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Islamophobia in the United States: a Reading Resource Pack by Rhonda Itaoui and Elsadig Elsheikh

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Islamophobia in the United States: a Reading Resource Pack by Rhonda Itaoui and Elsadig Elsheikh Research Lit Review September 2018 Islamophobia in the United States: A Reading Resource Pack by Rhonda Itaoui and Elsadig Elsheikh HAASINSTITUTE.BERKELEY.EDU This publication is published by the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley This Reading Resource Pack was developed by researchers from the Global Justice Program at the Haas Institute, as part of its larger project of documenting and countering Islamophobia. About the Authors Reviewers Contact Rhonda Itaoui is a Research Farid Hafez 460 Stephens Hall Fellow with the Haas Institute, Salzburg University Berkeley, CA 94720-2330 working with the Global Anna Mansson McGinty Tel 510-642-3326 Justice program to produce University of Wisconsin- haasinstitute.berkeley.edu research on Islamophobia and Milwaukee the exclusion of Muslims in the West. She is in the final year of a PhD program in Copyeditor Social Sciences at Western Marc Abizeid Sydney University in Australia, and a visiting scholar at the Cover Art UC Berkeley Islamophobia Kyung Chyun Research and Documentation designer + illustrator Project. Her international www.kchyun.com PhD fieldwork explores the relational impacts of globalized Design & Layout Islamophobia on the spatial Rachelle Galloway-Popotas mobility of young Muslims in the California Bay Area and in Report Citation Sydney, Australia. Rhonda Itaoui and Elsadig Elsheikh. “Islamophobia Elsadig Elsheikh is the director in the United States: A of the Global Justice Program Reading Resource Pack.” at the Haas Institute where his Haas Institute for a Fair and research focuses on the socio- Inclusive Society, University of political dynamics of neoliberal California, Berkeley. Berkeley, globalization as related to CA. September 2018. https:// development, food systems, haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/ global forced migration, human global-justice/islamophobia/ and indigenous peoples’ rights, resource-pack-us state and citizenship, and structural barriers to inclusivity. Contents Introduction 5 Theorizing the Field 7 Politics and Foreign Policy 13 Legal System and National Security 17 Mainstream and Digital Media 21 Othering, Discrimination, and Hate Crimes 25 Gendered Dimensions 29 Health and Community Well-being 33 Geography and the Public Space 37 Counter-narratives and Strategies 41 Young American Muslims and Belonging 45 The purpose of this publication is to enhance the utility of existing academic research on Islamophobia in the United States for a wide range of stakeholders interested in challenging this global phenomenon. haasinstitute.berkeley.edu Islamophobia in the United States: A Reading Resource Pack 4 Introduction THIS READING RESOURCE PACK provides a As emphasized by the many readings cited in thematic overview of current academic research this reading resource pack, Islamophobia is not on Islamophobia in the United States in the form new. Rather, Islamophobia in the US is part of a of peer-reviewed academic journal articles and deep-rooted demonization of Islam and Muslims books. This effort brings to light the wide range of that pre-dates the tragic September 11, 2001 research on Islamophobia produced in the last few attacks. Some scholars argue that Islamophobia decades. In doing so, the authors wish to highlight is connected to “colonial empire building” which trends in knowledge production around this topic racialized and dehumanized Muslims, in order and draw attention to any areas in need of further to justify the occupation of Muslim lands. In the development where contributions can be made. US, Bernard Lewis’s 1990 article, “The Roots While definitions of Islamophobia have been of- of Muslim Rage,” most notably introduced the fered by a range of researchers, scholars, and argument that there was a “clash of civilizations” community organizers grappling with the evolving between Islam and the West. This set up of an “us nature of anti-Muslim sentiment around the world, vs. them” dichotomy between Islam and the West the Haas Institute defines Islamophobia as “a belief that has only intensified in the last few decades. that Islam is a monolithic religion whose followers, Following the 9/11 attacks, this racialization and Muslims, do not share common values with other demonization of Muslims in the US has normalized major faiths; is inferior to Judaism and Christianity; Islamophobic rhetoric and resulted in organized, is archaic, barbaric, and irrational; is a religion of well-funded Islamophobia movements across the violence that supports terrorism; and is a violent country and around the world. political ideology.” As defined, Islamophobia forms The purpose of this publication is to enhance the