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”

For many Muslim women, the racism and suspicion after 9/11 still hasn’t lifted [The 19th]

Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many Muslim Americans are still perceived in ways shaped by 9/11 and continue to face discrimination, bigotry and suspicion. Muslim women, many of whom wear a visible identifier of their faith, often find themselves targets for what they represent, both past and present. Views on Islam are more negative now than they were in 2002, according to Pew data. The 19th spoke to experts about the long impact of 9/11 and the growth of the Muslim American community as Islamophobic… Continue reading “For many Muslim women, the racism and suspicion after 9/11 still hasn’t lifted [The 19th]”

Appointment of Muslim judge in tiny Mississippi town brings social media attacks [AP]

A municipal judge’s appointment in a small Mississippi Delta town has drawn social media backlash, from internet trolls and a few Mississippi politicians, because she is Muslim. In recent days, people including some Mississippi politicians attacked Ali online for what they claimed are radical beliefs – without any substantiation. They accused her of fabricating the judicial appointment and speculated she would institute Islamic law. Social media posts falsely claimed she was appointed as a judge in Ridgeland or in Lumberton. Sahar Aziz, a professor of law and Middle East Legal … Continue reading “Appointment of Muslim judge in tiny Mississippi town brings social media attacks [AP]”

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]”