Islamophobia is Racism (Syllabus) : This reading list provides resources for teaching and learning about anti-Muslim racism in the United States. The syllabus reframes “Islamophobia” as “anti-Muslim racism” to reflect the intersection of race and religion as the reality of structural inequality and violence.
Countering Islamophobia Presentation: This presentation and accompanying notes provide an overview of the topic Countering Islamophobia in Education, including the meaning, history, and current manifestations of Islamophobia, the impact of Islamophobia on Muslim students and families, and ways to counter Islamophobia.
The Middle East in Middle America: This resource list offers further readings and resources from a teacher workshop on “The Middle East in Middle America”, which includes topics such as Muslims and Islam in American Media and Culture, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Sharia law, and music and political expression in the Middle East.
Orientalism and Islamophobia Resources: This resource list explores the concept of Orientalism, or how Western societies have historically viewed and depicted the “Orient” (primarily the Middle East and Asia) as exotic and backwards from a western point of view. This viewpoint has often led to misunderstandings and prejudices against non-western cultures.
Islam in America: A Conversation with Nadia Marzouki: In this podcast Nadia Marzouki talks about how to topic of Islam in America has become so contentious. Marzouki’s research showed that controversies around Muslims living in America don’t just express Islamophobia. “They betray and express a deeper discomfort and unease with an understanding of law, an understanding of rights, and an understanding of equal democracy. This is really what’s at stake in the conversations among the disputes around mosques, Sharia law, and also— in a more minor way— the headscarf… or various forms of religious rituals related to the Islamic communities.”
Arab and Muslim Representation in the Media: In this article, Evelyn Alsuntany describes how after 9/11, U.S. media increased sympathetic portrayals of Arabs and Muslims, depicting them as victims of discrimination or patriotic citizens. These representations aimed to challenge stereotypes but often justified post-9/11 policies like the USA PATRIOT Act and wars in the Middle East. At the same time, hate crimes and workplace discrimination against Arabs and Muslims surged by 1,600%. Media used strategies such as disclaimers and "native informants" to appear nuanced, reinforcing a narrative of U.S. benevolence while enabling discrimination and war. Positive portrayals upheld a "post-race" image to legitimize oppressive practices.
TEDx Talk: Untapped Stereotypes - Evelyn Alsultany: In this TEDx Talk Evelyn Alsultany, talks about how media portrayals and stereotypes of Muslims and Arab Americans perpetuate islamophobia and misunderstanding by only portraying a narrow view
EdFix: Muslim Youth Identity and the Promise of Public Education - Arshad Ali: In this episode, host Michael Feuer (Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University) is joined by Dr. Arshad Ali (GW Assistant Professor of Educational Research) in a conversation about whether the promise of American democracy still rings true for young Muslims in the United States. Dr. Ali discusses the role schools could play in addressing civic engagement for historically marginalized populations, and shares his research on Muslim youth identity and his ideas on the broader purpose of our American political and schooling systems.
Photo slideshows:
The “America 2.0” photo series by photographer Mark Bennington was created to show the diversity of Muslim American youth as a way to combat Islamophobia. In it he features Muslim Americans from across New York City with stories from their daily lives, featuring topics such as school, friends, music, dating and so on.
Teaching/Classroom Materials:
The film Amreeka (96 minutes) follows the journey of Muna, a Palestinian single mother, and her teenage son, Fadi, as they immigrate to a small town in Illinois from the West Bank in search of a better life. They face challenges adjusting to American culture, financial struggles, and discrimination, especially in the post-9/11 climate, where anti-Arab sentiment is prevalent. This accompanying lesson plan provides supplemental content and activities based on the film.
The documentary, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (51 minutes), explores Hollywood’s negative portrayal of Arabs and Muslims over a century of filmmaking. The film argues that Western media perpetuates harmful stereotypes that reduce Arabs to villains, terrorists, or oppressors, reinforcing fears and Western biases, which has contributed to widespread Islamophobia. The accompanying study guide for the film Reel Bad Arabs summarizes the film’s main points and provides discussion questions and supplemental activities.
Lesson plans about 9/11 and its impact on America and beyond: In this lesson students will gain a deeper understanding of the September 11, 2001, attacks and the event’s far-reaching impact on America and the world by examining how it affected various aspects of society, including politics, national security, the economy, and foreign policy as well as its impact on various groups inside and outside America.
Saints and Misfits Teaching Guide: Designed for middle and high school students, this teaching guide to S.K. Ali’s young adult novel Saints and Misfits helps readers tackle new vocabulary and carefully consider the experiences of Janna, the young female Muslim protagonist.
Educator’s Toolkit for “Expelling Islamophobia”: This toolkit outlines a six-step lesson plan using the short film American Muslims: Facts vs. Fiction. The toolkit aims to foster students’ religious literacy and improve school climate for Muslim students and other vulnerable student groups.
Lesson plan on Countering Islamophobia: This lesson helps students explore, confront and deconstruct stereotypes targeted at Muslims. Students will learn about the impact of Islamophobia and create an anti-Islamophobia campaign to display in school.
