Muslims in American Politics

This blog post is about Muslim Americans serving in American politics including the U.S. Government. There are two Muslims in the House of Representatives, and interestingly both of them are converts. There is also a Somali women who is serving as an elected official in the Minnesota legislature. This blog also discusses how some people believe President Obama is a secretly practicing Muslim, and how this effected his campaign. This blog post is another example of how sociological theories actually impact people, especially in light of the recent election.

Andre Carson

Andre Carson: Muslim American in the House of Representatives

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Andre Carson was raised as a Baptist. However, later in his teen years he converted to Islam after witnessing Muslims “pushing back crime” in his neighborhood. He later decided to work in the anti-terrorism unit in the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Carson was inspired to do so because he was arrested at age 17 after police officers tried to go into a mosque without probable cause.  Carson now holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Management from Concordia University-Wisconsin and a Master’s in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University (Carson 2016). He worked full-time in law enforcement and served on the Indianapolis City-County Council before taking office.

Andre Carson is now the U.S. Representative for Indiana’s 7^th congressional district. Carson was elected in 2008. He is also a member of the Democratic Party. “Carson is one of only two Muslims serving in Congress. The other is Rep. Keith Ellison” (Garsd 2015). Carson actually won and took over the seat that was originally held by his grandmother Julia Carson. During this campaign Carson criticized Marvin Scott (Republican opponent) for attacking Carson and his religion. He faced the same discrimination of his religion in 2010 when he reclaimed his seat in congress. (King 2010)

Carson has been put on record in a negative light due to some of his comments. Carson said, “The Tea Party is stopping that change. This is the effort that we are seeing of Jim Crow. Some of these folks would love to see us as second class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party would love to see you and me hanging on a tree” (Galer 2016).

Carson made a speech to an Islamic group that resulted in criticism because he mentioned that “American public schools should be modeled on Islamic madrassas”(Hibbard 2012). He later went on to host another interview with reporter Mary Beth Schneider of The Indianapolis Star. In the interview he mentioned that his words were “taking out of context.” The same day, he issued a press release mentioning that no “…particular faith should be the foundation of our public schools…” (Hibbard 2012)

Recently Rep. André Carson received a death threat at his Washington D.C. office after he “criticized Donald Trump over his proposed Muslim ban. Carson, who is one of two Muslim lawmakers in Congress, dismissed Trump’s comments as “asinine”(Shan 2015).

Carson is a rising member of House leadership.  He serves as a Senior Whip for the House Democratic Caucus, sits on the powerful Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Executive Leadership Team. “ (Carson 2016) These positions allow for him to “fight for Indiana’s 7^th Congressional District at the highest levels of congressional leadership”(Carson 2016). Congressman Carson is a proud Indianapolis native, having grown up on the city’s east side. He is married to Mariama Shaheed, and is also a proud father of a ten-year-old old girl, Salimah.

 

Keith Ellison

Keith Ellison: First Muslim to serve in the U.S. Congress

Keith Ellison, the first person of color from Minnesota to be elected as a representative, was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan as a Roman Catholic. However, when he attended college in Minnesota he converted to Islam.  After college he was a lawyer and radio broadcaster for public affairs.

In 2006, Ellison was elected to congress from Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. His ceremonial oath made national news, because he was sworn in with a Quran that belonged to Thomas Jefferson. There was much controversy about him not swearing in with a Bible like most do. Yet to his surprise there were some fellow representatives that actually approved of him using a book of his choice and even admitted to using different standards of books when they too were sworn in.

Since he’s been in office, Ellison has been called on many times to speak upon his faith. We talked a lot in class recently about the burden of representation and this is an example of that. There have been numerous occasions where Ellison has been asked to speak on behalf of topics that he is in no way associated with but just the fact that he is Muslim he is looked at to speak upon the matters.

Throughout his time in office, Ellison has also been viewed as a reliably liberal Democratic vote and has campaigned on his opposition to the Iraq War, his support for universal health care, and his vocal opposition of voter ID laws. But he’s also been accused of having anti-Semantic views that correlate with Louis Farrakhan, who is the leader of the Nation of Islam. They even tied this accusation with old articles Ellison wrote back when he was in college and working for the “Million Man March” which is allegedly created by Farrakhan. He was also accused of being part of the Muslim Brotherhood but that was later disproved.

Keith Ellison isn’t as well known amongst Americans as you would expect considering the fact that he’s been in office for a decade now, though we might suspect all that is about to change. Recently Bernie Sanders made a statement about Ellison stating that “We must also do everything we can to elect Democrats in Congress in 2018, and to take back the White House in 2020. We need a Democratic National Committee led by a progressive who understands the dire need to listen to working families, not the political establishment or the billionaire class. That is why I support Keith Ellison to be the next Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and why I hope you’ll join me in advocating for him to lead the DNC.” There is also a petition going around to gain support for Ellison. I believe this statement would put a lot more eyes on Ellison and make him more susceptible to criticism and hate from Islamophobes, but it could also strengthen his support from the Democrats considering the fact that Bernie Sanders is the one pushing for him.

Ilhan Omar

Ilhan Omar: First Elected Somali American Muslim Women in Office

Refugees and immigrants, particularly Somali refugees, have been a hot topic in the recent election. There is a high concentration of the Somali refugees in the Minnesota area. Ilhan Omar, a female former refugee who was born in Somali, spent four years living in a refugee camp in Kenya, before moving to the United States as a twelve-year old. She is also the first female Somali American to be elected to Minnesota state legislature. Many theories that we have discussed in class have come up in direct quotes from Ilhan Omar, and within the articles.

Ilhan Omar said “one of the biggest challenges was overcoming the narrative that if you are a minority running for office, you can only win a seat in a district that is demographically in your favor” (NBC News). Her primary candidate, Phyllis Kahn, essentially said that Ilhan Omar was a popular candidate because she’s very “attractive to the kind of, what we call the young, liberal, white guilt-trip people” (NBC News). This is a perfect example of “Islam-splaining.” Phyllis Kahn, and other people including some media sources, attributed Ilhan Omar’s success down to the fact that she was a female Muslim immigrant, not the fact that she is a highly successful politician with policies and ideas that people support. She said she believes “in the possibility that all of my identities and otherness would fade into the background, and that my voice as a strong progressive would emerge” (Huffington Post).

Through that last quote, Ilhan Omar also expresses the idea of intersectionality, and that is important because she is relatable to multiple groups of people. Her “identities” include being: female, American, black, a Muslim, a refugee, and an immigrant. She also covers, which makes her visibly Muslim. Ilhan Omar said that her success is not only for her, but for “every Somali, Muslim and minority, particularly the young girls in the Dadaab refugee camp where I lived before coming to the U.S.” (Learning English). This is especially important, because of the large number of Somali people living in Minnesota.

Ilhan Omar inspires everyone because she has overcome so much, and still preservers. She hopes to “make our democracy more vibrant, more inclusive, more accessible and transparent which is going to be useful for all of us” (Time). Obviously, this should be the goal throughout our entire government, because people need someone who they feel represents them in the government. People also need to feel that they have someone who is directly representing their best interests in office, and she is an inspiration to young children. In 2014, she was attacked and physically assaulted. She returned to work the very next day, and make sure the attack didn’t “silence” her, and that she was “stronger than they think (she) is” (Fusion). This is a direct quote from something Ilhan Omar wrote herself:“I think the idea of having someone like me run and possibly win allows other folks who are afraid to put themselves out there to take the leap, and to lean in, and to be the change that they want to see, and be a little braver in that process.”

