The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom

Why does a country with religious liberty enmeshed in its legal and social structures produce such overt prejudice and discrimination against Muslims? Sahar Aziz’s groundbreaking book demonstrates how race and religion intersect to create what she calls the Racial Muslim. Comparing discrimination against immigrant Muslims with the prejudicial treatment of Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and African American Muslims during the twentieth century, Aziz explores the gap between America’s aspiration for and fulfillment of religious freedom. With America’s demographics rapidly changing from a majority white Protestant nation to a multiracial, multireligious society,… Continue reading “The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom”

Master Class on Racism and Discriminations [UNESCO]

Professor Aziz joined a panel of international experts in Paris, France to examine on global racism and discrimination in the latest Master Class Against Racism and Discrimination hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Following a keynote by Dr. Ibram Kendi on the Great Replacement Theory, the four expert panelists explore the transnational origins and manifestations of racism adversely impacting Black and Brown communities in the Global North. She addressed the origins and manifestations of transnational Islamophobia, grounded in the research from her two groundbreaking books… Continue reading “Master Class on Racism and Discriminations [UNESCO]”

Are There Racial Limits to Free Speech? [UChicago]

The ongoing battles over free speech, academic freedom, and informed debates on Palestine prompt a deeper exploration of the relationship between race and free speech. Join Professor Sahar Aziz for a conversation at The Chicago Forum as she examines the parallels and distinctions between the contemporary censorship, defamation, and economic retaliation faced by persons whose speech and political activism center the experiences of Palestinians and past eras of political repression targeting racial minorities fighting for equal rights. Sahar Aziz is a Distinguished Professor of Law, Middle East Legal Studies Scholar,… Continue reading “Are There Racial Limits to Free Speech? [UChicago]”

The University and Democracy [BU Law]

Universities are meant to be guardians of democracy and bulwarks against authoritarianism. Yet many of our most powerful universities have enabled the Trump administration’s open effort to exert “existential terror” on our institutions and our communities. This convening at Boston University School of Law critically examined why universities have failed to protect democracy and how we might democratize our institutions and reorient toward their core mission: to pursue truth and knowledge for the common good. Professor Sahar Aziz participated on a panel entitled “Universities, the Empire and Academic Freedom… Continue reading “The University and Democracy [BU Law]”

How Race-Baiting Against Zohran Mamdani Continues an American Political Tradition [MEE]

“Terrorist supporter”, “antisemite”, “foreign invader”. These are just a few of the anti-Muslim racial tropes frequently hurled at Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim-American frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race. While such overt anti-Muslim racism recalls the rapid surge in Islamophobia after 9/11, race-baiting against religious minorities has a far longer history in American politics. One need look no further than the grandparents of today’s Irish, Italian, and Jewish-American politicians. The similarities between the anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish race-baiting of a century ago and the rampant anti-Muslim … Continue reading “How Race-Baiting Against Zohran Mamdani Continues an American Political Tradition [MEE]”

When I Look at Zohran Mamdani,Here’s What I See [NYT]

A few days before Zohran Mamdani’s decisive victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York, a friend and I were speculating about his chances of winning. We indulged in a moment of giddy optimism at the prospect that a Muslim man might actually become the mayor of the city we live in. With the polling available then, it seemed plausible. “If he does,” my friend, Arman Dzidzovic, said, “it’s about to get so much worse.” Arman was referring to the wave of anti-Muslim vitriol already swelling toward Mr.… Continue reading “When I Look at Zohran Mamdani,Here’s What I See [NYT]”

Trump Indicts James Comey [Al Jazeera]

President Donald Trump demanded that the US Department of Justice indict Former FBI Agent James Comey in retaliation for Comey’s independent investigation into Trump’s ties with the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Professor Sahar Aziz offers her analysis of the implications of this political prosecution on American democracy and the rule of law. Watch her interview here and below.… Continue reading “Trump Indicts James Comey [Al Jazeera]”

Threats to Free Speech and Palestinian Equality: IHRA Definition of Antisemitism [Rutgers]

State legislatures across the country seek to quash free speech, violate academic freedom, and promote anti-Palestinian racism by codifying the erroneous IHRA definition of antisemitism. Professor Sahar Aziz joined Dr. Raz Segal, a Holocaust and genocide studies scholar, in a panel on how the erroneous IHRA definition of antisemitism is promoted by pro-Israeli Zionist special interest groups seeking to shield Israel from political criticism, in violation of First Amendment prohibitions of viewpoint-based state regulation of speech. The two experts also explain how such legislative efforts coercively censor criticism of the… Continue reading “Threats to Free Speech and Palestinian Equality: IHRA Definition of Antisemitism [Rutgers]”

Egypt’s New Authoritarian Republic [Arab Center]

Professor Sahar Aziz joined experts on Egypt for a conversation about the new book Egypt’s New Authoritarian Republic co-edited by Robert Springborg and Abdel-Fattah Maty (2025). Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has sought to create a “New Republic,” a stronger, more authoritarian state capable of positively transforming Egypt’s polity, economy, society, and role in the region and the world. Thus far, success has been elusive. Why? And with what consequences for the regime and the country? These are the two questions at the heart of the new book Egypt’s New Authoritarian… Continue reading “Egypt’s New Authoritarian Republic [Arab Center]”

Mahmoud Khalil Released, Free Speech Under Attack [Al Jazeera]

A federal district judge ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil on bond, after finding that he is not a flight risk or a danger to society. Professor Sahar Aziz explains why the judge also concluded that Khalil had a strong likelihood of success in his claim that the Trump administration violated his First Amendment rights in his original arrest and detention. Mahmoud Khalil participated in nonviolent, anti-genocide student protests at Columbia University in 2023 to 2024. Professor Sahar Aziz offers her analysis of the legal and political implications of the… Continue reading “Mahmoud Khalil Released, Free Speech Under Attack [Al Jazeera]”

ADL Fuels Islamophobia and Betrays Its Civil Rights Mission [Academe]

For decades, when the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was mentioned, it was usually in reference to combatting antisemitism. Now the ADL is more accurately cited in the litany of pro-Israeli groups attempting to criminalize Muslim and Palestinian students for seeking an end to the horrific genocide in Gaza. For over a hundred years, the ADL has described itself as a leading civil rights organization focused on Jewish American communities but also recognizing that the civil rights of Jews are interconnected with those of other minority communities. Indeed, the ADL was… Continue reading “ADL Fuels Islamophobia and Betrays Its Civil Rights Mission [Academe]”