With Islamophobia gaining widespread attention for its alarming rise all around the world, a pivotal conference hosted by Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) explored the complex power dynamics that drive the phenomenon and its intersections with xenophobia, misogyny and systemic, institutionalised forms of racism, bigotry and dispossession.
Held under the theme Global Histories and Practices of Islamophobia, the conference underscored the importance of relentless scholarship, dialogue, collaborative efforts, and solidarity to dismantle harmful prejudice, bias and discrimination.
Co-organised by members of the GU-Q faculty, it brought together highly influential scholars, practitioners and journalists, among them Georgetown alumni and GU-Q students, to contribute their insights.
Delivering the closing remarks, GU-Q Dean Dr Safwan Masri said that Qatar has taken the lead with a global initiative to address global racism, including anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia. He said that the broad multifaceted efforts include education, public dialogue, policymaking, and the convening of experts and policymakers to facilitate collective action.
Our conference has been a contribution to the efforts to call attention to Islamophobia and respond to it, challenge its destructive impact, and engage the impactful work of activists, educators and artists.
While the global ‘war on terror’ has been a defining feature of the 21st century and had profound repercussions for Muslim communities worldwide, the conference set out to explore the various global, historical, religious, and political factors that are driving Islamophobia.
Speaking during a panel titled Intellectual Roots of Islamophobia, Dr Salman Sayyid, Professor in Rhetoric and Decolonial Thought at the University of Leeds, argued that there is nothing rational about Islamophobia, but rather it is one of the oldest forms of racism. Linked to power relations, he said it is often marked by the idea that Muslims cannot be contained in the nation-state.
Islamophobia is a type of racialised governance that governs expressions of Muslimness, though you don’t have to be Muslim to be subject to Islamophobia. You just have to be Muslim adjacent or confused for being a Muslim.
He argued that undoing Islamophobia requires not simply recognising its intellectual roots, but also preserving and cultivating Muslim identity in all its expressions.
Undoing the anti-Muslim bias
Thought-provoking discussions over the two days explored how anti-Muslim bias affects the lived experiences of Muslim communities around the world, the role of media in constructing Islamophobic narratives and the impact of those narratives on public attitudes and policies that have real effects on people’s lives.
Speakers highlighted the need to undo these narratives and bring in new best practices, guidelines and standards while deepening Muslim representation in the media.
With a focus on Qatar, the World Cup, and Islamophobia, a panel of senior journalists and academics analysed the negative patterns of Western media coverage with the swell of Islamophobic attitudes and colonial stereotypes before and during the mega-event.
The conference culminated in a high-level roundtable discussion exploring potential solutions, the intersection of research and decision-making, and partnerships that promote tolerance and understanding to combat Islamophobia.
Dr John Esposito, Professor of Religion, International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and founding director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and The Bridge Initiative, said the conference underscores the extent to which there has been a globalisation of Islamophobia.
Islamophobia is not something that’s going to go away soon, the situation has gotten worse and worse.
He praised the conference as the best he’d ever attended on the topic and emphasised its importance in bringing people from around the world together and encouraging them to continue to fight Islamophobia wherever it occurs.
In addition to the engaging academic sessions, the conference also featured forums designed to engage students and the broader community. In collaboration with student clubs and organisations, one such forum addressed the impact of Islamophobia on university campuses. Participants discussed the measures universities can take to combat Islamophobia and create inclusive environments.
The next conference in GU-Q’s Hiwaraat Conference Series will be Confronting the Impasse: Doha Symposium on Afghanistan and the Region, taking place from 10 to 11 November. It will be followed by Sustaining the Oasis: Envisioning the Future of Water Security in the Gulf on 12 and 13 November.
To find out more about these upcoming discussions, visit hiwaraat.qatar.georgetown.edu.
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