Barack Obama

Barack Obama’s support of the Muslim community

Some Americans like to think of our country as a nation of immigrants and a nation of religions, but repeatedly we have failed to live up to our ideals, banishing fellow citizens from the American family because of their ethnicities or religious commitments. During Obamas campaign he was falsely accused of practicing Islam because of his family’s history with the religion and growing up in Indonesia during his youth years, in which he was heavily surrounded by people of the Muslim faith. Also his name, specifically middle name, “Hussein” which is commonly found in the Muslim community, generated allegations of Obama secretly practicing Islam which caused threatening views to others on Obama’s loyalty to this country. During his campaign he was attacked by many political opponents including Donald Trump. Trump questioned Obama’s commitment to America and even stated in 2012 “I don’t know if he loves America.” He encouraged his supporters to believe such claims, as they thought Obama was secretly harboring faith in Islam.

According to a CNN/ORC poll it was found that 54% of Trump supporters believed Obama was a Muslim. Among Republicans nationwide, the poll showed, 43% of Republicans thought Obama was a Muslim, as did 29% of Americans as a whole. Questions about Obama’s commitment to the country and faith led Obama to have to prove his “Americanness” and disassociating himself from the perceived negative notion against the Muslim community. But despite people’s accusations against Obama, he openly embraced being raised in different cultural places around the world. He discussed growing up in Muslim communities and how his childhood influenced his future attitudes towards America.

During Obama’s presidency he frequently defended the Muslim American community. Obama publicly showed his support and gratefulness to Muslim Americans contributions to our nation. Earlier this year he visited a mosque in Baltimore to rebut “inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim-Americans” from Republican presidential candidates. During his visit he described Muslims as essential to the fabric of America, while attempting to reconstruct what he said was a warped image of Islam. “Let me say as clearly as I can as president of the United States: you fit right here,” Obama told the audience at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, a 47-year-old mosque with thousands of attendees. “You’re right where you belong. You are part of America too. You’re not Muslim or American. You’re Muslim and American.” He discussed in his speech the long history of Muslims in America dating back to the colonial times when Thomas Jefferson was threatened by people accusations of his involvement within the religion.

Obama has also demanded more positive representation in the media of Muslims in America. “We have to … lift up the contributions of the Muslim-American community not when there’s a problem, but all the time. Our television shows should have some Muslim characters that are unrelated to national security. It’s not that hard to do,” Obama said. Despite the negative repercussions that Barack Obama faced involving the Muslim faith, his acknowledgment of their contributions as Americans still remained. He challenged all Americans to be a part of a single community that appreciates one another’s differences while preserving the things that are essential to our identities. His message emphasized value and respect for the Muslim community in America which at this time in the history of our nation is something that is greatly needed.

Conclusion

All of these people deal with Islamaphobia while running for office. If you google “Muslims in the US government” the second page that pops up is “The Muslim Brotherhood Has Taken Over The White House.” Ilhan Omar was attacked and beaten. Obama, who is not even Muslim, faced criticism because of his background and his skin color. Obviously, this is very problematic, especially in a country that preaches separation of church and state. There’s still a long way to go, but there is good news though: there are now more and more Muslims in our government, giving us greater diversity and representation at both the national and state levels.

Further reading:

“Andre Carson – Discover the Networks.” Andre Carson – Discover the Networks. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Carson, Andre. “Biography.” Congressman Andre Carson. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Galer, Sara. “Andre Carson Responds to Tea Party Controversy.” 13 WTHR Indianapolis. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Garsd, Jasmine. “Rep. André Carson To Become First Muslim On House Committee On Intelligence.” NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Hibbard, Laura (July 6, 2012). “André Carson, Indiana Congressman, Says U.S. Public Schools Should Be Modeled After Islamic Schools, (VIDEO) (UPDATE)”. The Huffington Post. Huffingtonpost.com.

King, Mason (December 22, 2010). “Leading Questions: Carson talks Congress, whips, soft rock”. Indianapolis Business Journal. Ibj.com.

Shan, Janet. “Rep. André Carson Gets Death Threat After Trump Criticism.” Hinterland Gazette. N.p., 08 Dec. 2015. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

The Influence of Muslim Americans on Hip-Hop

Rakim

By Meredith B, Danya K, Sonia R, and Stuart W

History and Emergence of Islam in Hip-Hop

Islam and hip-hop have a natural connection because of Islam’s historic presence, mostly through the Nation of Islam (and offshoots from the NOI), in the African-American community (the controversy surrounding the presence of the Nation of Islam in hip-hop is covered later in the blog). For example, prominent hip-hop artist Mos Def’s father is in the Nation of Islam and Mos Def took his Muslim declaration of faith at age 19. There are also several instances of rappers who converted to Islam after their musical career had started, such as Kamaal Ibn John Fareed (also known as Q-tip) from A Tribe Called Quest, or Scarface. With that said, there are also non-black hip-hop artists who were either born Muslim or converted to Islam, such as Everlast. So while the NOI is a large reason for Islam’s pronounced presence in hip-hop, there has been lots of variance within each Muslim artists’ relationships with Islam.

The beginnings of hip-hop are believed to have started in the South Bronx in majority black communities in which socio-economic conditions were very unfavorable; the message of the NOI, one partly of self-reflection and self-empowerment, was attractive to new hip-hop artists in this difficult environment. However, we can partly trace Islam’s relationship with hip-hop back to a group of poets and musicians, known as the “Last Poets,” who loosely grouped together to celebrate the life of Malcolm X after this death.

One music critic remarked, “With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising African-American consciousness, the Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop.” These artists combined poetry and music to make social commentaries on the state of different minority communities. Their works were impactful enough to make it onto the list of organizations covered by COINTELPRO. One prominent member of this group, Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, was a devout Muslim and served as an inspiration for hip-hop artists in the 80’s. Furthermore, the legacy of Malcolm X, one influenced by Islam, was a clear source of inspiration for this group of musicians. Thus, hip-hop has a clear historic connection to Islam.

This relationship between hip-hop and Islam manifested itself most overtly in the late 80’s and early 90’s through Muslim imagery in music videos and lyrics referring to different aspects of Islam. For example, popular and influential duo Eric B. and Rakim released a song in 1987, called “Move the Crowd” which contained lyrics like “All praises due to Allah, that’s a blessing.” An analysis was done on the lyrics of hip-hop songs which sought to quantify the influence of Islam on the music; the results suggested that Islam in hip-hop reached its peak in the early 90’s and has continued to fall or stagnate ever since. This phenomenon is shown by the following chart describing the frequency of the worst “Islam” and “Mecca” in hip-hop lyrics:

Other charts for words such as Jesus, Mohammed, church, mosque, God, and Allah, all suggests that there has been a general decline of direct influence of Islam on hip-hop. With that said, there are contemporary, outspoken Muslim artists who continuously demonstrate and evolve Islam’s existence within hip-hop.

 

Modern Hip-Hop

Any connoisseur or fan of hip-hop and rap music today knows the work of artists such as Ice Cube, Lupe Fiasco, T-Pain, Rawkwon from the Wu-Tang-Clan, and Busta Rhymes. However, it is not common knowledge to many fans and the general public that these artists identify as Muslim. By having such great notoriety and fame, artists such as Lupe Fiasco and Ice Cube provide the American public with a new conception of the Muslim identity. Many of these rappers disprove the false narrative that all Muslims are Arab, terrorists, have long beards, and wear turbans. Lupe Fiasco stated in interviews that he purposefully “does not like putting my [his] religion out there” because he does not want to acquire the label of being the “poster-child” for Islam and have the media associate any of his flaws with Islam. This fear reflects the common error in media and politics that Islam is a monolith and that one Muslim can represent everyone of their faith.

