Impact of Global Competition on Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East [Arab Center]

Professor Sahar Aziz contributed her expertise on human rights in the Middle East during the Arab Center’s sixth annual conference on the panel Competition on Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East. The conference addressed developments in US policy with regard to human rights and democracy, the role of Russia and China in empowering totalitarian regimes and representing a new axis of authoritarianism, the impact of US disengagement and growing Russian and Chinese power projections on human rights, the role of international mechanisms like UN resolutions and Human… Continue reading “Impact of Global Competition on Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East [Arab Center]”

France burkini ban challenged in country’s top court [The Independent]

France’s top court is set to deliver a ruling on the controversial burkini ban after hearing an appeal by the city of Grenoble to allow the bathing suit in public pools. Grenoble formally allowed women to wear the full-length swimwear in state pools in May, 10 years after a local ban on the burkini was introduced in several French cities. But not without a grim warning from the interior minister that he would work to block the move. The decision, said minister Gérald Darmanin, was an “unacceptable community provocation,… Continue reading “France burkini ban challenged in country’s top court [The Independent]”

National Conference on Race and Ethnicity 2022 [NCORE]

Sahar Aziz presented her groundbreaking book The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom at the 2022 Annual National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Portland, Oregon. Engaging with an audience of university administrators, faculty and students committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, Professor Aziz explained the historical and contemporary factors contributing to the racialization of Muslim identity, and consequent civil rights violations. Comparing discrimination against immigrant Muslims with the prejudicial treatment of Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and African American Muslims during the twentieth century, Professor Aziz explored the gap between… Continue reading “National Conference on Race and Ethnicity 2022 [NCORE]”

Racing Religion [NYU Center for Race, Inequality and the Law]

In her lecture Racing Religion, hosted by the NYU Center for Race, Inequality and the Law, Sahar Aziz explains how the racialization of Muslims, Jews, and Catholics are animated by similar political and social factors. Understanding the past is critical for eliminating inter-generational, systemic racism against religious minorities. To watch the lecture, click here.… Continue reading “Racing Religion [NYU Center for Race, Inequality and the Law]”

Where Migrants Suffered Matters at the U.S.-Mexico Border [TIME]

On March 11, as the number of Ukrainians arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border began to tick up, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a special memo advising border officials that they could, on a case-by-case basis, offer that particular group special treatment. Unlike tens of thousands of other migrants, fleeing violence in other countries, border guards could exempt Ukrainians from the public health order, Title 42. The exemption, which was first reported by CBS News, was cheered by immigrant advocates and lawmakers. But many also pointed… Continue reading “Where Migrants Suffered Matters at the U.S.-Mexico Border [TIME]”

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and America’s Moment of Racial Reckoning [Al Jazeera]

Today, the United States is experiencing a new moment of racial reckoning. A rapidly diversifying population is demanding systemic equity and meaningful access to constitutional freedoms. This transformation for the better is neither complete nor progressing without resistance. In an historic first, an African American woman, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, has been nominated to the Supreme Court. Her nomination to the highest judicial body of the nation is rightfully seen as a product of the United States’ current moment of racial reckoning. Despite being well-qualified for the position, she has baselessly been… Continue reading “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and America’s Moment of Racial Reckoning [Al Jazeera]”

Princeton School of Public and International Affairs features The Racial Muslim [Endnotes]

Freedom of religion is a constitutionally protected right in the religion clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. By definition, this should reflect America’s diversity and cover all people equally — whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, agnostic, or atheist. In practice, however, Americans sometimes support policies that seemingly violate the civil rights of Muslims. Although the U.S. Census identifies Muslim immigrants of the Middle East and North Africa as white, they face discrimination and prejudices of being terrorists, suspicious, and violent. This paradox is the heart of “The … Continue reading “Princeton School of Public and International Affairs features The Racial Muslim [Endnotes]”

Kleh Lecture on Global Islamophobia [Boston University School of Law]

Myriad political, social, and economic contexts contribute toward Islamophobia and consequent normalization of anti-Muslim racism in various parts of the world.  Simultaneous to the rise in global Islamophobia is the rise of right-wing populism, especially in Western nations.  Whether it is in the form of right-wing political parties in Europe, Trumpism in the United States, concentration camps for Uighurs in China, the genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar, or the Hindutva movement in India, Muslims are perceived by the state and the public as security, political, or economic threats.  The widespread scapegoating of… Continue reading “Kleh Lecture on Global Islamophobia [Boston University School of Law]”

Achieving Excellence Speaker Series Features Sahar Aziz [Pittsburgh Law]

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law will feature professor/author Sahar Aziz in a forum, moderated by Professor SpearIt, which ties the themes from her book, The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom, to the concerns and experiences of Muslims living in the City of Pittsburgh. Then Professor Aziz will present the keynote lecture about her book, in which she explores this paradox: how could a religious minority be so overtly discriminated against in a country that privileges religious freedom legally and normatively. — To learn more about the… Continue reading “Achieving Excellence Speaker Series Features Sahar Aziz [Pittsburgh Law]”