Islamophobia in Higher Education

While Islamophobia was present in our society before 9/11, it hasbecome 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'supholding 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 forinstitutions of higher education as they navigate law and policy on the onehand and adhere to their mission of achieving inclusive and equitableeducational environments on the other? Two thirds of Muslims in the U.S. are vexed with currentpolicy, and there has been an alarming increase in reports of bigotry anddiscrimination against them since the 2016 presidential elections. The fear ofIslam, in general, and Muslims, specifically, not only compels non-Muslims to differentiallytreat Muslims, but also trade some of their own civil rights and civilliberties under the guise of national security. To address these issues, institutions require a nuancedunderstanding of laws and policies that institutionalize Islamophobia, and agreater understanding of the diverse college students that identify as Muslim. This book fills what has been a dearth of researchthat explores the experiences and navigation of Muslim students in colleges anduniversities, and addresses the even less studied domain of the experiences ofMuslim students who hold multiple marginalized identities -- such as race,ethnicity, and LGBTQ status - as well as the intersection of those identitiesthat may create multiple burdens of oppression and discrimination. This book begins by criticallyengaging with how current laws and policies institutionalize Islamophobia andaffect the intersectionality and diversity within the Muslim community. Itincludes multidisciplinary voices, such as an international human rightsattorney, a civil rights attorney, a criminal law attorney, student affairspractitioners, and research faculty whose work on this marginalized studentpopulation is traditionally not recognized within academic settings; andbrings the voices of female Muslim scholars to the fore. Each chapter includesa critical analysis of the literature, a legal analysis when appropriate, a setof recommendations for policy and practice, and discussion questions.