On Thursday, November 4, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life hosted Yale University’s Muslim chaplain, Omer Bajwa. During his stay, Bajwa met faculty and staff and gave a multimedia public presentation about challenging Islamophobia, a topic he researches. Bajwa started the presentation by eliciting unfiltered responses to the question “What images come to mind when you hear the words Muslims and Islam,” and he spoke about different images through history and different discourses. He went on to discuss Orientalism as a projection of Western insecurities about Arab/Muslim values, the development of the “Clash of Civilizations” rhetoric, and the profound influence of the media in shaping perceptions and beliefs. He drew parallels with the demonization of other groups throughout history and made a strong plea for deepened intercultural education.