Here is a list of more popular hip-hop and/or rap artists that are Muslim that you may not be aware of:

Q-Tip

Rakim

Ghostface Killah

Mos Def

DJ Khaled

French Montana

Sway

Nas

Akon

Freeway

Rhymefest

Napolean

Beanie Sigel

Yazzi

Native Deen

MC Ren

K’naan

While some of the above Muslim hip-hop artists (including more “mainstream” rappers like Ice Cube) do not explicitly focus their songs on discussing the Islamic faith, there does exist an industry and community of professional artists whose lyrics solely address the Muslim experience. Artists such as Brother Ali use their talents as rappers as a platform to engage in open discussion with Muslim community members on their shared struggles and beliefs. This provides role models for Muslim youth and demonstrates to them that they should not feel ashamed about their religion despite some hateful anti-Islamic rhetoric in the media. Additionally, the presence of Muslims in a popular aspect of Western culture, hip-hop and rap, illustrates to kids that their identity as Muslim is not separate from American culture and that the labels of American and Muslim are not mutually exclusive.

Although they are hip-hop dancers and not music artists, the group We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic (WMDP) is breaking stereotypes about Muslim women through their hip-hop dance routines. The group is composed of three Muslim women who perform synchronized hip-hop dance moves to popular Muslim artists, such as Brother Ali, while wearing the traditional Islamic wear known as a niqab with sneakers.  The niqab is a form of veiling in which women cover not only their body and hair, but also cover their entire face except for the eyes. Amirah Sackett, the founder of We’re Muslim Don’t Panic, decided to merge her love of dance and her Islamic faith to dispel the notion that all Muslim women are oppressed. The dance group’s goal is to demonstrate the beauty and power of Muslim women. They accomplish this through purposefully wearing the conservative outfit of the niqab in order to convey that Islam is not a scary unknown. Additionally, this style choice emphasizes that veiling provides empowerment and agency to Muslim women. This is a crucial statement given the current political debates surrounding Muslim women’s dress. If the public possessed a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of Islam, the banning of “burkinis” on French beaches and enforcement of police forcing Muslim women to remove some of their coverings. We’re Muslim Don’t Panic’s choice to place Muslim women into an unconventional space, the hip-hop scene, opens up not only a dialogue about Islam but helps transform people’s judgmental perspectives of Muslim women. To view their captivating performance, follow the link below.

 

Jihad and Hip-hop

Jihad, as described by the Quran, translates to struggle but can also refer to the duty of Muslims to inform people about Islam and spread the faith (BBC 2009). There has been a revolution in which some Muslims have utilized jihad to spread their religious message through the medium of hip-hop. One such example is shown through Hamza Perez, star of PBS documentary New Muslim Cool, who has employed this cultural fusion by creating the Muslim hip-hop group M-Team with his brother Suliman Perez. M-Team is short for Mujahideen Team; a mujahid is one who struggles for Allah and Islam. In an interview given with muslimhiphop.com, the musical brother duo stated that the main issues sung about in their songs included: poverty, injustice, honoring women, and Tajdīd, or the revival of Islam to improve society. Perez and his brother, New York raised and of Puerto Rican ethnicity, do not speak full Arabic but instead speak using Arabic Spanglish Ebonics. This, along with the knowledge they gained through their former “street lives”, allowed them to write lyrics that placed Islam in a familiar context to those previously unfamiliar with it. Perez began using his simplified jihad-oriented lyrics at local prisons, inspiring prisoners to seek absolution after life in jail (PBS 2009). M-Team is just one of the many examples of jihad and hip-hop groups that have combined to have a positive effect on the people.

However, the fusion of jihad and music has also taken a more negative turn with the introduction of extremist jihadi rap. Jihadi rap is sung and listened to by mainly jihadists and Western extremists and has become more prominent in recent years due to the influx of Westerners into jihadists groups. One of the main differences between the negatively viewed jihadi rap and other positive forms of jihad hip-hop is the mode through with their music is shared. Groups such as the M-Team whose main goal is to promote Islam and lead people on a path to recovery generally share their music in intimate locations in person. On the other hand, the majority of jihadi rappers use social media to increase virality of their music, as their main goal is to spread their extremist messages as quickly and widely as possible (Billboard 2014). One of the most prominent examples of jihadi rap is the song “Dirty Kuffar” by Muslim British rappers Sheikh Terra and the Soul Salah Crew. Released in 2004, the song gained international exposure and featured shout-outs to Osama bin Laden and extremist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. The music video featured a CNN clip of an American soldier killing an Iraqi soldier then laughing about it, and therefore the video became a subject of public discourse and discussion in the United States. Additionally, the word Kuffar means non-believers, and the video showcased Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush as examples (Payne and Carroll 2015). There are only a small number of extremist jihadi rap artists out there as compared to peaceful Muslim jihad hip-hop artists, but the fact that this exists at all casts an unnecessary negative light on Islam.

 

Criticism of Islam in Hip-hop

Muslim hip-hop artists face backlash and criticism from both people outside their religion and other Muslims. Much of the modern criticism of Muslim rappers or of Muslim symbols in hip-hop has to do with the teachings of black superiority of the Nation of Islam (NOI) and the Five Percent Nation. The Five Percent Nation, an offshoot of NOI, is a cultural movement founded in 1964 by Clarence 13X, a former member of NOI (Johnson 2006). While the Five Percent Nation does not officially preach black superiority, it is publically regarded as an anti-white group. This has sparked controversy for artists that allude to the teachings of NOI or the Five Percent Nation in their work or in their personal lives. For example, Jay-Z, who has never identified as part of the Five Percent Nation, has been seen wearing Five Percent Nation regalia (Duca 2014). He was publicly criticized for associating with a group that is generally interpreted to be anti-white. Furthermore, much of the criticism of Islam in hip-hop refers to the teachings of NOI, claiming that NOI and hip-hop music with Islamic themes, by extension, promote racial tension and conflict. In addition to receiving this kind of backlash, there has also been a lessening of Islamic influence in mainstream hip-hop music coupled with an increase of Christian themes, as discussed earlier in the blog.

Muslim hip-hop artists also receive criticism from within their religion. For many that ascribe to a stricter interpretation of Islam, there is a belief that the teachings of their religion and hip-hop cannot be reconciled. In fact, many call hip-hop music haram, which means forbidden (Reitzel 2015). For example, Napoleon, a former member of Tupac Shakur’s Outlawz, has left rapping to dedicate more of his life to Islam, claiming that the two things, hip-hop and Islam, are not compatible (Moussly 2009). There is even more criticism of  Muslim women involved in hip-hop. A short Aljazeera documentary piece called “Hip-hop Hijabis” follows two Muslim women from the United Kingdom, their careers as hip-hop artists, and how religion has affected their trajectory. They receive hate mail from Muslims denouncing their work, saying it is forbidden, especially for women. One of the women feels like she has had trouble finding a husband because most of the Muslim men she meets disapprove of her art. Still, the two women continue to practice both their art and their religion.  While we still see a rich contribution to hip-hop by Muslims, it is no wonder there has been a decrease in Islamic themes in hip-hop music due to both public anti-Islamic sentiment and the criticism emanating from within the religion itself.

 

Final Thoughts

Learning about the influence of Islam in hip-hop is important for a multitude reasons that impact both people in and out of the Muslim American community. Firstly, it highlights the contributions that Muslims have made to American culture, art, and the American story in general. A person can have several identities including being an American, a Muslim, and a hip-hop artist. Secondly, it emphasizes the fact that Muslims are not a monolith. They can be involved in hip-hop, and they can be non-Arab. Learning about Muslims’ involvement in hip-hop helps to break down the often accepted stereotypes about who Muslims are and how they behave. We think that research on Muslims in hip-hop opens up a lesser known facet to the identities of many Muslims across the U.S. and the world.

