Philosophy and political science professor Dr. Michael Bradley recently contributed an article to CounterPunch, a left-wing journalism website, about how Islamophobia is being combatted in Illinois. Islamophobia, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the irrational fear or discrimination against people who practice Islam.
Bradley is self-described as left on the political spectrum, as a social democrat, and has taken a personal interest in the way Islamophobia has evolved in the country and what people can do to prevent it and overcome the ignorance attached to it. He frequently contributes to CounterPunch and wrote a previous piece in 2014 called “Uber Day” about the effects that Sept. 11 had on Islamophobia. After that, in 2015, Bradley wrote another piece called “Educating about Islam” to address the general problem of Islamophobia. His most recent piece is called “Countering Islamophobia in Illinois” and talks about the “frequent manifestations of bias, prejudice, hate, and violence, and the sad experiences of those subjected to these abuses.”
Bradley presenting at a public lecture in 2015
In the last six or seven years, Bradley has thought a lot about Islamophobia and he said, “I asked myself what it is, why it’s there and what it means.” Bradley elaborated, “Some people consider Islamophobia the fear of the ‘other,’ but I believe it is more hate-driven.”
He has been researching for this particular article over the past two summers regarding the Muslim American Advisory Council (MAAC). According to their official website, this council “ advises the Governor on ways to advance the role and civic participation of Muslim Americans in Illinois.” The MAAC was established by former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in 2011 as an executive order. When Governor Bruce Rauner came into office in 2015, he disbanded the group. However, a bill passed in the Illinois legislature putting this group back into action and Rauner signed it in late August of this year.
Bradley’s sources for this article include Sen. Jim Oberweis, who has voted against this bill twice, and Sen. Jacqueline Collins, who is the primary sponsor of the bill. Bradley makes references to several Muslim-American Activist groups including the Council on American Islamic Relations in Chicago and the Islamic Society of Greater Springfield and spent a lot of time interviewing members of these groups and politicians.
Political science major Fatima Noor was born in Pakistan and grew up there. She came to the U.S. when she was 15 for school through a Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study, which allows students from predominately Muslim countries to spend up to one academic year studying in the U.S. Noor lived on and off again in Kirkwood, Missouri, while finishing high school and came back to the U.S. to attend Blackburn. “My town was very diverse,” Noor said about where she lived in Missouri, “so I did not experience a lot of Islamophobia.” She acknowledged that the community in Carlinville is not as diverse, but still here she does not experience so much of Islamophobia as much as ignorance in terms of not knowing or caring to know about her religion “It is bothersome,” she admitted, “but I understand that some people are not open to other cultures and religions.”
Islamaphobia brings religious rights and religious prejudice into question
Bradley mentioned that Illinois is unique in the fact that it is a pioneer state in terms of advocating for Muslim Americans and trying to shut down Islamophobia. He noted that states with a high Muslim American population like New York, California and Michigan, like Illinois, are also taking steps to improve the equality of all religions.
Anyone can read this article or Bradley’s previous articles on CounterPunch by searching for his name in the search bar.