The State of Islamophobia and the Problem with the Muslim Mind
A conversation between:
02/11/2023
19:00 – 21:00
ICF @ Block 336
336 Brixton Road
London SW9 7AA
Description
This panel discussion between Dr Tarek Younis, Dr Asim Qureshi, Dr Rizwaan Sabir and Dr Sadia Habib, will examine the current state of Islamophobia in the Global North and its impact on Muslim communities. The speakers will explore how the Muslim mind is often subjected to surveillance and management, and the consequences of this on self-expression and emotional wellbeing.
This event will be BSL interpreted.
Biographies
Dr Tarek Younis is a cultural and critical clinical psychologist, and currently a lecturer in Psychology at Middlesex University. His previous research explored the racialisation of Muslims as a result of statutory counter-terrorism policies in mental health. He has written on Western Muslim identities; Islamophobia; the securitisation and racism of mental health; and how Muslims are increasingly marginalised through “colourblind” policies that do not target them explicitly. He teaches on the impact of culture, religion, globalisation and security policies on mental health interventions.
Dr Asim Qureshi graduated in Law (LLB Hons, LLM), specialising in International Law and Islamic Law. He completed his PhD in International Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent. He is the Research Director at the advocacy group CAGE, and since 2003 has specialised in investigating the impact of counterterrorism practices worldwide. He has published a wide range of NGO reports, academic journals and articles. He has written the books Rules of the Game: Detention, Deportation, Disappearance (Hurst, Columbia UP, 2009); A Virtue of Disobedience (Unbound, 2019); and was the editor of I Refuse to Condemn: Resisting Racism in Times of National Security (Manchester UP, 2020) and the forthcoming When Only God Can See: Islam in the Prisons of the War on Terror (Pluto, 2024). Since 2010, he has been advising legal teams involved in defending terrorism trials in the US and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Dr Rizwaan Sabir is a senior lecturer in criminology at Liverpool John Moores University, and author of the book The Suspect: Counterterrorism, Islam, and the Security State (Pluto Press). His research is focused on examining counterterrorism warfare and its impact on racialised-Muslim communities. He regularly offers analysis and commentary in the media and writes for a number of news outlets, including the Guardian, Al-Jazeera, and TRT World.
Dr Sadia Habib is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester. She is also the Our Shared Cultural Heritage Coordinator at Manchester Museum, where she mentors young people to lead on critical and creative work to tackle racism and Islamophobia. Sadia also works as a Researcher in the Centre for Dynamics of Ethnicity at the University of Manchester, and she is co-founder of The Riz Test.
Her work revolves around making the Museum a better place for young people to explore identities and become active and vocal participants in organisational decision making. Sadia has radically changed Manchester Museum by setting up a Young Collective: culturally diverse young people who regularly lead on activities, campaigns and events that reflect their communities and identities.