 

References:

BBC, UK (August 2009) “Jihad” Web.   <http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/jihad_1.shtml>

Duca, Lauren. (April 2014) “Jay Z Sparks Controversy With Five Percent Nation Bling” Huffington Post. Web. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/07/jay-z-five-percent-nation_n_5107180.html>

Frank, Priscilla (May 2016) “Muslim Hip-Hop Dancers Break Down Stereotypes While Breaking It Down In Niqab” Huffington Post. Web. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/muslim-hip-hop-dancers-break-down-stereotypes-while-breaking-it-down-in-hijab_us_5744b4bee4b03ede44131a01>

Harrison, Frances (December 2007) “Making music with a message” BBC News. Web. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7158907.stm>

Iftikhar, Arsalan (February 2015) “Muslim Rapper “Brother Ali” on Islam & Hip-Hop” The Islamic Monthly. Web. <http://theislamicmonthly.com/muslim-rapper-brother-ali-on-islam-hip-hop/>

Johnson, Christopher. (August 2006) “God, the Black Man and the Five Percenters” NPR. Web. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5614846>

Kangas, Chan (October 2014) “Hip-Hop and Islam’s Connection on Display at New Art Exhibit” LA Weekly. Web. <http://www.laweekly.com/music/hip-hop-and-islams-connection-on-display-at-new-art-exhibit-5138381>

Khabeer, Saud (June 2012) “Black and Blue: Remembering Islam and Hip” The Islamic Monthly. Web. <http://theislamicmonthly.com/black-and-blue-remembering-islam-and-hip-hop/>

“Lupe Fiasco and Sway: Talk about Islam” Youtube. Interview. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnt4GlQGirs>

Meyer, Holly (September 2016) “We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic dancer uses hip-hop to dispel myths” The Tennessean. Web. <http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2016/09/02/were-muslim-dont-panic-dancer-uses-hip-hop-dispel-myths/88592394/>

Moussly, Mona. (March 2009) “Hip hop don’t stop as it goes Islamic” Al Arabiya News. Web. <https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/03/18/68722.html>

“Nation of Islam” (2016) Southern Poverty Law Center. Web. <https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/nation-islam>

Payne, Ed and Carroll, Jason (January 2015) “The Terrorist Recruiting Crossroads: Where Jihad Meets Rap” CNN. Web. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/13/us/jihadi-rap/>

Perez, Hamza (June 2009) “New Muslim Cool” PBS. Web. <http://www.pbs.org/pov/newmuslimcool/film-description/>

Quinn, Ben (August 2016) “French police make woman remove clothing on Nice beach following burkini ban” The Guardian. Web. <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/24/french-police-make-woman-remove-burkini-on-nice-beach>

Raymond, Adam (October 2014) “Why did Islam disappear from Hip-Hop.” Vocativ. Web. <http://www.vocativ.com/culture/religion/islam-hip-hop/>

Reitzel, Mette. (March 2015) “Hip-Hop Hijabis” Aljazeera. Web. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5614846>

Smirke, Richard (October 2014) “Jihadi Rap: Understanding the Subculture” Billboard. Web. <http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6273809/jihadi-rap-l-jinny-abdel-majed-abdel-bary>

“Are y’all, Like, Normal?” Perception of Hijab Wearing Women in America

By Ceyda Kural

A few months ago, my sister and I were going to the movies to watch the last installment of the Hunger Games. We were about fifteen minutes early, so we decided to go to a nearby store to buy whatever. While we were standing in line, a cashier, was staring at us. When it was our turn to check out, the conversation went a little like this:

Cashier: So, why do y’all wear that thing?
Me: It’s for modesty, it’s part of our religion.

Cashier: So do you guys worship God or…?

Me: Yeah, we worship God, the same God that Christians and Jews believe in.

Cashier: Oh cool. So other than wearing that, are ya’ll like, normal? Ya’ll like, go to school and watch TV and stuff?

This wasn’t the first time that a harmless, genuinely curious person asked me questions about my hijab and what “other” things I do. Sometimes when I go to Starbucks and order a grande, triple shot, no foam soy latte, the barista will gape at me, obviously surprised that I know how to order caffeinated beverages.

The hijab seems to put a weird limitation on what women can do. While surfing the internet like some other millennials tend do in their spare time, I came across a very interesting HuffPost Article titled What Do Muslim Women Do for Fun? I clicked the link, half expecting a satirical response to the “othering” questions and the assumption that women in headscarves are somehow constrained from participating in modern day to day activities. But the article essentially answered the question that the title posed. The author, Engy Abdelkader, listed responses from several young practicing Muslim women, who all listed “normal activities” like yoga, shopping, reading, watching sports games, etc.

Why does a piece of fabric-which so many women wear around their necks and just happens to be used to cover our hair -automatically entail a shift of our behaviors and actions? Why do we even have to draw these lines of what “normal” Muslim women do? We constantly reiterate that Muslims are not a monolithic group, why should our hobbies be defined by how we choose to practice our religion rather differences in our personalities?

I understand that articles like this are written with good intentions; Ms. AbdelKader wanted to help other people understand that Muslim women are “normal” Americans that enjoy “normal’ American past times. But why are we constantly asked to prove this?

And then sometimes, you have the women who passionately partake in “normal” experiences, yet are still somehow marginalized and excluded when pursuing their dreams. Two Muslim women in two different sports have been pushing the barriers and breaking new ground in athletics, a field where hijab and other religious symbols are not the norm and are often discriminated against. Stephanie Kurlow is a 14 year old girl who converted to Islam with her family in 2010. She has been doing ballet since she was two years old and wants to be a professional ballerina. However, all the professional ballet studios did not accept Stephanie, because of her hijab. Her mom opened up a performing arts academy that specifically caters to Muslims and other minorities who are turned away elsewhere because of how they dress. Similarly Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American Olympian to compete in hijab, attempts to embrace “the normal”, but not without challenges. Just last month, she was asked to remove her hijab to take a picture for a SXSW badge while traveling to speak at a panel. When she refused to remove her hijab, they eventually took the picture, but then misspelled her name on the badge.

How can we embrace “the normal” if we get discriminated against for following our “normal” dreams?

When we watched the Mipsterz “Somewhere in America” video in class, I felt slightly conflicted. While I understand that the women in the video were trying to show that Muslims can be hipsters and participate in a mainstream (The hipster movement is in fact mainstream, don’t deny it) subculture, I found many aspects of the video greatly exaggerated. No one, not even “normal” hipsters, really goes around climbing between lamp posts or riding skate boards with 6 inch heels. Apparently, we have to take proving that we are “normal” to the extreme, in order for the “abnormal” parts of us (the hijab) to be acceptable. There is a difference between breaking down barriers, such as in athletics, and gaining access to fields that were once exclusive to non-hijabi women, such as fashion, and creating a new extreme that no one, not other Muslims or non-Muslims can understand or relate to.

A theme that we have constantly revisited throughout this course is that Islam is not a monolith. Muslim women are not a monolithic group, and neither are hijab wearing women. We all have vastly different experiences wearing hijab. We are just as complex and challenged and passionate as every other person on this planet, and we are not defined by how we chose to, or chose not to, cover.  Each of us has our own version of what is “normal.”

