Join us for a talk with Wajahat Ali on Thursday, February 16th at 7 PM in the University Union Chesapeake Ballrooms. Modern Islamophobia, Wajahat Ali argues, is rooted in age-old anxiety—the fear of the “unknowable other.” How can Muslim Americans—a highly educated, diverse group numbering four million people—become the heroes of their own narratives? Islamophobia exploits the gap between the perception and reality of Muslims and Islam, and has cast Muslim Americans as villains in the post-9/11 era. This important problem has profound implications on culture, politics, society, and even national security.
Ali imagines an America remade—united over our shared values, not torn apart by racism or hate. Our country can achieve its pluralistic potential, he says. But first, we’ll need to emerge from our partisan cocoons, reach across the aisle, and build lasting partnerships. We need to see religious and cultural difference as the ideas that can bring us together, not rip us apart. And we have to create what he calls a “Multicultural Coalition of the Willing”: a sort of Justice League of diverse Americans who can unite over commonalities. We can resist the forces of bigotry, Ali insists; and in this keynote, he imagines a way to achieve the American Dream for everyone.
Wajahat Ali is a journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, a TV host, and a consultant for the U.S. State Department. As Creative Director of Affinis Labs, he works to create social entrepreneurship initiatives that have a positive impact for marginalized communities, and to empower social entrepreneurs, young leaders, creatives, and communities to come up with innovative solutions to tackle world problems.
Sponsored by the Center for Student Diversity.
