UC Berkeley Islamophobia Conference

WASHINGTON - On April 21 and 22, the University of California, Berkeley Center for Race and Gender will host a conference, called "Islamophobia Production and Re-Defining the Global 'Security' Agenda for the 21st Century," to address civil rights issues resulting from the alarming rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in American society.

Scholars, activists and experts, including representatives of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), will take part in panel discussions on topics such as "Producing Islamophobia and Fomenting Fear," "Islamophobia, Citizenship, Patriotism and the Security State," "Race and Racism in US Elections: Wedge Issue and Who Benefits?" and "Clash of Civilizations Discourses and Muslim Otherness."

On April 21, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad will join a panel on building partnerships among community organizations and academics to challenge growing Islamophobia. On April 22, Zahra Billoo, executive director of CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area chapter, will discuss balancing civil rights and national security.

Other panelists will include:

* Dr. Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley professor and co-founder of Zaytuna College

* Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, co-founder Zaytuna College

* Max Blumenthal, The Nation Institute

* Prof. Munir Jiwa, Graduate Theological Union

* Prof. Nadine Naber, University of Michigan

* Prof. Rabab Abdulhadi, San Francisco State University, AMED Program

* Sumbul Ali-Karamali, author of "The Muslim Next Door"

* Veena Dubal, Staff Attorney, National Security & Civil Rights Program, Asian Law Caucus

"We welcome this important effort to address the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia in our society by presenting research-based analysis and offering concrete proactive policy recommendations," said CAIR's Awad.

Awad said the research papers presented at the conference will be published later this year in the inaugural edition of UC Berkeley's Islamophobia Studies Journal.

Islamophobia Production
and Re-Defining Global "Security" Agenda
for the 21st Century

April 21-22, 2011
All sessions begin at 9 am

University of California, Berkeley
Booth Auditorium, Boalt Law School

CONFERENCE PROGRAM:

Thursday April 21st, 2011

9:00 am - Opening Welcoming Remarks
Prof. Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Center for Race & Gender Welcoming Remarks
Papa Toumané Ndiaey, ISESCO Representative
Dr. Hatem Bazian, IRDP Director and Conference Convener

9:30 -11:00 am - Race and Racism in US Election: Wedge Issue and Who Benefits?
Prof. Abdulkader H. Sinno, Indiana University
Prof. Ling-Chi Wang, University of California, Berkeley
Zaid Shakir, Zaytuna College
Moderator: Dr. Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley

11:15am-12:45PM - Producing Islamophobia and Fomenting Fear
Thomas Cincotta, Public Research Associates
Max Blumenthal, the Nation Institute
Arzu Merali is Director of research for the Islamic Human Rights
Commission (UK)
Moderator: Wajahat Ali, Research and Writer at Center for American Progress

LUNCH BREAK

1:30- 3PM - Islamophobia Production in Europe
Prof. Kwame Nimako, University of Amsterdam, Islamophobia in The
Netherlands
Houria Bouteldja, Founder and Spokeswoman for the Indigenous of the Republic Party, France
Dr. Sirin Adlbi Sibai Researcher in the Mediterranean Studies Workshop, Univeridad Autnoma de Madrid
Moderator: Prof. Ramon Grosfougel, UC Berkeley

3:15 – 5:00 PM - Islamophobia, Citizenship, Patriotism and the Security State
Prof. Nadine Naber, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Prof. Rabab Abdulhadi, San Francisco State University, AMED Program
Prof. Maxwell Leung, California College of the Arts
Moderator: Prof. Marianne Farina, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, GTU

DINNER BREAK

7:30 PM – 9:30 PM - Thursday Evening Community Partnership Program
Nihad Awad, CAIR Executive Director
Arzu Merali is Director of research for the Islamic Human Rights
Commission (UK).
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Co-Founder Zaytuna College
Prof. Rabab Abdulhadi, San Francisco State University, AMED Program
Max Blumenthal, the Nation Institute
Dr. Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley and Co-Founder Zaytuna College
Moderator: Prof. Munir Jiwa, Graduate Theological Union

Friday April 22nd, 2011

9:00 AM 11:00 AM - Islamophobia: Media Production and Re-Production of Racism
Prof. Suad Joseph, University of California Davis
Prof. Dina Ibrahim, San Francisco State University
Prof. Munir Jiwa, Graduate Theological Union
Moderator: Prof. Nargis Vironi, Arabic and Islamic Studies at New School of NY

11:15 AM – 1:00PM - Clash of Civilizations Discourses and Muslim Otherness
Prof. Ramon Grosfogual, UC Berkeley
Prof. Keith Feldman, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley
Moderator: Prof. Maxwell Leung, California College of the Arts

3:00 PM – 4:45 PM - Islamophobia and the Security State in Post 9/11
Veena Dubal, Staff Attorney,National Security & Civil Rights Program, Asian Law Caucus
Zahra Billoo, CAIR SF Bay Area Executive Director
Sumbul Ali-Karamali, Author of the Muslim Next Door
Moderator: Prof. Marianne Farina, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, GTU

5:00 PM- 5:30PM - Closing Remarks and IRDP Future Plans
Dr. Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley