Islamophobia in Higher Education: Combating Discrimination and Creating Understanding

by Shafiqa Ahmadi (Editor), Darnell Cole (Editor), Shaun R. Harper (Foreword by)

Overview

While Islamophobia was present in our society before 9/11, it has become more pervasive in recent years. This is evidenced by the current social and political climate, hate speech and hate crimes directed at Muslims, and the Supreme Court’s upholding of Presidential Proclamation 645 that effectively bans Muslim immigration from coming to the U.S.

What does this mean for Muslim students in college, and indeed for institutions of higher education as they navigate law and policy on the one hand and adhere to their mission of achieving inclusive and equitable educational environments on the other?

Two thirds of Muslims in the U.S. are vexed with current policy, and there has been an alarming increase in reports of bigotry and discrimination against them since the 2016 presidential elections. The fear of Islam, in general, and Muslims, specifically, not only compels non-Muslims to differentially treat Muslims, but also trade some of their own civil rights and civil liberties under the guise of national security.

To address these issues, institutions require a nuanced understanding of laws and policies that institutionalize Islamophobia, and a greater understanding of the diverse college students that identify as Muslim. This book fills what has been a dearth of research that explores the experiences and navigation of Muslim students in colleges and universities, and addresses the even less studied domain of the experiences of Muslim students who hold multiple marginalized identities — such as race, ethnicity, and LGBTQ status – as well as the intersection of those identities that may create multiple burdens of oppression and discrimination.

This book begins by critically engaging with how current laws and policies institutionalize Islamophobia and affect the intersectionality and diversity within the Muslim community. It includes multidisciplinary voices, such as an international human rights attorney, a civil rights attorney, a criminal law attorney, student affairs practitioners, and research faculty whose work on this marginalized student population is traditionally not recognized within academic settings; and brings the voices of female Muslim scholars to the fore. Each chapter includes a critical analysis of the literature, a legal analysis when appropriate, a set of recommendations for policy and practice, and discussion questions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620369777
Publisher:	Stylus Publishing
Publication date:	08/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Shafiqa
Ahmadi, JD, is an Associate Professor of
Clinical Education at the Rossier School of Education (Rossier) and the
Co-Director for the Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice. She is an expert on diversity and legal protection of underrepresented students,
including Muslims, bias and hate crimes, and sexual assault survivors. Prior to joining the Rossier faculty, she taught at the Gould School of Law and was a
Visiting Researcher at the Center for Urban Education, at Rossier. She has also served as a Research Associate at the Research Institute at Rossier where she worked on a grant awarded by the Department of Education (DOE) designed to prevent and reduce on-campus sexual assault. Prior to joining USC, she worked for the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, where she investigated alleged violations of civil rights and discrimination in areas such as employment,
housing, and access to state and state funded services.

Ahmadi received her Doctor of
Jurisprudence from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, at Bloomington,
Indiana. While in law school and graduate school she focused on Employment Discrimination
Law, Corporate International Law, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and
Islamic law (Shari ‘a).

Dr.
Darnell Cole is an Associate
Professor of Education with an emphasis in higher education and education psychology. His areas of research include race/ ethnicity, diversity, college student experiences, and learning. Previously he served as an Associate
Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of
Hawaii, Manoa (Honolulu). He was also a faculty member at Marquette University.
He completed his undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina, at
Charlotte and received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Indiana University,
Bloomington. He is on the review board of the Journal of College Student
Development.

He has published over
40 articles, special issues, and book chapters. He is also featured in the major journals for higher education and other related fields including The
Journal of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, NASPA
Journal, Journal of Classroom Behavior, and Journal of Creative Behavior. His most recent article is a collaboration, titled “Examining a Comprehensive College Transition Program: An Account of Iterative Mixed Methods Longitudinal Survey Design” and appears in the Research in Higher Education.

Shaun
R. Harper, PhD, is a professor in the Marshall School of Business at the
University of Southern California, and is the USC Race and Equity Center
Executive Director. He is an expert on racial, gender, and LGBT issues in corporations, law firms, Hollywood production companies, and universities. He also is an expert on college sports. He offers organizations live, and high-quality virtual experiences on a range of topics pertaining to equity,
diversity, and inclusion in business and on campus.



