Islamophobia in Europe and the United States

Keynote Speaker:

Sayeed's Book:

Tania Sayeed

Workshop Overview:
Reclaiming the Narrative: Islamophobia and the Muslim Identity in the “West” - This workshop provides an opportunity for scholars from various disciplines to come together and critically examine these debates around Islamophobia. In particular, a comparative analysis will be undertaken exploring how Islamophobia is understood, experienced, and institutionalized in countries across Europe, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States.

  • Reclaiming the Narrative: Islamophobia and the Muslim Identity in the “West”
    This workshop provides an opportunity for scholars from various disciplines to come together and critically examine these debates around Islamophobia. In particular, a comparative analysis will be undertaken exploring how Islamophobia is understood, experienced, and institutionalized in countries across Europe, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States. The workshop aims to address the following themes:

    • Islamophobia and its meaning(s) – history; racialization; securitization; xenophobia; religious discrimination; gender and religiosity

    • Radicalization and the “Muslim terrorist” – meanings of radicalization as linked to the Muslim identity; differentiating between the Muslim and the non Muslim terrorist; case studies of Muslims who have turned to terrorism; Gender and radicalization

    • Securitization, Media, and Political Rhetoric – meanings of securitization; portrayal of Muslims in media, films and by politicians; portrayals of non Muslim “terrorists;” the politics of ratings and Islamophobia.

    • Intersections between religion, ethnicity, race and nationality – the role of other identities in reinforcing Islamophobia in Europe, UK and the US; “Pakophobia”; the “Arab” Muslim identity; the “black” Muslim identity; the “white” Muslim identity; the other “passport”.

    • The Internet, Islamophobia and Radicalization – the role of the internet as a radicalizing tool; encouraging Islamophobic behavior.

    • Education and Islamophobia: Monitoring and surveillance of Muslim students; Islamic Student Societies (ISoc); Muslim Student Associations (MSA); counter terrorism legislation in educational institutions.

    • Resisting Islamophobia – Young Muslims and resistance; Music, poetry and resistance; Comedy and resistance, the Internet and resistance.