Since the aftermath of 9/11, and the subsequent War on Terror, the phenomenon of Islamophobia has impacted many individuals and families—both immigrant and U.S.-born—who are perceived as sharing a background similar to members of Islamist terrorist groups. From 2005 to 2010, the atmosphere of Islamophobia resulted in an increase in discrimination reports by Muslim employees by about 60% (Greenhouse, 2010). The drastic increase in systemic racial and religious antagonism against those with a Muslim background—especially immigrants—has created a context of fear that stigmatizes individuals from other cultures. As of yet, there have been limited social discourses around the ontology of Islamophobia and how American citizens who culturally or religiously identify as Muslim have experienced it. Recent world events, including the Orlando shooting massacre this past June and the resulting calls to close U.S. borders to all Muslim immigrants, continue to underscore the need for family researchers and practitioners to learn about marginalized groups, work to educate others, and seek social justice and equality. The IDC aims to bring NCFR members' attention to the situations facing marginalized groups, such as Muslims in America.

In an effort to continue the dialogue on social justice strategies that began at the 2015 NCFR conference, the IDC is pleased to hold a session at this year's annual conference titled "Social Justice Strategies to Address the Elephant in the Classroom or the Family Room: Race and Racism in America," scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 3, 1:45-3 p.m. The session will focus on issues of racism that affect several different racial and ethnic groups and will offer a series of roundtables, each focused on a different topic and led by NCFR members with expertise in that particular area. The roundtable titles include African American Families and Incarceration, African American Families and Police Brutality, Latino Families and Immigration, Muslim Families and Islamophobia within North America, Native American/Indigenous Families and Historic Trauma, and White Families and White Privilege. The Muslim Families and Islamophobia within North America discussion will revolve around three issues: (1) The construction of hyphenated selves—who are Muslim-Americans?; (2) Islamophobia and its impact on individual and family systems; and (3) how to mobilize social solidarity and justice through increasing self and group awareness.

Although the roundtable discussions at this session will not be representative of all racial and ethnic groups, the session will conclude with a focus on actions that participants can engage in and utilize in a variety of contexts. Our goal is to continue discussions of inclusion and diversity by increasing awareness of some of the many individuals and families who are underrepresented and marginalized. The session is being cosponsored by the following sections: Advancing Family Science; Education & Enrichment; Ethnic Minorities; Feminism & Family Studies; Family Therapy; International; Religion, Spirituality, and Family; and Students and New Professionals (SNPs).

We invite all conference attendees to join us at the IDC breakfast on Friday, Nov. 4, 7:30-9 a.m. The breakfast has been a popular venue for NCFR members to have a conversation about issues related to inclusion and diversity. This year we plan to utilize the breakfast meeting to continue the discussion from the IDC special session. We hope that the breakfast will serve as a space for NCFR members to share their thoughts related to the special session in a more intimate setting and to raise other issues of inclusion and diversity relevant to NCFR and our members. In addition, we plan to update NCFR members on various projects and initiatives that the IDC has been working on this past year. A goal of the IDC breakfast is to foster communication and conversation among NCFR members around issues related to inclusion and diversity. We hope you will join us for the special session and the breakfast in Minneapolis!

Source

Greenhouse, S. (2010, September 23). Muslims report rising discrimination at work. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/business/24muslim.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.