Dr. Harper has consulted with more than 200 businesses and institutions on strategies related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. He has published over
100 peer-reviewed journal articles and other academic publications, and procured $13 million in research grants. He is presently working on Equity,
Diversity, and Inclusion in Business, his 13th book. His research has been cited in over 12,000 published studies. The Wall Street Journal, New York
Times, Fortune, Washington Post, Black Enterprise, and several thousand other news outlets have quoted Professor Harper and featured his research. He has been interviewed on CNN, ESPN, and NPR.



Prior to becoming a faculty member, he was Assistant Director of MBA Admissions for the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Dr. Harper spent a decade at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a tenured full professor.

Table of Contents

Foreword—Shaun R. Harper
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Institutionalized Islamophobia on College Campuses—Shafiqa Ahmadi and Darnell Cole

1) Muslim Bans: Impact of Exclusionary Policies on Muslim College Students—Marwa Rifahie
2) Criminalization of Muslim Students Post-9/11—Parwana Anwar
3) The Muslim Bans, Human Rights, and International Muslim Students—Zulaikha Aziz
4) Immigrant Status of Muslims—Bo Lee and Shafiqa Ahmadi
5) Queer Muslims—Shafiqa Ahmadi and Sama Shah
6) Black Muslims—Darnell Cole, Liane Hypolite, and Alex Atashi
7) Latinx Muslims—Mabel Sanchez and Shafiqa Ahmadi
8) A Home Away From Home: Community Countering Challenges—Abiya Ahmed and Cassie Garcia

Editors and Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

A seminal work of documented and expertly presented scholarship Islamophobia in Higher Education: Combating Discrimination and Creating Understanding is a critically important, timely, and unreservedly recommended addition to both college and university library Higher Education Administration, College & University Student Life, and Education Administration collections.”

Midwest Book Review

In this volume, these editors bring together chapter authors who have expertise in the fields of international human rights, civil rights, criminal law, and higher education. The depth of content knowledge evidenced in each chapter deepens readers’ understandings of Islamophobia and its harmful impact on Muslim students from various disciplines and perspectives.

Given the misrepresentation of Muslims in general and Muslim students in higher education specifically, this important book aims to provide students, faculty, staff, student affairs professionals, scholars, and student leaders accurate information about Muslims and Muslim college students. It highlights diversity within the community and explores the effects of various laws and policies in higher education. It illustrates how Muslim college students often navigate stigma and stereotypes fueled by Islamophobic rhetoric. For these and numerous other substantive reasons, I highly recommend Islamophobia in Higher Education.”

University of Southern California - Shaun R. Harper

"In this illuminating edited volume, Shafiqa Ahmadi and Darnell Cole uncover the unique challenges and opportunities that Muslim students face in American higher education. In doing so they provide an urgent perspective for both higher education scholars and student affairs professionals, and they offer all of us a vision for building inclusive community within higher education."

University of Southern California - Varun Soni

"In this illuminating edited volume, Shafiqa Ahmadi and Darnell Cole uncover the unique challenges and opportunities that Muslim students face in American higher education. In doing so they provide an urgent perspective for both higher education scholars and student affairs professionals, and they offer all of us a vision for building inclusive community within higher education."

Varun Soni, Dean, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern California

“In this volume, these editors bring together chapter authors who have expertise in the fields of international human rights, civil rights, criminal law, and higher education. The depth of content knowledge evidenced in each chapter deepens readers’ understandings of Islamophobia and its harmful impact on Muslim students from various disciplines and perspectives.

Given the misrepresentation of Muslims in general and Muslim students in higher education specifically, this important book aims to provide students, faculty, staff, student affairs professionals, scholars, and student leaders accurate information about Muslims and Muslim college students. It highlights diversity within the community and explores the effects of various laws and policies in higher education. It illustrates how Muslim college students often navigate stigma and stereotypes fueled by Islamophobic rhetoric. For these and numerous other substantive reasons, I highly recommend Islamophobia in Higher Education.”

Shaun R. Harper, Professor in the Rossier School of Education and the Marshall School of Business; Founder and Executive Director of the USC Race and Equity Center

University of Southern California

“A seminal work of documented and expertly presented scholarship Islamophobia in Higher Education: Combating Discrimination and Creating Understanding is a critically important, timely, and unreservedly recommended addition to both college and university library Higher Education Administration, College & University Student Life, and Education Administration collections.”

Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher