26th Apr 2008
Islamophobia as a local cultural phenomenon
From a conference this weekend on Islamophobia:
Marquette University Professor Louise Cainkar presented a paper about hate crimes against those of Arab origin, a category that includes Christians but is often conflated with Muslims in post-Sept. 11 pop culture. In analyzing patterns in the Chicago area, she found that hate crimes were fewest in African American neighborhoods in the South Side, despite the high prevalence of Arab shopkeepers. But anti-Arab hate crimes were highest in “white flight” suburbs. A mosque in a southwestern suburb of Chicago came under a “three-day siege” by neighbors after the Sept. 11 attacks and had to be protected by more than 100 police officers in riot gear, Cainkar said.
Cainkar believes the results showed, in part, that Islamophobia is a cultural phenomenon. The black neighborhoods had a history of community organizing around concepts of race and did not buy into treating Arabs as “the other.”
“Islamophobia can be defeated through work at the local level,” she said.
It’s very strange that you have two references to Marquette University within one week (the other being the Dan Maguire/adjuncts post).
A documentary on the Milwaukee Muslim community was aired last week. Unfortunately, I did not get to see it.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=742484
I wonder what it means. One of my blind spots is usually the midwest.