I leave you with these words by Dr. Suad Abdul Khabeer:

Somewhere in America? Somewhere in America there is Muslim sister whose scarf is slipping slightly as she nods off on her train ride coming off the late shift. Somewhere in America a niqabi [a woman who covers her face as well] is frustrated in a Muslim clothing store because the “L” sizing on the jilbabs [full-sleeve, long modest dresses] they sell is false marketing. Somewhere in America a Muslim mother tries to soothe a screaming baby while she debates whether the scarf on her head is large enough for an impromptu breastfeeding session. Somewhere in America a Muslim woman giggles with glee after finding the perfect shade of plum. Somewhere in America a Muslim woman is grateful that her headscarf style will cover the choke marks on her neck.  Everywhere in America, a Muslim woman’s headscarf is not only some sex, swag and consumption, it also belief and beauty, defiance and struggle, secrets and shame.

NSEERS: How an Innocuous Acronym Terrorized Muslims in America

By Allison McKibban

When presidential candidate Donald Trump advocated for a compulsory Muslim database with personal identification badges, images of a 21^st century America reliving travesties such as the “Jewish Badge” and Japanese internment camps flickered through my imagination.

I didn’t know I already lived in that America.

In 2002, the Department of Justice launched the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS)—a program to track Arab and Muslim male visitors in America. Underreported and overlooked, the ACLU reports NSEERS was responsible for the wrongful interrogation, detainment, or deportation of at least 100,000 innocent immigrants.

So how did we get here? How did a country, supposedly driven by the principles of fairness and justice, formalize bigotry into hidden law?

The story begins with post-9/11 securitization. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, policymakers transformed a feeling of national insecurity into intrusive law. Understanding the power of fear and clever acronyms, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001—or USA PATRIOT Act—created legal means for governmental agencies to investigate American residents “suspected” of terrorist operations. The USA PATRIOT Act laid the foundation for a decade of discriminatory American security policy based on the false assumption individuals of a particular nationality or religion are more likely to commit acts of terror.

Under this legal framework, NSEERS was initiated by the Department of Justice in 2002 and transferred to the newly created Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003. According to the Rights Working Group, the policy required visiting males over the age of 16 to register at immigration offices for fingerprinting, photographs, and interrogations. Using a list of 25 countries—24 with large Muslim populations plus North Korea—the law specifically targeted Arab, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Muslim visitors. The NSEERS program rested on three components:

1. Port-of-Entry Registration: Fingerprinting, photographing, and interviewing at American entry points. Those fingerprinted would be scanned against all known terrorists and forced to re-register in 30 days for a more thorough check.
2. Call-In Registration: Mandating non-naturalized, male immigrants aged 16 and older register at immigration offices.
3. Exit Control: Requiring notification when these individuals leave the US.

Obviously, leaders of the United States were telling citizens of Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen peacefully living in America that their nation of origin was more important than the content of their character.

Scanning the United States’ immigration policy, it became glaringly obvious to me that we have always struggled to avoid being—let me put this gently—horrible racists. Generally, this “valiant” effort has failed miserably. Here are a few striking examples:

–Chinese Exclusion Act: From 1882 to 1943, the US banned all Chinese laborers—derogatorily called “the chinaman”—from entering the country.

–Rejection of SS St. Louis: During World War II, the US systematically refused Jewish refugees from Germany. Notably, in 1939 the US turned away the SS St. Louis carrying 936 Jews—more than a quarter were later killed in the holocaust.

–Operation Wetback: In 1954, the US apprehended over a million Mexican visitors and immigrants deporting many—including US citizens—to unfamiliar parts of Mexico without due process.

These examples illuminate fundamental inadequacies in US immigration policy: the lack of due process, limited governmental transparency, and racial profiling of immigrants. The story has already been written; NSEERS simply changes the colors of the characters.

Unsurprisingly, NSEERS devastated America’s Arab and Muslim immigrant communities. By 2003, approximately 83,000 men had registered; of these, 14,000 faced deportation hearings and 2,800 suffered detention without due process. Communities were paralyzed—men following the law were separated from their families, but avoiding registration often resulted in harsher penalties. The Rights Working Group comprehensively describes faults of NSEERS: inadequate notice and misinformation spread to Arab and Muslim communities, lack of governmental transparency, inappropriate use of NSEERS data, and overt racial profiling.

In April 2011, President Obama paused all registration; however, the program was not permanently terminated, nor the information deleted from government databases. Despite the government’s own watchdog for the DHS concluding the database was unreliable and an inefficient use of $10 million each year, the underlying structure persists and penalties for failing to register from 2002 to 2011 remain. Most damningly for alarmists, the report uncovered that not a single terrorist was convicted using the NSEERS program.

When will we—a nation of immigrants—stand up to hypocrisy of fearing the other? When will we see discrimination not as a new political phenomenon, but a long-standing American indulgence? It is easy to scathingly criticize Mr. Trump’s obviously bigoted proposals; yet, we are all guilty of silently condoning these same racist principles codified in American law.

Hop into Islam: An Analysis on the Links Between Hip-Hop and Islam

Lupe Fiasco

By Michael Otoo

There are so many different ways in which people can express themselves, and portray different ideas which pervade and encompass the mind. One way in which I express myself is through music. As a hobby, I create hip-hop music to express how I feel about different events that occur through my life, or events that I observe in society through my lens. Music is a form of communication as well as a form of expression. It brings people together.

Hip-hop and Islam are inextricably linked. By virtue of the fact that a significant portion of the Muslim demographic is African-American or from African descent, and hip-hop is a genre primarily dominated by African-Americans, there will undoubtedly be some connections between the religion and the demographic. Some Muslim rappers use hip-hop as a form of countering ideas of misinterpretation forced upon them by the media. Rapper Amaar Zaheer, who is a part of hip-hop group formerly known as Jihad states, “We used to go by Jihad, which means struggle in Arabic…But after Sept. 11, it was misinterpreted to mean holy war, and that’s not the message we bring at all. Islam says to keep positive and be a role model, to make a difference. We try to reflect that in our music”. Amaar Zaheer’s group advocates for themselves in a positive way against the systemic prejudice which Muslims in America face, and by doing so, they create a space of comfort and ease in which their ideas may be spread in a well-mannered way.

Despite the preconceptions people may have about Islam, it is not a monolith. There is so much variation amongst the religion and the different sects and interpretations which compose it. There are many different kinds of people who practice to faith as well. In some conservative interpretations of Islam, Western music and popular culture is looked down upon. However, the Muslim artists who are involved in the hip-hop culture in America are breaking this stereotype that all Muslims believe this sort of thought. Rappers such as Lupe Fiasco, Public Enemy, and Mos Def among others epitomize this idea of variation in Muslim, and typically express their thoughts and religious ideas in a respectable and sensible frame of thought, embodying this idea of the pluralist identity. In the video that I have attached, Lupe Fiasco discusses some of the struggles of being a Muslim in America, and how his interactions with other Muslims, both inside and outside of the hip-hop industry have contributed to his development as an artists and a person.

Islam is more than just a religion for many of these pop culture icons who practice it. Not only does Islam serve as a faith, but it also builds a community and sense of companionship amongst many of these artists. In this interview, rapper Lupe Fiasco really exemplifies this idea of the community building aspect that Islam brings to the music industry. Fiasco cites several other artists who practice the faith as companions, however the most significant connection which he described was that connection between himself and his fans. Fiasco described this idea of meeting fellow Muslims as a “cool” and interesting experience. Since Islam is so uncommon in the United States, Fiasco believes this interaction of seeing somebody and thinking “hey, you’re Muslim too? That’s cool” is important in order to build this community and sense of community amongst Muslims in America, which is in itself important and significant for a number of reasons.

