Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Trump Says Many Are Starving in Gaza, Vows to Set up Food Centers

20 hours ago

California Governor Candidate Stirs Outrage With Auschwitz ‘Unemployment Plan’ Post

21 hours ago

Gold Price to Stay Above $3,000/Oz as Flight to Safety Endures

23 hours ago

S&P, Nasdaq at Record Highs as US-EU Trade Deal Sparks Optimism in Pivotal Week

23 hours ago

Trump Warns Iran That Its Nuclear Sites Could Be Bombed Again

23 hours ago

Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin

2 days ago

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

3 days ago

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

4 days ago
Can Gen Z Figure Out How to End Islamophobia?
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 6 years ago on
October 26, 2019

Share

Muslims and Christians gathered last week at Fresno Pacific University to talk about Islamophobia, its causes, and what Generation Z — the generation of Americans now of college age, who are said to be the nation’s most ethnically, racially and religiously diverse generation — can do about it.


Listen to this article:


There’s blatant Islamophobia, which is manifested when U.S. government officials established a Muslim travel ban or advocated for registering Muslims and shutting down mosques, said Reza Nekumanesh, executive director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. And then there’s what he calls “Islamophobia Light.”
“On the other side you had Hillary Clinton, with her light Islamophobia, saying, ‘Muslims are our greatest ally in the fight against terrorism, and therefore they’re part of our community,’ ” he said. “Well, that’s problematic, because you suppose, first of all, that my only dignity or value is tied to how I can help you do what you want to do.
“And secondly, you think that I somehow know a terrorist, but I don’t. So you think my entire value boils down to something that you want it to be, which is very Islamophobic as well. It’s tokenizing, it’s dehumanizing.”

Feds Threaten University Funding

One of the most recent examples of the U.S. government’s Islamophobia was when the U.S. Department of Education, led by Secretary Betsy DeVos, threatened in August to cut off funding for a North Carolina university-based Middle Eastern studies programs because it portrayed Islam in “too positive of a light,” Nekumanesh said.
The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the Education Department would continue funding the program but also would maintain its oversight of similar programs.
Nekumanesh was joined at the panel discussion by Sukaina Hussain, Central California outreach director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) California, and Fresno Pacific professor Darren Duerksen, who specializes in interfaith issues.
It was part of a fellowship project undertaken by Fresno Pacific senior Samantha Witt. An interfaith lunch scheduled for Saturday that links Muslim students from Fresno State and Clovis Community College with Fresno Pacific students was the next step of the project, which is intended to build relationships with Muslim neighbors, Witt said.

Discrimination Hurts

“At that point it actually hurt even more, because literally the only difference between her and me was the scarf that I wear on my head.”Sukaina Hussain, Central California outreach director for CAIR California
The roundtable discussion in North Hall’s BC Lounge drew about 70 Fresno Pacific students who listened intently as Nekumanesh and Hussain, who are married, talked about how they had been personally affected by Islamophobia.
Hussain said she was hired over the telephone as a teenager to work at a preschool summer camp, but then “unhired” when the director learned that she wears a hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.
“I was devastated,” she said. “I have experience, I know how to work with kids, I know how to work with parents. And then they ended up hiring my little sister, who is about two years younger than me, to do this job.
“Everybody has dignity, just in and of itself. You’re a person who has been created by God. And yet our actions, and our words, and our narratives completely betray that.”Fresno Pacific professor Darren Duerksen
“At that point it actually hurt even more, because literally the only difference between her and me was the scarf that I wear on my head.”

The Need for Peaceful Conversations

When asked why it’s important for Christians to have peaceful conversations with their Muslim neighbors, Duerksen said he was saddened that the question even has to be asked.
“We don’t do this well, in a society as a whole, and thinking of myself as located in the Christian community, we don’t do this well. And what adds to the sadness for me, is that Christians have long held a theology that says everybody is created in the image of God. And because of that, everybody has dignity, just in and of itself. You’re a person who has been created by God.
“And yet our actions, and our words, and our narratives completely betray that.”
How to overcome Islamophobia? The speakers said it will come as relationships are built and conversations are held, individually and through groups such as Faith in the Valley that address common concerns such as homelessness and gun violence, Duerksen said.
Hussain agreed that it’s important for advocates to work with other advocates on seeking solutions to community issues. And when people work together, they get to know each other, and learn to trust — and not hate — each other, she said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large

DON'T MISS

New York City Mayor Says ‘Active Shooter’ Incident Taking Place in Manhattan

DON'T MISS

Shooting Outside Casino in Reno, Nevada, Leaves 3 Victims Dead, 2 Critically Wounded

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash

DON'T MISS

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

DON'T MISS

Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.

DON'T MISS

North Korea Says Trump Must Accept New Nuclear Reality

DON'T MISS

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

DON'T MISS

Naindeep Singh Joins Fresno City Council Race as Campaign Fundraising Totals Roll In

DON'T MISS

Fresno Home Suffers Major Damage in Saturday Night Fire, Family Cat Rescued

UP NEXT

More than Severance: Fresno Unified Wants to Give $162K to Nikki Henry to End ‘Dispute’

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Rewards Incompetence? Ex-Comms Chief Could Get Huge Severance

UP NEXT

How Erratic Results, High Costs Doomed Fresno Unified’s Student Improvement Program

UP NEXT

Which Fresno State Faculty Projects Are CSU’s AI Challenge Winners?

UP NEXT

Trump Impounds Billions in Education Funding. For Fresno Unified, It’s $7.1 Million

UP NEXT

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

UP NEXT

Why Is Usually Sleepy Fresno County Schools Superintendent Race Suddenly Hot?

UP NEXT

What Does the Fresno County Schools Superintendent Do? Read This Q&A to Find Out

UP NEXT

Clovis Unified Faces Lawsuit Alleging Years of Neglect and Sexual Abuse at Fancher Creek

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash

15 hours ago

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

15 hours ago

Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.

15 hours ago

North Korea Says Trump Must Accept New Nuclear Reality

15 hours ago

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

16 hours ago

Naindeep Singh Joins Fresno City Council Race as Campaign Fundraising Totals Roll In

17 hours ago

Fresno Home Suffers Major Damage in Saturday Night Fire, Family Cat Rescued

17 hours ago

Senator to Unveil Aviation Safety Bill on Eve of Fatal Crash Hearing

18 hours ago

Fox Business News Host Throws Shade at Merced Over High-Speed Rail

18 hours ago

Trump Says He Turned Down Invitation to Epstein’s Island

18 hours ago

Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large

Two suspects are behind bars after a commercial burglary at a Dollar General in Fowler, the Fowler Police Department said on Monday. Officer...

14 hours ago

Two repeat theft offenders were arrested and a third suspect remains at large after a burglary at a Dollar General in Fowler, police said. (Fowler PD)
14 hours ago

Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., June 3, 2025. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

New York City Mayor Says ‘Active Shooter’ Incident Taking Place in Manhattan

The Grand Sierra Resort casino is seen after a fatal shooting in Reno, Nevada, U.S., July 28, 2025 in this still image taken from a video. ABC Affiliate KOLO via REUTERS
14 hours ago

Shooting Outside Casino in Reno, Nevada, Leaves 3 Victims Dead, 2 Critically Wounded

15 hours ago

Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a nuclear cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (not pictured), at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Umit Bektas)
15 hours ago

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

Fresno City Hall Fresno Police Officers Association
15 hours ago

Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends wreath laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam March 2, 2019. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

North Korea Says Trump Must Accept New Nuclear Reality

San Diego Homeless Encampment
16 hours ago

What Does Trump Crackdown on Homelessness Mean for California?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend