Islamophobia in the U.S. and Europe: Policy Implications
A recent report published by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) shows surging Islamophobic activities in the political environment, media outlets, streets, and businesses in 25 EU countries, as hundreds of Muslim Europeans encounter hate speech and physical attacks in daily life. Edited by Enes Bayrakli and Farid Hafez, the 582-page report includes the European Islamophobia Report‘s (EIR) nation-based findings on Islamophobic activities.
The panel will comparatively analyze the state of Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism in Europe and the United States. The discussion will particularly focus on policy implications of the recent tide of Islamophobia across both sides of the Atlantic, taking into account ramifications of the Syrian refugee crisis, ISIS-led terrorist attacks, and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.
Speakers:
Enes Bayrakli, Researcher, The SETA Foundation, Istanbul
Farid Hafez, Researcher, Department of Political Science, University of Salzburg
Dalia Mogahed, Director of Research, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU)
Corey Saylor, Director, Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Moderated by Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, Research Fellow, The SETA Foundation at Washington D.C.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehMnZpUXahE[/embedyt]
Enes Bayrakli earned his BA, MA and PhD from the Department of Political Science at the University of Vienna, and conducted research for his PhD thesis at the University of Nottingham in Britain between 2009 and 2010. He took office as a deputy director and a specialist at Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Center in London in 2011-2013. Mr. Bayraklı also served as the founding director of Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centers in Constanta and Bucharest during the period of August-December 2012. Mr. Bayraklı has been a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the Turkish-German University since 2013. His fields of research include the Transformation of Turkish Foreign Policy, Northern Iraq Policy of Israel, Cultural Diplomacy, Foreign Policy Analysis, German Politics and Foreign Policy.
Farid Hafez is a researcher at the Department of Political Science at the University of Salzburg. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Vienna and a M.Sc. in civic education from the University of Klagenfurt and Krems. Hafez has been teaching at the University of Klagenfurt and the Muslim Teachers Training College University in Vienna. He has been a Visiting Lecturer at Istanbul University and Osmangazi University and a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University in New York City. He is the editor of the German “Jahrbuch für Islamophobieforschung” (Islamophobia Studies Yearbook, www.jahrbuch-islamophobie.de). In 2009, Dr. Hafez was awarded with the Bruno-Kreisky-Award for the political book of the Year 2009 for his anthologoy “Islamophobie in Österreich” (Islamophobia in Austria) that he co-edited with Prof. John Bunzl.
Dalia Mogahed is Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. Ms. Mogahed is an experienced research analyst and director who has capably managed the establishment and growth of other research based institutions that study issues related to Muslim populations in the US and abroad. Mogahed previously served as the Executive Director and Senior Analyst for the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies where she led global research analysis of surveys from over 40 countries. By effectively managing diverse teams and multimillion dollar budgets, Ms. Mogahed was able to successfully establish the Gallup Center as a leading authority on Muslim affairs. In 2008 with Dr. John L. Esposito, Ms. Mogahed coauthored the book Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think. Ms. Mogahed is a frequent commentator in global media outlets and international forums. She has received numerous awards and recognitions from entities such as the World Economic Forum, University of Wisconsin, Ashoka, and Freedom House.
Corey Saylor is an expert on political communications, legislative advocacy, media relations and anti-Islam prejudice in the United States with 20 years of experience. He directs the Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Saylor has authored a number of reports documenting anti- Islam sentiment in the United States. He is a regular voice on U.S. and international news outlets ranging from Fox News to CNN, the BBC, the New York Times and Al Jazeera. He led CAIR’s efforts raising constitutional and efficacy concerns about the Obama administration’s countering violent extremism (CVE) initiative. In 2006, he was part of a CAIR delegation that went to Baghdad, Iraq to appeal for the release of a kidnapped American journalist. Corey has conducted dozens of leadership, advocacy and media training across the United States. Saylor is a member of the national board of directors of Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ).
Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu is a research fellow at the SETA Foundation at Washington, D.C. Tekelioglu holds a PhD in Political Science from Boston University and a Masters in International Relations from Middle East TechnicalUniversity in Ankara, Turkey. His research focuses on politics of ethno-religious identities, Muslim minorities in the West, Turkish foreign policy and Turkish American relations, and international relations theories. His doctoral work focused on contemporary debates about American Muslim identity and transnational belonging. From 2013 to 2015 Ahmet Selim lead the Los Angeles leg of the Public Ethics and Citizenship in Plural Societies Project with Contending Modernities program at Notre Dame University. Tekelioglu concurrently leads a project at the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University.