There are variety of different reasons as to why people create and perform music. Muslim hip-hop artist Hamza Perez used his music as a way to spread the message of Islam, the religion that changed his life. Since Islam played such a huge role in turning Perez’ life around from a drug dealing gang member to a contributing and respected member of a community with a family, Perez wanted to use his influence, which included the power of music, to help other gang members convert to Islam. Perez wanted these gang members to leave the destructive path of gang violence and find a way to integrate themselves into society in a positive way. The gang members were able to relate to Perez through their similar racial identity and experiences of being a minority in America, specifically being Latino. Not only did Perez use his talent in music as a form of communication, but he also used it as a form of activism. By advocating for Islam through the medium of hip-hop, Perez was able to reach people and gain publicity in a way which may otherwise not have been possible. At the same time, Perez was also able to enjoy doing one of the things he loved most to spread his message, which was making music.

Discussion Questions:

What does it take to reach a high level of relevance to spread a message, in this case Islam, while still having disadvantages as a minority? Why does hip-hop seem to have a stronger affiliation with Islam instead of other religions?

Citations:

Iftikhar, Arsalan. “Muslim Rapper “Brother Ali” on Islam and Hip-Hop.” The Islamic Monthly. N.p., 09 Feb. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. .

Liu, Martin. “Hip Hop’s Islamic Influence.” Hip Hop’s Islamic Influence. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.daveyd.com/commentaryhiphopislam.html&gt;.

SpearIt. “Growing Faith: Prisons, Hip-Hop and Islam.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/spearit/growing-faith-prisons-hip-hop-and-islam_b_2829013.html&gt;.

Teenagemuslim. “Lupe Fiasco and Sway: Talk about Islam.” YouTube. YouTube, 26 Sept. 2009.Web.17Apr.2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnt4GlQGirs&nohtml5=False&gt;.

 

Islam in the Workplace

By Amanda Zhao

One of the unfortunate side effects of religious freedom is the occasional crossing of the line between having a respect for all religions and having a respect for no religions. This issue came up in our discussion of the challenges Muslim students face on college campuses, when we read about how McGill University quite clearly crossed this line in denying their MSA’s request for a prayer space. In their attempt to protect the secular nature of their institution, rather than upholding their obligation to respect the religious backgrounds of all their students, they instead made a decision that removed the ability of some of those students to practice their religions freely. To me, the issue became a little hazier when we began talking about the challenges of fitting in prayer times in a schedule packed with classes. Should we restructure how our courses are scheduled in a way that would allow time for prayer to those who need it? Similarly, when employers deny Muslim employees from using paid work time to take breaks in order to pray, are they protecting certain employees from receiving “special privileges”, or are they infringing on the rights of Muslim employees? This question of where this line between how much accommodate the religious needs of their employees is one that has come up frequently in court.

While employers are legally not permitted to discriminate against employees based on religion (according to Title VII), they do have the right to try to negotiate a compromise on certain practices or beliefs that would cause undue hardship on the business or the other employees. However, the exact applications of this law have come into question in numerous occasions. In the case of Webb v. City of Philadelphia, the plaintiff, Kimberlie Webb, had been serving as a police officer for 8 years before she requested to start wearing a khimar, a form of headscarf extending to the waist, in addition to her uniform. Her request was denied, on the grounds that police officers are not allowed to wear “religious symbols or garb as part of the uniform”. This, however seems like a problem with the law rather than with Webb. While this law obviously has the intention of maintaining a separation of religion from law enforcement, it seems to be written with only Judeo-Christian religions in mind, where enforcing limitations on dress does not impede practicing of the religion. This assumption, however, does not hold for Islam, where for many Muslim women, wearing of the hijab is an unnegotiable element of their religion. Thus, while I fully support the religious neutrality of police officers and their uniforms, I believe how we practice this neutrality should be changed to accommodate the demographics of both the police force and the demographics of our country.

In a similar case, in 2005, Hani Mohamed sued her former employer, Regency Health Associates, for threatening to terminate her if she continued wearing her hijab. According to Regency, Ms. Mohamed had indicated that she planned on eventually wearing a full headscarf that would cover her entire face, allowing only her eyes to be seen. Regency’s reasoning was that Ms. Mohamed was a member of the pediatric staff, and that the child patients and their parents would naturally have a desire to see the full face of their care providers. In an ideal world, the presence of a face covering would not have any bearing on a patient’s comfort level, but the reality in America is that some patients may not feel completely comfortable being treated by staff wearing a full face covering simply because of a lack of understanding of the face covering or of Islam. While I do believe the comfort of the patients should be the first priority of a health clinic, I also believe that it is important for us, as a country, to begin embracing the reality of an extremely religiously diverse population and to make protection of this diversity a nonnegotiable term of our daily lives.

In both of these cases and several others that I have read of, none of the companies seems to be targeting Islam with any form of malicious intent. Many of their arguments seem to rest on the belief that accommodating the religious practices of their Muslim employees would impede in their ability to perform their jobs. However, Hummel’s creation of soccer jerseys with an integrated hijab, in addition to FIFA’s lifting of their ban on the wearing of head or neck coverings in 2014 serve as outright proof to the contrary. FIFA’s ban had previously been founded on the similar belief in the irreconcilability of soccer and hijab wearing, with the reasoning that head coverings posed a risk of injury to the head and neck, but this supposed link was disproved upon further research.

What all of this tells us is that America seriously needs to reevaluate the inherent biases in our legal system that are working against Muslim citizens, and furthermore, to reevaluate how well our laws reflect the religious reality of our citizens.

Problematizing Patriotism

By Anthony Schmucker

In the conventional sense, I have never been “patriotic.” You won’t find an American flag flying outside my home. I conscientiously objected to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance throughout high school. I don’t even own a pair of ‘Merica chubbies. In fact, my Amish and Mennonite ancestry means I come from a long line of conscientious objectors who have refused to engage in the defense of this country—which incidentally is a crucial component of the definition of a “patriot.” Yet, no one has ever accused me of insidious intentions or asked for proof of my national loyalty, indicating the existence of certain racial and religious biases inherent to our conventional definition of “patriotism.” As a “white” Protestant male, I pass for a “patriot” without question and reap the benefits of being considered a “good ol’ American boy,”; however, this isn’t a reality for everyone.

Disturbingly, a YouGov poll from 2013 revealed 44% of Americans question the loyalty of Muslim-Americans to the U.S. and view them as less patriotic.  This distrust manifests itself regularly as the American media and public call for the Muslim community to denounce terrorism with every new attack.  Articles in the Huffington Post and U.S. News World Report document an American obsession for Muslim-Americans to denounce extremist violence, providing evidence of the not so subtle accusations that Muslims are neither patriotic or loyal to the United States.

When acts of terrorism are carried out by individuals who self-identify as Christians, like Robert Dear Jr. who opened fire on a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Colorado in 2015 (killing 3 and wounding 9), there isn’t a massive outcry for Christian organizations to denounce the acts; however, when a self-identifying Muslims commits an act of terrorism, organizations like the Council of American-Islamic Relations must release statements condemning the violence and stating commitment to the United States.

However, this inequity is entirely based on misconception and misinformation. A survey, released by the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (a non-partisan think-tank) in March, revealed that Muslims are just as likely as Protestants to have a strong American identity. In fact, Muslims who strongly identify with their faith are “more likely to say being American is important to how they think of themselves.” This suggests Islam—contrary to what 44% of Americans believe—actually contributes to a sense of patriotism and empowers Muslims-Americans to identify with the United States.

