The Power of Language in Combating Islamophobia [ACS]

Twenty years ago, America experienced the worst terrorist attack in its history, triggering a “War on Terror” against Muslim communities. Today, our nation is undergoing a moment of racial reckoning. Tens of millions of Americans, especially our youth, are recognizing that systemic racism is pervasive. Their attempts to upend such systems offers an important insight: words matter. How we describe a particular act can skew public opinion in support of government programs designed to subordinate specific minority communities. Take the word terrorist, for example. For the 97 percent of Americans… Continue reading “The Power of Language in Combating Islamophobia [ACS]”

Cornel West’s Resignation: When Anti-Black and Anti-Palestinian Racism Converge [New Arab]

It is no secret that Palestine is taboo in US academia. Harvard’s recent denial of tenure to renowned race scholar Cornel West is the most recent instance.  For decades, Arab American faculty have faced tenure denial or termination; students have been reprimanded and some even criminally charged; and Middle East studies programmes are under constant threat of defunding.  All based on the fallacious claim that teaching, research, and activism that brings to light Israel’s rampant violations of Palestinian human rights is axiomatically anti-Semitic.  Big donors, alumni, and well-funded legal advocacy groups unabashedly command… Continue reading “Cornel West’s Resignation: When Anti-Black and Anti-Palestinian Racism Converge [New Arab]”

Global Perspectives on Black Lives Matter as a Human Rights Movement [Gonzaga University]

Professor Sahar Aziz participated in a plenary panel at the Gonzaga University School of Law’s international conference on “Global Perspectives on Black Lives Matter as a Human Rights Movement.” In addressing the transnational linkages between the Black Lives Matter movement and global Islamophobia, Professor Aziz provided a critical race theory analysis to the overlapping systemic forces subordinating Black and Muslim communities in the United States.… Continue reading “Global Perspectives on Black Lives Matter as a Human Rights Movement [Gonzaga University]”

How the U.S. Government Manufactured Muslim Terrorists [Thinking Allowed]

Sahar Aziz was a host on the Thinking Allowed Podcast where she discussed how the American government selective enforces counterterrorism laws against innocent Muslims, while overlooking the spike in far right wing extremism over the past decade that culminated in a siege on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Her analysis is based on her article State Sponsored Radicalization in the Michigan Journal of Race and the Law. To listen and watch the interview, click here.… Continue reading “How the U.S. Government Manufactured Muslim Terrorists [Thinking Allowed]”

The FBI’s Racialized Priorities Endangered Our Democracy [Medium]

Where was the FBI in the months leading up to the violent siege on the Capitol? Among the many questions surrounding this week’s jarring events, this one reveals the extent to which double standards in law enforcement threaten our nation’s security. For weeks, Donald Trump’s far right-wing supporters publicly called for and planned a protest in Washington, D.C. on January 6, the day Congress was to certify the election results. Officials knew the Proud Boys and QAnon may try to breach the Capitol perimeter. Yet when the day came, the… Continue reading “The FBI’s Racialized Priorities Endangered Our Democracy [Medium]”

A Black History Month Discussion [NJMLA]

Sahar Aziz participated on the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association’s panel entitled African American Muslim History and Impact on February 25, 2021. She discussed with her co-panelists Professor Saleema Snow, Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, and Chundzom Lopez the importance of addressing anti-Black racism within American Muslim communities as these diverse communities engage on cross-racial social justice coalitions.… Continue reading “A Black History Month Discussion [NJMLA]”

Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Gives Trump a Supreme Court Nomination [BBC World]

The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, 2020 has triggered calls by Republicans to fill her seat before the November 3 presidential elections. Professor Sahar Aziz analyzes the political implications of Senator McConnell pushing through a conservative Justice just weeks before the nation votes on whether to keep Donald Trump or elect Joe Biden as the new president. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court and the rule of law in the United States.… Continue reading “Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Gives Trump a Supreme Court Nomination [BBC World]”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Legacy of Empathy and Courage [Al Jazeera]

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life embodies the best of America. Her experiences of being a first-generation American, a religious minority, and a woman who overcame discrimination informed her jurisprudence. The grandchild of Jewish immigrants from Russia, Ginsburg understood how fear of violent pogroms caused her family to leave their home, along with hundreds of thousands of Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. She also appreciated the hope for a better life America offers its constant stream of newcomers. Despite the discrimination she faced, America was… Continue reading “Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Legacy of Empathy and Courage [Al Jazeera]”