • “People talk against Muslims (all Muslims) in general and they say Muslims are not civilized.”
  • “I haven’t experienced it but ppl sometimes say things about 9/11 and how Muslims did it.”
  • “I have witnessed many experiences where people were acting islamophobic or racist towards people from countries that tend to be islamic. I witnessed, on multiple occasions, people (mostly guys) targeting a single person and saying ‘bomb jokes’ while laughing at them or with their friends.”
  • “My freshman year in high school (I’m a junior) I was about 14 years old, I was In math class and two guys were pretending to be a guy’s friend but when he would pass by in a rush or seem like he might be annoyed at something, they would say behind his back ‘wow wow calm down, calm him down or he’ll bomb us.’ He didn’t hear them but the people that did were laughing with them.“

How were you taught to respond to Islamophobia?

  • “I wasn’t taught but I think the good way is to just report it to the administration.”
  • “I wasn’t because I’ve. Ever witnessed it before moving to the US. And when I witness it here, everyone is just laughing which makes it hard to stand up on my own because of what people might do.”

MCPS student responses

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Kinds of bullying incidents

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    • Calling Muslims names like “terrorist,”
    • Mocking Arabic phrases they’ve heard
    • Teasing Muslim girls for wearing a scarf or hijab, an touching or pulling off scarves.
    • Social media posts containing offensive comments about Islam and Muslims
    • Being asked to justify acts in the news with which they have nothing to do
    • Being accused of sympathizing with horrific acts somewhere in the world.

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Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism are cut from the same dehumanizing cloth.

  • 1. Though only about 30% of Muslims in the world are Arabs, Arabic is a Semitic language in the same family as Hebrew. Islam emerged in the same region of SW Asia as Judaism and Christianity, among people who have lived in the region for millennia.
  • 2. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share belief in revelation from God the Creator and adhere to basic values such as those in the 10 commandments.
  • 3. Brotherhood and care for fellow human beings is an essential element of those shared values.
  • 4. The ideals shared by the three faiths, are not negated by the horrific acts of some of their adherents, in the present or the past.
  • 5. Terrorism and murder are not condoned by any of them, nor justified under their core principles.

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The new neuroscience of empathy and human conflict

  • The new, social neuroscience on empathy asserts that empathy toward others is the natural state of human beings. We feel for others experience of pain. This allows humans to cooperate socially.
  • To stoke conflict with others requires reducing empathy by dehumanizing them—those people become OTHERS—not “us” but ”them.”
  • Evidence shows that hate speech which artificially humanizes one group and dehumanizes others may actually change and override our neural mechanisms of empathy toward the pain of others.
  • These changes in the brain pose a threat to human rights and social peace.
  • “… dehumanization is associated with the denial and violation of the human rights of victims, because it has an automatic dampening effect on the neural mechanisms of pain empathy that enable empathy for the pain and suffering of others.”

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  • IS THIS WHO WE WANT TO BECOME?

From the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5034371/

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SIX SUGGESTIONS for Dismantling Islamophobia, Harvard Grad School of Education guide:

  1. Design a specific anti-bullying policy that is comprehensive of all vulnerable students. 
  2. Understand bullying as an act that’s tied to larger social issues — not just an interpersonal problem.
  3. Use academic coursework to fight bullying. 
  4. Focus curriculum interventions on human rights and inclusivity.
  5. Ensure that faculty and staff are aware of their own implicit bias. 
  6. Involve parents and communities, inviting everyone to get to know each other.

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Understand bullying as an act that’s tied to larger social issues — not just an interpersonal problem. 

  • Targeting Muslim students is different from bullying that’s based on personal characteristics, such as a peer’s weight, clothes, or academic standing. Kids who harass their Muslim peers are likely influenced by a pervasive stereotype that Muslims are terrorists or that Islam is a violent religion. Educators need to teach students to consume media with a critical eye, and to understand how the news might color their opinions.

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Design a specific anti-bullying policy that is comprehensive of all vulnerable students. 

  • Rather than adopt a general “zero tolerance” bullying policy, schools should clearly state that they won’t tolerate harassment based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or immigration status. This explicit announcement can help teachers and students alike remain aware of what behavior is uniformly unacceptable.

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Use academic coursework to fight bullying. 

  • Teachers can incorporate lessons on the importance of being an “upstander” in the face of mistreatment. Students should understand the historical consequences when people, just like them, have blindly followed stereotypes or haven’t stood up for those who are targeted and vulnerable.
  • Instructional materials must make possible acquisition of historical and geographic thinking skills in use of evidence, identifying bias and they must enable students to learn about multiple perspectives on contemporary and historical issues.

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Focus curriculum interventions on human rights and inclusivity. 

  • To work against stereotypes and a widespread lack of knowledge about Islam, schools should educate students about Islamic history, traditions, and current affairs.
      • Follow the First Amendment Guidelines for teaching about religions
      • See American Academy of Religion (AAR) K-12 Guide
        • Follow state and district standards, but with knowledge of above.
      • Don't single out Islam or Muslim students for answers.
  • Younger students can learn about holidays, cultural practices, and Islamic dietary customs within lessons about global culinary traditions, and faith-based dietary rules.
  • Older students can learn about Islamophobia within conversations about how power is distributed in the U.S.

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Ensure that faculty and staff receive content professional development, and use it to counter possible bias and misunderstanding.

  • In all interactions with students, educators should continually double-check to ensure that their words are inclusive and do not conform to stereotypes. Durrani suggests teachers think about “radical hospitality” — overtly welcoming all students, faiths, and cultures into their classrooms.

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  • Share guidelines for teaching about religion in public schools with their students to set ground rules for healthy class discussions.

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https://assets-global.website-files.com/61488f992b58e687f1108c7c/617bfd6cf1456219c2c4bc5c_islamophobia.pdf

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Involve parents and communities, inviting everyone to get to know each other. 

  • School leaders can use PTO/PTA meetings for families to learn about cultural and religious differences in their communities, inviting Muslim families to participate.

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  • School leaders can also use these meetings to highlight why they think it’s important to use curriculum to prepare students to live in heterogeneous, egalitarian communities, and avoid parent pressure to “opt out” of instruction on Islam and other religions in the course.

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�Combating Islamophobia --Resources for educators

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Thank you for listening