Hatem Bazian's Islamophobia Conference at UC Berkeley

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com



"I'm a victim."


As advertised, Hatem Bazian, professor of something or other at UC Berkeley, has put on his annual Islamophobia conference at UCB. Here is the coverage from the Daily Californian.

http://www.dailycal.org/2014/04/17/conference-illuminates-problem-islamophobia-todays-society/

My comment to the online edition is attached.

"Islamophobia" is a tricky term to define. Is the phobia a hate or a fear? If it is a fear, is it irrational as Bazian describes it? What it should not be is a hatred of Muslims as people because most are decent people who are not violent. However, ask the Syrian Christians who are being hunted down as we speak if their fear is irrational. Ask the Coptic Christians in Egypt, whose churches are being burned and their children abducted and forced to convert. Ask the Baha'i in Iran who are being persecuted, arrested, raped, and murdered if their fear is irrational. Ask the Christians of Pakistan, who are being attacked and hit with bogus charges of blasphemy under penalty of death. In fact, ask religious minorities from one end of the Islamic world to the other if their fear is irrational. In addition, ask the Jews of Europe who are leaving in droves because they dare not walk the streets in Jewish grab lest they be attacked by young male Muslim immigrants.

To the credit of the American people, American Muslims are not subjected to this kind of treatment. This conference is nothing more than an exercise in grievance-mongering.

Gary Fouse
Adj teacher
UCI Ext

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Perhaps, Professor Bazian would like to complain to the University that I am an Islamophobe. If he can define it a bit more accurately.