The racialization of Islam
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Race, much like religion, is a social construct hence the both produce a similar form of discrimination. Both of them were created to perpetuate systems of oppression namely white supremacy. Rana explains how the racialization of Islam allowed for the continuation of empire and imperialism in the “Middle East”. Furthermore, the racialization of Islam meant that both Muslim and non-Muslim people of the global majority could be targeted for being perceived as Muslim.
This targeting of people racialised as Muslim increased even more so in the post-9/11 world and the ensuing “war on terror”. Arora writes “For me, however, as a Sikh woman…I see the Wisconsin shooting as a tragic, extreme and horrible extension of the rising tide of racism”. Thus the racialization of Islam facilitated violence against People of Colour, regardless of their religious background. This highlights how social constructs perpetuate systems of oppression and violence against all marginalised communities, and without addressing one system we cannot fight the others. This makes me wonder, how can we realise the interconnectedness of these oppressive social constructs and build solidarity in resistance to them?