Islamophobia

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Arab Media Forum to discuss ‘Islamophobia: Is media doing enough to reverse perceptions?’
By Staff, Emirates 24/7
17 April 2013

Dubai Press Club, organisers of the Arab Media Forum, today announced details of a key session that will be presented during the 12th Arab Media Forum, the region’s largest media gathering.

The forum will run on May 14 – 15 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Dubai and it will be attended by representatives from prominent media outlets, thought leaders, academics, policy makers and students from both the Arab region and beyond.

Islamophobia is conventionally defined as prejudice against, hatred towards, or irrational fear of Muslims. This perception goes back to historic times when Islam gained a stereotypical connotation and was synonymous with violence and intolerance towards other religions. Over the years, this view has been given impetus by events, people and places. (read more)

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Egypt’s mufti urges Muslims to endure insults peacefully
By Yasmine Saleh, Reuters
20 September 2012

Muslims angered by cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad should follow his example of enduring insults without retaliating, Egypt’s highest Islamic legal official said on Thursday.

Western embassies tightened security in Sanaa, fearing the cartoons published in a French magazine on Wednesday could lead to more unrest in the Yemeni capital where crowds attacked the U.S. mission last week over an anti-Islam film made in America.

In the latest of a wave of protests against that video in the Islamic world, several thousand Shi’ite Muslims demonstrated in the northern Nigerian town of Zaria, burning an effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama and crying “Death to America”.

The cartoons in France’s Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly have provoked relatively little street anger so far, although about 100 Iranians demonstrated outside the French embassy in Tehran. (read more)

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Building African-Arab connections during Black History Month
By Khaled A. Beydoun, Abed Ayoub, Al Jazeera
8 February 2012

Past leaders like Malcolm X show that Islam has deep roots in the African-American community [GALLO/GETTY]

African Americans comprise more than one-quarter of the Muslim population in the US, whereas the majority of Arab Americans who identify as people of color (and reject the governmental Caucasian designation) practice Islam.

The rising tide of Islamophobia in the US, which vilifies and “others” Muslims of both African and Arab descent, requires the integrated attention and efforts of both communities. A 2011 Pew Study identified Black Muslims to be the “most feared members of the population”, signaling that the fight against Islamophobia must be championed by both communities beyond the lines of faith and along the lines of justice. (read more)

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