Dear Montclarion Editors and Readers,
Students for a Democratic Society fully condemns the recent hate speech that targeted the Muslim community at Montclair State University. This despicable act is only a symptom of a larger problem in Western countries in general, and the United States in particular--Islamophobia.
Islamophobia is not the result of a clash of religious differences; rather, it is a political tool used to justify war and imperialism in the Middle East--similar to the racism and anti-communism used in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Islamophobia is a modern manifestation of the “Orientalist” field of study that was created during the colonialist times. These studies depicted Arabic people in a racist fashion, exoticizing their traditions and culture as inferior to Western culture. Once Arabic countries became significant in the 1970’s, because of their oil and other natural resources, Orientalist and anti-Islam propaganda was spread once more, this time in an even more diluted and biased fashion. This propaganda created a fearful social climate that was accepting of the installation of puppet dictators, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the US funded war between Iran and Iraq, the Gulf War, the more recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, the sanctions in Iran, and the drone strikes in Pakistan.
It is therefore necessary to combat Islamophobia and its racist implications by arming ourselves with intellect.
MSU Students--Onward and Upward!
Sincerely,
Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society fully condemns the recent hate speech that targeted the Muslim community at Montclair State University. This despicable act is only a symptom of a larger problem in Western countries in general, and the United States in particular--Islamophobia.
Islamophobia is not the result of a clash of religious differences; rather, it is a political tool used to justify war and imperialism in the Middle East--similar to the racism and anti-communism used in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Islamophobia is a modern manifestation of the “Orientalist” field of study that was created during the colonialist times. These studies depicted Arabic people in a racist fashion, exoticizing their traditions and culture as inferior to Western culture. Once Arabic countries became significant in the 1970’s, because of their oil and other natural resources, Orientalist and anti-Islam propaganda was spread once more, this time in an even more diluted and biased fashion. This propaganda created a fearful social climate that was accepting of the installation of puppet dictators, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the US funded war between Iran and Iraq, the Gulf War, the more recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, the sanctions in Iran, and the drone strikes in Pakistan.
It is therefore necessary to combat Islamophobia and its racist implications by arming ourselves with intellect.
MSU Students--Onward and Upward!
Sincerely,
Students for a Democratic Society
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