Islamophobia is anti-Muslim sentiment that functions much like other inequalities; it consists of a set of conscious or unconscious biases and hostilities towards Muslims or people perceived as Muslim which, on a daily basis, set the groundwork for large scale human rights violations. Manifestations of anti-Muslim bias are common and widespread even within the progressive movement, creating a number of problems. Islamophobia hinders valuable leaders from contributing their full potential and thus, hinders progressives from fully realizing many of our goals. This results in so-called progressive spheres having less representation of Muslims, while simultaneously organizing around many issues related to Muslims.
In this workshop, participants will learn how to identify Islamophobia, its effects, and what it looks like in the Left. Furthermore, participants will build the skills to tackle Islamophobia in their respective movements, guided by facilitators with diverse organizing experience to draw upon. We will look more closely at how Islamophobia affects movements that focus on Muslims, such as Palestine solidarity, immigrant and racial justice, gender justice, and anti-war movements.
Facilitators: Hena Ashraf, Dawud Walid, Fahd Ahmed, Ahmad Rahman, Atiya Husain.
