The Islamic Seminary of America presented its first weekend seminar entitled “The Power of Prejudice: Race and Religion in America” on October 6-8, 2017.

This short seminar involved students in a critical, reflective analysis of how prejudiced understandings of “race” and “religion” impact the functioning of groups and societies. The intent was to provide an intellectually rigorous theoretical framework for some of the issues that tend to balkanize groups in the United States. From #BlackLivesMatter to Islamophobia, students were provided with the tools to think logically and argue persuasively about these “hot button” issues. Other course topics included: “Religious/Racial Intolerance Before Islamophobia”, “American Muslim Intragroup Prejudice”, “White Male Anger” and “Eugenics 101”.

By the end of the seminar students were supposed to be able to:

• Analyze the dynamic role of prejudice in modern America
• Explain the differences and relationships between the concepts of “race,” “color,” and “culture”
• Describe the role of religious identity in intergroup conflicts
• Articulate how prejudice can become a destructive force in a group or society
• Conceptualize strategies for deescalating racial and religious conflicts

The course was a short seminar organized around the use of a student-centered discussion format augmented by audio-visual materials. Students were encouraged to closely examine and critique readings (assigned in advance) and selected audio-visual material.

Instructors:

• Prof. James (Jimmy) Jones

– Tenured Professor and Chair of African Studies and World Religions at Manhattanville College

– Secretary – National Board, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)

– National and international speaker/consultant/trainer on civil rights advocacy and diversity

• Atty Roula Allouch

– Chair – National Board, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)

– Practicing Attorney in Ohio and Kentucky

– Public Service Coordinator – American Bar Association

This course was endorsed by CAIR-DFW & Masjid Al-Islam (Dallas)

Course syllabus and reading list can be found here.

Source: Islamic Seminary of America (ASF)