So what’s with the disconnect between what 44% of American’s believe and the reality of the lives led by Muslim-Americans? Conventional and contemporary interpretations of who a Patriot is. By no means scientific or exhaustive, a cursory survey of a Google Image search for “Patriot” reveals American flags, guns, more guns, and a whole lot of white men. A lack of women or individuals of color reveals a tragically narrow conception of what patriotism looks like. Conventional perspectives of a “patriot” focus on service to the nation; however, perceptions of Muslim-American loyalty and love for the United States—solely based on their religious affiliation—require us to challenge our conventional understanding of the word.

The word “patriot” is etymologically rooted in the Latin word patriota, which translates into “fellow-countryman.” Meanings morph. However, the root reveals a critical and often forgotten aspect of the definition: the heart of “patriotism” is coexistence, cooperation, and coordination under one nation. By this understanding, a United States citizen is a patriot simply by their tacit consent and active involvement in a social system founded on freedom of speech and religion. Acknowledging the everyday beauty of choice and participation elevates not only the moral undergirding of the aligned actions, but also raises the profile of the law-abiding citizens operating in social cooperation.

Acts of service and defense for the United States are undoubtedly patriotic. However, by challenging the use of the word “patriot” and the potential racial and religious connotations it possesses, the expansion recognizes the loyalty and love for country associated with just choosing to be an American. Founded on the principles of inclusivity, our nation’s conception of a patriot should be reflective of those fundamental sentiments. The discontinuity between nearly half of American’s perception of Muslim-American patriotism and the lived reality of their service, defense, and participation represents a truly great and tragic disservice.

While I may not ever hang a flag outside my house, I’m just as patriotic as the next American. Regardless of appearances, race, or religion, it should be our everyday commitment to this country and its principles that are the standard for patriotism.

Islamophobia Within the Sikh Community

By Alex Cerda

Islamophobia is an undeniable issue within American society. According to one poll done the Huffington Post, over 50% of Americans have unfavorable views of Islam, and less than 50% of Americans have any interest in learning more about the religion. Muslims in America suffer the consequences of Islamophobia as a community in a quite a few ways, from having to deal with the vitriolic rhetoric and policies proposed by presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, to the extremely profitable industry dedicated to spreading Islamophobia that is led by men like Robert Spencer, Frank Gaffney, and other high profile individuals who are making millions by spreading fear and hate. These are just some of the large-scale effects of Islamophobia too. Islamophobia affects the daily lives of Muslims in a variety of ways, as well. Examples of Islamophobia in daily life range from assumptions that because they are Muslim they are terrorists, like what happened to a young woman in Austin or a child in a Fort Bend county middle school, to attacks on their mosques and prayer spaces, documented in this article by Sheila Musaji.

Islamophobia, however, is not restricted to only Muslims, and is spread towards individuals who are discriminated against simply because of the fact that they appear Muslim. One group, in particular, that suffers from Islamophobia even though they have nothing to do with the religion of Islam are the Sikhs, most probably due to the fact that they are of South Asian descent, wear head coverings, and do not cut their hair. I first began thinking about how Islamophobia might affect the lives of Sikhs after seeing a popular internet meme featuring a man taking a selfie in front of the TSA and noting that he was about to be “randomly selected” for screening. While looking at the picture, I had no idea whether the man was a Muslim or Sikh, and I realized that in day to day life, other Americans must also struggle with making the distinction. This picture, while funny, piqued my interest as to who exactly this community of people suffering the detrimental effects of Islam was, and whether they suffered from Islamophobia to the same extent as Muslims.

Before getting into an explanation of how Islamophobia affects Sikh individuals, it is important to discuss what exactly Sikhism is, especially considering that 60% of Americans have no idea what Sikhism even is. Despite being a relatively new religion, in 2010 Sikhs numbered 25 million worldwide, so they make up a significant amount of the world’s religious population. The exact number of Sikhs in the U.S. is not really known, but it is expected to be in the range of 200,000 to 500,000. It is important to note, as I said above, that Sikhism is not an Islamic religion, and has nothing to do with Islam. In fact, a huge part of Sikh history is the fact that they were persecuted by Islamic people. Sikhs do not follow the word of Muhammad or the Quran, they follow the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, and there are numerous other differences between the two religions. While the two religions share some similar tenants, such as an emphasis on peace, selfless service, and compassion, and both have large followings in South Asia, they are not synonymous and should not be treated as such.

Considering how different Sikhism and Islam are, the level of discrimination and hate that they experience due to Islamophobia must be different, right? The numbers tell a different story, as a poll conducted by Hart Research Associates showed. As I mentioned above, 60% of Americans admit that they have no knowledge of Sikhism or what it is, which is particularly noteworthy when considering 71% of Americans say they have an understanding of what Islam is. Some other alarming numbers included that only 10% of survey respondents saw a picture of Sikhs and reacted by saying Sikhs were people too and deserved respect, and 20% assumed a turbaned man shown to them was Muslim, while only 11% assumed he was Sikh. Islamophobia has had a deadly effect on Sikhs in the U.S. as well, with worshipers being massacred in their temples and victims of assault.

While Sikh-Americans are making an effort to educate the general public about their religion, this is no guarantee that they will no longer be targeted in the future. In the same way that Muslim-Americans are not targeted solely because of Islamophobia, neither are Sikh-Americans. Xenophobia, racism, and religious exclusivity may be other motivators for people to target Sikh-Americans. Sikh-Americans and Muslim-Americans share a common bond, in that they must both combat Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, and general hate together, but the American public needs to learn that this is where the bond ends, in addition to learning to understand and respect the two religions.

 

 

Hollywood, Terrorism, and Muslim Representation

By Salem Hadgu

In class, we have focused at length on the negative descriptions of Muslims on the news. The news depicts and homogenizes Muslims as terrorists, angry radicals, submissive females, and other stereotypes. However, negative media portrayals of Muslims come from other sectors as well such as Hollywood. A few examples come from movies such as Aladdin (1992), The Siege (1998), Syriana (2005), The Kingdom (2007), and Argo (2012). However, to be specific, I will focus on the American Sniper, a 2015 film by Clint Eastwood on the life of a sniper who managed to kill more Muslims than any other sniper, and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), a film that chronicles the Navy Seal mission to capture Osama bin Laden. I chose them because they are recent releases and economically successful. I argue that the “othering” of Muslims and the juxtaposition of Islam and terrorism both work to promote Islamophobia and justify violence against Muslims.

Negative stereotypes of Muslims in movies rationalize story plots showing violence against Muslims. For instance, in the American Sniper, the main character Chris Kyle is a sniper during the Iraq War. In one scene of the movie, Kyle observes a woman, in black religious garb, give her child a grenade (Karizat 2015). Kyle kills the child in order to keep the child from using the grenade, but the mother, rather than showing any visible grief, immediately picks up the grenade to use it. Kyle subsequently shoots the mother and while doing so, he tells his colleague she is evil, presumably for her determination to use the grenade even after her son has died (Karizat 2015). By failing to show the grief of the mother, the movie characterizes a Muslim mother by contrasting her from a normal mother who would show maternal characteristics like compassion, grief, gentleness, nonviolence and so on. Violence against Muslim women and children is then justified in the movie. The representation of Muslims in this movie is that of a people who will go to any lengths, even the death of their children, to conduct violence.

In addition, images of violence are juxtaposed with Islamic rituals in movies. This combination allows terrorism to be represented as a specifically Muslim phenomenon and encourages Islamophobia. In Zero Dark Thirty, the CIA dresses in full length dark abayas to hide their identities before performing a surprise attack on a Pakistani suspect (Patheos 2013). A religious item has become transformed into a useful military weapon that can produce violence. This scene implies the idea that Muslim women wearing abayas could actually be carrying weapons secretly, and therefore excuses police checks on Muslim women in airports and other public places as security measures. Similarly, the mother in American Sniper was wearing a long black robe (Karizat 2015). She is religious, yet the implication is that her religion does not make her a moral person, or worse, it encourages her to perform violence. Multiple other movies have also utilized this juxtaposition. Often the call to prayer or the words “Allahu Akbar” are spoken right before a violent action sequence such as in The Siege (Ward 2007) .In many ways, the information that these movies disseminate is more powerful because while one is watching for entertainment, one is also absorbing cultural norms and attitudes. Therefore, seeing violent and religious images together causes this link to form in our minds and allows us to internally generate Islamophobic beliefs.

These two scenes link back to our class discussions on Said’s Orientalism and Nathan Lean’s “Islamophobia in the United States: A Case of the Three ‘I’s”. The “othering” of Muslims occurs through the negative stereotyping of Muslim characters in movies as violent and uncompassionate. In addition, through the use of Islamic imagery and sound during violent scenes, Islam, unlike Christianity, is portrayed as being connected to terrorism. Said (1978) argued that Europeans and Americans would categorize the countries in Africa and Asia as the Orient and depict the people who lived there as inferior to people who lived in Western civilization in order to justify military domination. I can also argue the same point using Lean’s analysis of Islamophobia. The industry, Hollywood movies on terrorism, is used to rationalize the institutionalization and imperialism of Islamophobia (Lean 2016). By offering “based on true story” movie plots, movie directors are offering a seemingly credible account of events that happen in the Middle East and describing its characters accurately. The negative portrayals of Islam perpetuate hostile government policies such as mosque surveillance and violent military tactics such as drones.

In order to take away someone’s civil rights and/or physically attack them, one must have a justification for these actions. Movies and other forms of media provide this reasoning by making Muslims seem different from average Americans and painting them as violent. Once Muslims are “othered”, the government can justify military imperialism and the institutionalization of government policies that chip at the liberties of Muslims. Considering that these movies are recent box office successes, one can see that much work must be done to reform how Hollywood depicts Muslims.

Question for the class:

In terms of Islamophobia, is Hollywood reflecting society or is society reflecting Hollywood? What are ways that Hollywood movies, in particular war movies, can be reformed to have better representation of Muslims.

Bibliography

LEAN, N. (UNKNOWN) “Islamophobia in the United States: A Case of the Three ‘I’s,”, found on the World Wide Web. Retrieved on 8 January 2016, found on the World Wide Web: (http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/Public/focus/essay1009_islamophobia_united_ states.html)

SAID, O. (1978) “Introduction” in E. Said Orientalism, London and Henley: Routledge & Kegan Paul.(https://sites.evergreen.edu/politicalshakespeares/wpcontent/uploads/sites/33/2014/12/Said_full.pdf)

Karizat, Nadia.2015. “One College Student’s Analysis on Representation in the Film American Sniper.” Retrieved April 3, 2016 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nadia-karizat/one-college-students-anal_b_7424352.html)

Unknown.2013. “ Zero Dark Thirty: A Tale of Bias and Burqas.” Retrieved April 4, 2016 (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mmw/2013/02/zero-dark-thirty-a-tale-of-bias-and-burqas/)

Ward, Lucy. 2007. “From Aladdin to Lost Ark, Muslims get angry at ‘bad guy’ film images.” Retrieved April 3, 2016 (http://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/jan/25/broadcasting.race).

Different Name, Same Formula

By Niephy Gentles

The presence of Muslims and Islam in America has been decried as a political attempt to take over the nation, replacing the Constitution with Sharia law. To legitimize this view, Sharia has been removed from its religious context and placed in the political arena where vocal opposition is acceptable. In changing the social context however, the question ‘Is Islamophobia racism?’ has been negated. Sharia law isn’t a function of race, it’s a function of politics; besides being Muslim doesn’t make someone part of a race, it’s a religion.

The US has a history of systematically portraying an unfavorable group in a bad light, laying blame with first the race,then the culture, and finally by requiring the undermined group to prove themselves worthy of assistance. The Muslim community has been subjected to the same formulaic prejudice as the African American community in the United States. If the experiences of one group is designated racist, then why not the other?

The book Condemnation of Blackness by Khalil Gibran Muhammad lays out the process by which crime became synonymous with being black. Crime was written into race through statistical data and tracking demographic data after the Civil War.  As the number of African Americans grew in the north, so did crime. Scholars claimed that African Americans and poor whites were faced with the same environments and yet, black people had higher crime rates; crime must be a part of the race. Eventually,  progressive scholars denied the idea that race was the primary indicator of a criminal and instead pinned crime to a culture; crime was not genetically inherited, but fostered by a combination of American racism, and the sheer inability of African Americans’ ability to “do better”. Philanthropists and social workers put their minds at ease by extending helping hands that had stipulations attached; those who received assistance had to demonstrate their worthiness of help. Some of the blame may be laid at the feet of white America, but ultimately, the task of elevation and prevention of crime  in the black community fell to the black community with the condescending help of their moral white counterparts. Somewhere along the way, amidst the scholars, race “experts”, and do-good philanthropists, the word ‘crime’ came to mind with the picture of black skin and kinky hair. Somewhere along the way in American history, the word ‘terror’ brought the picture of covered hair and brown skin, in the same method.

‘Terror’ in its current form was brought into the American lexicon after 9/11. Afterwards, coverage of armed conflict went up by 69%, foreign policy by 102%, and terrorism by 135% according to a study written in 2006, while science & technology and crime & law enforcement fell by half. Americans were being shown pictures of arbitrary militants with a particular look and dress adjacent pictures of destruction, forms of the word “terror” and-as the war progressed-the names of American military personnel who died during the day. The public began to associate death and destruction with an aesthetic and a race. Next political figures and experts drew a line of demarcation; there were ‘good Muslims’ and there were ‘bad Muslims.’ However, good and bad were not specific to the character of an individual; they labels were dependent on the kind of Islam one believed in, making ‘bad Muslims’ part of a culture rather than crossing off the entire race. This ideology allowed someone to say, “There must be good Muslims surrounded by bad Muslims that need America’s help,” i.e.,  the women and children living under oppressive regimes in militant areas. Suddenly, there was a void that America could fill, but under certain stipulations. Dick Cheney set his stipulations for showing Afghanistan the light of democratic liberty and religious freedom:

“If we can stand up a good representative government in Iraq, that secures the region so that it never again becomes a threat to its neighbors or to the United States, so it’s not pursuing weapons of mass destruction, so that it’s not a safe haven for terrorists, now we will have struck a major blow right at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11.”

If Afghanistan was likely to fall back into its terrorists ways, then there would not be a point in helping them in the first place. It is up to those countries and the people in them that got themselves into trouble in the first place to prove that they are worth helping.

Both the African American and Muslim American community faced the same systematic repression. Something bad-crime and terrorism-was attributed to an entire race. Then someone split the groups into the ‘good’ side and the ‘bad’ side, where the bad side comprised of a culture that nurtured the bad attribute. With the division in place, those on the ‘good’ side must prove that they are indeed good and worthy of the help that will get them out of the situation that prejudice and someone else’s bad choices put them in. In both instances, there are experts to speak for and about the minority and do-gooders who dedicate their time and efforts to helping them, while perpetuating stereotypes and intolerance. If one of the group calls this collective experience racism, why can’t the other?