Sociology

How You Could Be Racist and Not Even Know It

Derald Wing Sue et al. (2007) posit that micro-aggression racism is: a contemporary form of racism that is invisible, unintentional, subtle in nature, and typically outside the levels of conscious awareness, but it creates a hostile and invalidating climate nonetheless.  According to Sue and Colleagues, the cumulative of micro-aggressions may be just as harmful as…… Continue reading How You Could Be Racist and Not Even Know It

Film-work

Speaking with Hamza Yusuf on American Identity

Location: Hamza Yusuf’s home, California Date: November 2008 Topic: American identity and Muslims in the USA Project: Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam Principal investigator: Akbar Ahmed Filmed by: Craig Considine © Akbar Ahmed

Religion

Religion: Meet Christophobia

In his book The Cube and the Cathedral, George Weigel turns to Joseph Weiler’s ‘Christophobia’ theory to discuss the ‘European problem’ (or the struggle for cultural and moral supremacy between atheistic humanists (secularists) and Christians).  ‘Christophobia’, which resists any acknowledgement of the Christian sources of Europe’s democracy, has eight key features, as outlined by Weigel,…… Continue reading Religion: Meet Christophobia

Film-work · Politics

Noam Chomsky Defines American Identity as Myth and Fear

Location: Noam Chomsky’s office, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Date: October 2008 Topic: American identity (with some focus on Muslims in the USA) Project: Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam Principal investigator: Akbar Ahmed Filmed by: Craig Considine © Akbar Ahmed

Commentary

The “Fundamentalist” Folk Devil

I just finished reading an interesting article given to me by Ronit Lentin titled ‘Islamophobia: a very (Post)modern fear?’.  It was written by Pnina Werbner as a presented paper at the Closing Conference of Cost A2 in Brussels, December 7-9, 1995. One particular point of Werbner’s stuck out from the rest, which is, the concept…… Continue reading The “Fundamentalist” Folk Devil

Sociology

Study Questions to Guide Discussion on Islamophobia

Some thought-provoking questions which sprang from my reading of: The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe by Tariq Modood and Pnina Werbner (1997). 1.  What are the key features of ‘Islamophobia’? 2.  How would you compare ‘Islamophobia’ to anti-Semitism?  What about anti-Judaism? 3.  To what extent would you agree that ‘Islamophobia’ is more a form…… Continue reading Study Questions to Guide Discussion on Islamophobia

Work

My forthcoming publication in Metro Éireann

I’m excited that Metro Éireann is publishing my article on the story of my Pakistani friend here in Dublin.  The article is set to be published on May 1st. Below is some information cut and pasted from Wikipedia. Metro Éireann is Ireland’s multicultural newspaper. It is published by Metro Publishing and Consultancy Limited. The tabloid-format paper was established by…… Continue reading My forthcoming publication in Metro Éireann

Fieldwork

Wondering About Ireland’s Immigration System

I’m heading tomorrow morning to meet with a Pakistani friend who I met back in January.  This young man, whose name I’ll keep anonymous for security purposes, is a native of Islamabad, Pakistan.  He arrived to Dublin via work visa over eight years ago. When his work visa ended he filed the necessary paperwork to live (legally) in Ireland.  His…… Continue reading Wondering About Ireland’s Immigration System