Islamophobia activity.?

Question

For my religion class, our course is on social justice. As our isu (independent study unit) we are required to do a class presentation on an issue of our choice. I chose Islamophobia. In the presentation (60min total) we have to include an activity that relates to our topic.

Does anyone have any (creative?) ideas as to what I could do. It is a class of 30. There have been quite a few debates in other presentations., but I want to do something different. One idea I had was to divide the class into groups and have them come up with stereotypes of "Christianophobia" (since we are in a catholic high school). The goal would be to prove just how ridiculous it is to stereotype religions and people based on one incident, or something along those lines. For example, a group could say that we execute criminals by putting them to die on a cross. But I don't really like that idea too much because I'm not sure the class would get too involved.

Thanks in advance! :)

Answer 1

I would include examples of overstating the phobia. Like we have with homophobia. If anyone disagrees with homosexuals on an issue, they are immediately considered homophobic by certain groups.

You see, the debate is so heated that many will take extreme labels in order to throw off the truth in favor of winning an argument. I find this a typical liberal ploy.

So in favor of being fair with the term, those who are against Islam are not the definition of the term, but those who are actually thinking that there is a Muslim extremist around every corner are Islamophobic.

Answer 2

Christianophobia would include all the negatives that a person has heard about or believes about Christians. The old burn witches, superstitions, pedophiles priests ,nuns having babies,etc.

So how about all the negative things people believe about Islam??


How about designing the most efficient bomb vest for terrorist suicide bombers

Behead a goat in class to see how hard and how long it takes to behead a squealing, screaming, squirming human

Have all the females wear a Burka an hour.

Face Mecca and pray 5 times a day and be sure to wash the feet first.

Fast for a day and then gorge yourself on food

There must be others based on appearance or hygiene that could be pointed out as misleading

Answer 3

We did something at a summer camp staff training one summer that was based on diversity. I am not sure exactly what we did but I feel like we were asked questions which had say 4 answers and each corner of the room was assigned an answer - I think what we then did was keep being asked questions until there was 1 or 2 corners with loads and one with hardly any - the point being to show that although we have differences we also have similarities.

Answer 4

Greetings,

I'm unsure of the details required for your activity but maybe a report on an online survey of ten questions in a forum like this.

Answer 5

Blaming Islam and Muslims for the rise of terrorism that threatens the U.S. and the West is at the heart of the strategy developed by individuals and groups whose systemic attacks on Islam and Muslims, borne out of either ignorance or hatred, constitute the recent and painful reality : Islamophobia.

Islamophobia reflects an attitude and a posture normally associated with the Far Right, but that has been creeping slowly to the center of political debate.

Islam and Muslims are separated out from the citizenry and increasingly presented as a problem to be addressed and a question to be tackled.


Islamophobia is a strategic weapon in the campaign to marginalize Muslim Americans by ideological extremists and paranoid bigots.

On one level, Islamophobia stems from ignorance, deception, and misrepresentation. On a deeper level, however, it stems from a very basic human instinct to dominate, exploit, and abuse, combined with a scrupulous attitude that refuse to recognize moral principles and boundaries.

While Islamophobia has existed since centuries, perhaps the term became public in Europe in the 1990s.

The twentieth century witnessed great struggles all over the world to overcome bigotry and racism, and to create more open and inclusive societies in which different races, ethnicities, and religions live side-by-side and cooperate for the betterment of society.

After many devastating tragedies and wars, including two world wars that wiped out more than 80 million people, a holocaust, and a long civil rights struggle, chauvinism, racism, and bigotry were finally condemned, though not totally rejected.

By the mid-twentieth century, the concept that individuals must be treated on the basis of their individual characters and actions, and that no individual or group should be targeted on the basis of religious, ethnic, racial, or national affiliations became widely accepted.

Therefore, the recent efforts that aim at presenting Islam as a challenge and Muslims who practice their faith as a problem are both disheartening and disquieting.

They represent a dangerous move to reverse human progress and return to the age of outright racism and intolerance.

This renewed focus on Islam as a problem has been justified by invoking security concerns. Many voices, particularly within the U.S. policymaking community, either out of ignorance or prejudice, decided to place the blame for terrorism squarely at the door of Islam.

The decision to ignore complex and painful realities that give rise to discord and tension between Western and Muslim countries, and to blame it all on a major world religion and its practitioners, will only exacerbate an already dire situation.

This exercise in self-delusion can only distract us from confronting the real sources of the concerns on both sides and delay the efforts to bring forth a permanent and lasting solution.

Meanwhile, tremendous resources are wasted, and the credibility and prestige of the United States are being undermined.

The failure to understand the profound changes taking place in the Muslim world is not simply a matter of ignorance and lack of insight into Muslim cultures, but a reflection of the bewildering stubbornness of neoconservative analysts in the U.S. and Europe, and their comfort in employing the archaic Orientalist attitudes and tools to analyze relationships between the West and the Muslim world.

Muslims are not awarded the dignity of equal human beings with intrinsic values and legitimate concerns, but are often presented as thoughtless and violent masses incapable of articulating their conditions and solving their problems. Consequently, no effort is made to initiate dialogue and exchange, and all energy is focused on devising strategies for the manipulation and control of the Muslim world.

Many self-proclaimed experts on Islam continue to behave as if Islam and Muslims are a distant part of reality and an external problem to address, rather than partners for dealing with common problems and challenges.

An increasing number of Muslims are proud Americans, serving American society as professors, businessmen, medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, sports stars, firefighters, police officers, and teachers. Many experts in Middle East and Islamic Studies departments have their ancestral roots in Middle Eastern and Muslim cultures.

Many Muslim Americans are active in the debate on how best to bridge the divide, or at least change the perceptions of a divide, between the Muslim world and the West.

Muslim Americans are well positioned to expose the deceptions of power hungry unilateralists, and bridge the divide between Muslim and Western countries.

They equally reject the bigoted spirit of exclusivist ideologies that use religion in all its forms as a weapon for achieving political supremacy, and demonize and dehumanize political opponents.

Muslim Americans should take a firm and resolute stance against individuals and groups that use violence and terror against civilians in the name of religion, and condemn all campaigns of terrorism by groups like al-Qaeda, as they do condemn those who justify violence and aggression against Muslims in the name of biblical prophecies and religious supremacy.

The time has come for the world to undertake a profound shift in political thinking and practice, similar to the one achieved in Europe in modern times.

A democratic and free Europe came to life when the feudal system that privileged a small class of European elites was rejected and replaced with a system based on political equality and the rule of law.

A democratic and free world will be achieved when the current political structure that perpetuates political and economic disparity is replaced with one in which all are equally treated under international law, and have fairly equal access to international organizations.

For two centuries, America has shown that it is capable of transcending its limitations and marching behind those who struggle to realize the ideals of freedom, justice, and equality.

And throughout its history, America stood behind those who fought for equal rights and equal dignity against self-centered groups that wanted to preserve their privileges.

American Muslims must take a firm stand against the militant Religious Right that is bent on denying them the equal dignity they deserve.

As long as they uphold the values of freedom, justice, and equal dignity for all, and reach out to other fellow Americans who share with them deep commitment to these values, they are destined, with the grace of God, to defeat the unscrupulous and mean-spirited attacks led by hate mongers and religious bigots.