Free Speech in the Age of Politically-Motivated Violence [Georgetown Law]

The Journal of National Security Law and Policy hosted a symposium at Georgetown Law Center on the relationship between free speech and politically-motivated violence. Sahar Aziz participated on a panel addressing threats of violence, including the doctrine established in Brandenburg v. Ohio and the infamous “Unite the Right” rally and implications of United States v. Miselis on the Anti-Riot Act, alongside Professor Amanda Shanor, Professor Laura Donohue, and Lieutenant Commander Navy JAG Lauren Cherry. -To learn more about the conference, click here… Continue reading “Free Speech in the Age of Politically-Motivated Violence [Georgetown Law]”

The Dichotomy Between the First Amendment and How Muslims are Treated [The Jabot]

In this episode of the Jabot podcast, Kathryn speaks with Sahar Aziz, author, and Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School. Sahar shares how she first became interested in her book, The Racial Muslim. She details some historical examples of how the book’s hypothesis is supported and discusses how far back the ideas go. Professor Aziz also talks about the dichotomy between belief in the First Amendment and how that squares away in modern political discourse with the reality of how Muslims are treated. — To listen to the… Continue reading “The Dichotomy Between the First Amendment and How Muslims are Treated [The Jabot]”

What Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Nomination Means for Higher Ed [Diverse]

If Jackson becomes a Supreme Court Justice, the ideological balance of the Court would not change. The current 6-3 conservative-majority would still be in place. However, there would be other firsts. Jackson would be one of four female Justices, three of whom would have been nominated by Democratic presidents. Sahar Aziz, who is also the author of The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom, noted that a Black woman joining the Supreme Court is of particular consequence. “While all judges commit to and should perform their roles in an… Continue reading “What Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Nomination Means for Higher Ed [Diverse]”

Dickinson College to Host Talk on Race and Religious Freedom

Middle East and legal studies scholar Sahar Aziz will deliver the annual Wesley Lecture at Dickinson. The talk, “The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashed Religious Freedom,” will take place Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter (ATS) Auditorium. It is free and open to the public. Well-fitting masks are required, and N95 or KN95 masks are strongly recommended. The lecture will also be available on a YouTube livestream. Aziz is a professor of law, chancellor’s social justice scholar and Middle East and legal… Continue reading “Dickinson College to Host Talk on Race and Religious Freedom”

The U.S. census sees Middle Eastern and North African people as white. Many don’t [NPR]

The complicated relationship many people with MENA origins have with whiteness is entangled with a naturalization system in the U.S. that, until 1952, imposed racial restrictions on which immigrants could become citizens. First arriving in large numbers in the late 1800s, the earliest generations of immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa saw whiteness as the path towards claiming full rights in their new country. There were several court cases where Syrian immigrants emphasized their Christianity because it was considered a European religion and, therefore, a marker of whiteness,… Continue reading “The U.S. census sees Middle Eastern and North African people as white. Many don’t [NPR]”

The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom [UC Berkeley]

The University of Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Religion hosted Rutgers Law Professor and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, Sahar Aziz, for a keynote lecture on her new book 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,… Continue reading “The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom [UC Berkeley]”

Sahar Aziz Presents “The Racial Muslim” [UC Hastings School of Law]

The Center for Racial and Economic Justice and Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly welcome Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, Sahar Aziz, in conversation with Professor Evelyn Rangel-Medina, to discuss her new book, The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom, which explores the racialization of religion in the United States. Muslims have experienced a long history of exclusion and discrimination in the United States. For example, Muslims were formally ineligible for U.S. citizenship, which was historically reserved only for “free white persons.” Professor Aziz examines… Continue reading “Sahar Aziz Presents “The Racial Muslim” [UC Hastings School of Law]”

US Muslims react to Biden’s nomination of first Muslim woman to be federal judge [Middle East Eye]

“Nusrat Choudhury is representative of plaintiffs who bring civil rights cases. She tends to sue the government, advocating against national security policies and practices. And that is quite different in terms of how she has worked with the law and has worked to ensure that the law provides equal protection to everyone.” One-sided view Government lawyers and former lawyers for large companies are highly overrepresented in the judiciary, she explained, which has caused significant concern within the legal profession that the judiciary has a one-sided view of the efficacy of… Continue reading “US Muslims react to Biden’s nomination of first Muslim woman to be federal judge [Middle East Eye]”