On March 23, local civil rights activist Zainab Chaudhry visited the Islamic Center of Maryland for a “Hate Crimes, Bullying & Discrimination: Open Forum on Islamophobia and its Implications.”
The event was intended to be a workshop for about 120 Muslim teenagers to help them understand the growing culture of Islamophobia in the United States, and to help them overcome its obstacles at school and in the community.
Islamophobia, explained Dr. Chaudhry, is a $119 million industry designed to ‘otherize’ Muslim communities and individuals. To combat its implications, Dr. Chaudhry explained the necessity for Muslim teenagers to report Islamophobic incidents they may have experienced to teachers or administrators at school.
Hand in hand with increased scrutiny and negative perceptions of Muslims comes the need for Muslims in middle- and high-school to become visibly engaged with their communities to change the perceptions of people through volunteering and community work. At the event, Muslim teens and youth had the opportunity to discuss experiences that directly affected them at school, while parents also had an opportunity to ask questions and gain perspective from Dr. Chaudhry’s presentation.
The event was organized by Adileh Sharieff, the mother of a teenage daughter who is helping the Islamic Center of Maryland put together new programs to attract the youth. “The best part of the event was watching how Sister Zainab connected to the youth and how they felt comfortable openly discussing incidents they had experienced,” she said.
Mariam Ashraf, a participant in the event, had a conversation with Chaudhry about what college-age students can do to change the rhetoric about Islam in American. She left with a positive perspective and also the feeling that more needs to be done. “I was definitely the student who was bouncy, full of energy, and wanted to be positive in every way to show how empowering and uplifting Islam is,” she said. “But now I’m realizing in the current that more events like this need to happen so we can brainstorm how to effectively make our place in society, live positive and healthy lives, and contribute- even when times are tough.”
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