Thursday, September 30, 2010

Casting Out: Exploring the Racialization of Muslims

A book review authored by Fatemeh Fakhraie from Islam on My Side of the book entitled, Casting Out: Exploring the Racialization of Muslims by Sherene H. Razack.

The reviewer starts with this statement:
I just finished reading Sherene H. Razack’s [book]. And I gotta say, it blew me onto my ass. 
...She uses plenty of theory and excellent cross-racial examples to illustrate that what’s currently happening to Muslims in the West (racialization that results in “the expulsion of Muslims from the political community, a process that takes the form of stigmatization, surveillance, incarceration, torture, and bombing”) has happened to other groups before.
This looks to me like a very important book to aid in our understanding of the apparent widespread phenomenon here in the US to stigmatize Muslims. I was made more aware of this dangerous trend from a recent trip to a rural area in central Washington state--Methow Valley. I picked up the small local newspaper in that area and read one hate filled letter to the editor regarding Muslims and a featured opinion piece that targeted Muslims by a local writer.