If Brandeis really wants to end “Islamophobia,” here is how they can accomplish it. They can call upon Muslim individuals and groups to:
1. Focus their indignation on Muslims committing violent acts in the name of Islam, not on non-Muslims reporting on those acts.
2. Renounce definitively, sincerely, honestly, and in deeds, not just in comforting words, not just “terrorism,” but any intention to replace Western constitutions (or the constitutions of any non-Muslim state) with Sharia even by peaceful means. In line with this, clarify what is meant by their condemnations of the killing of innocent people by stating unequivocally that non-Muslim civilians, including Israelis, are innocent people, teaching accordingly in mosques and Islamic schools, and behaving in accord with these new teachings.
3. Teach, again sincerely and honestly, in transparent and verifiable ways in mosques and Islamic schools, the imperative of Muslims coexisting peacefully as equals with non-Muslims on an indefinite basis, and act accordingly.
4. Begin comprehensive international programs in mosques all over the world to teach sincerely, and again transparently, against the ideas of violent jihad and Islamic supremacism.
5. Actively and honestly work with Western law enforcement officials to identify and apprehend jihadists within Western Muslim communities.
If Muslims did those five things, voila! “Islamophobia” would vanish! But it ain’t gonna happen.
“University Ethics Center announces Bahalim Student Fund for projects countering Islamophobia in the US,” by Ece Esikara, The Justice, October 2, 2018:
The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Brandeis Chaplaincy recently announced the creation of the Bahalim Student Fund, a fund to give the Brandeis community an opportunity to fight Islamophobia and promote Islamic values.
The Bahalim Student Fund was made possible by a donation from Brandeis alumnus Ammad Bahalim ’04. The fund is designed to “support student-led public events intended to combat Islamophobia and promote an understanding of Islam as a tradition of learning and critical thinking,” according to the description of the fund released by the Center.
The committee is looking for proposals that will have “a broad appeal to students on campus.” This could include “exciting formats” or “unexpected collaborations among groups of students, clubs and departments,” Leigh Swigart, the director of programs in International Justice and Society at the Ethics Center, said in an interview with the Justice, .. “It does not have to be a talk, it doesn’t have to be a film. It could be a comedian who uses an appealing and insightful way of getting at issues that are very important, or a music that is unexpected or a theater production.”
The fund offers up to $5,000 for the winning proposal, but a great proposal could justify a higher amount, according to Swigart.
Swigart also explained that the fund was the result of a one-time contribution, unless the donor chooses to contribute again in the future. According to Swigart, Bahalim is an alumnus with Pakistani heritage. Bahalim initially donated money to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, a philanthropic organization that fights inequity and is a partner and funder of the University. Bahalim also has connections with Marci McPhee, the Center’s previous director. In the end, Gates foundation multiplied the money, and partial control of the donation fell into the Center’s lap.
In discussion with the new Muslim chaplain, Muhammad Xhemali, the Center decided to open the fund up to not only Muslim students, but to anybody who would like to propose programming. Swigart thinks that the fund “will be a great way to get some excitement and collaboration across different sectors of campus and give students the opportunity to think imaginatively about how to use such a fund.”
In the same interview, Swigart said she assumes that Bahalim created the fund, because “he is responding to the rising climate of Islamophobia and thinking that having something on campus is a good place to start knowing that there are number of Muslim students on campus.” She explained that the language of the proposal is broad, giving the Center and the University considerable freedom in applying it to the community. She also said that the fund’s proposal language emphasizes how Islam exists in United States, not elsewhere….