the basis of an ideology that views Muslims as a utility of existing academic research on Islam- threat to “Western” civilization. Furthermore, Is- ophobia in the United States for a wide range of lamophobia is contingent upon the construction stakeholders interested in challenging this global and reification of a homogenized Muslim “other” phenomenon. These stakeholders may include who should be viewed suspiciously, scrutinized, activists, civil rights organizations, community work- dehumanized, and excluded from “Western” or ers, counselors, students, researchers, and policy- “Judeo-Christian” societies. makers. In providing the community with a short- Islamophobia is expressed in prejudicial views, hand summary of publications about Islamophobia, discriminatory language, and acts of verbal and we aim to categorize existing work, encourage a physical violence inflicted upon Muslims, and robust expansion of these debates, and establish a those perceived to be Muslim. Islamophobia has framework for the synthesis and summary of anti-Is- manifested in a policing regime that engages in lamophobia research across the globe. the profiling, surveillance, torture, and detention of As a part of the Haas Institute’s larger body of people along racial/ethnic and religious lines and work that exposes and challenges Islamophobia, has justified the militarization of foreign policy as this reading resource pack identifies academic well as an unprecedented expansion of security publications that document, critique, provide apparatuses that impact all peoples. counter-narratives, and suggest solutions to Islam- ophobia in the United States and beyond. haasinstitute.berkeley.edu Islamophobia in the United States: A Reading Resource Pack 5 The reading resource pack catalogs more than In addition, reading recommendations are provided 430 citations on the study of Islamophobia in the within each area, listed in alphabetical order. US, organized under these 10 main themes: This work is undertaken utilizing the “othering and • Theorizing the Field belonging” framework of the Haas Institute, which • Politics and Foreign Policy we believe provides a critical analytical lens in our research, advocacy, and policymaking efforts to • Legal System and National Security build a more inclusive and equitable society. • Mainstream and Digital Media In response to the experiences of Muslim Ameri- • Othering, Discrimination, and Hate Crimes cans and the Muslim community at large, we seek to counteract all forms of discrimination, xenopho- • Gendered Dimensions bia, and related intolerance to expose the power • Health and Community Well-being structures that generate them, in order to ultimately • Geography and the Public Space foster a more inclusive world. The Haas Institute suggests this reading resource pack be used as a • Counter-narratives and Strategies companion resource for training and education on • Young American Muslims and Belonging the study of Islamophobia, and how to counter it. In addition, this publication annotates three key In an effort to expand the geographical focus of readings under each theme, subjectively selected this publication, the next edition of this reading under three main criteria: resource pack will focus on documenting anti-Is- • Frequently cited lamophobia research in the Asia-Pacific region. • Critical perspective • Recent perspective haasinstitute.berkeley.edu Islamophobia in the United States: A Reading Resource Pack 6 Theorizing the Field THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS in Islamophobia research are evident in cross-dis- ciplinary definitions and conceptualizations of anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States. In an attempt to describe the phenomenon of Islamophobia, a wide range of researchers have critiqued the social construction, othering, and racialization of Muslim identities in the US. These bodies of work include historical contextualization of Islam- ophobia and intellectual engagements in diverse fields of theoretical analyses, such as racialization/racism, Orientalism and de-colonial, anti-imperial, and deconstructionist frameworks. In doing so, these works highlight how Islamophobia operates within both historical and current global processes of colonialism and imperialism. In addition, recent efforts provide a range of descriptions, definitions, and measures of how Islam- ophobia operates and manifests in the US. Annotations FREQUENTLY CITED Said, Edward W. Orientalism New York, NY: Vintage Books (1978). Edward Said (1935-2003) was among the most widely known intellectuals in the world and one of the forefa- thers of the field of post-colonial studies. He was best known for his book Orientalism, considered one of the foundational texts for the study of Islamophobia. Orientalism describes the way Western cultural, academic, and imperial projects have crafted a dehumanizing representation of “the Arab”
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