islamophobia | Michigan Radio


person shaking prescription pills from bottle into hand
User: frankileon / Flickr /

Today on Stateside, we look at why people in rural parts of Michigan have difficulty accessing what many doctors consider the most effective treatment for opioid addiction. We also talk about the roots of Islamophobia in the United States, and the financial strain PFAS contamination puts on municipalities.

Colbeck in state senate

Patrick Colbeck is a Republican running for governor. He was videotaped saying a Democratic candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, is part of a Muslim plot to take over the country through “civilization jihad."

He also claimed El-Sayed’s parents have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Colbeck’s claims, which have been posted to a white supremacist Youtube channel, are not supported by facts. But yesterday, he doubled down on the allegations during a speech on the Senate floor.

tahira Khalid and halim naeem
Stateside / Michigan Radio

It is an interesting, and also tough, time to be both black and Muslim in Michigan.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric in politics and media seems to be intensifying, and there are daily reminders of our nation's long, painful – and still unresolved – history of race relations. 

Dr. Halim Naeem​, a psychologist based in Livonia, and Tahira Khalid, head counselor at Muslim Family Services in Detroit, joined Stateside to share their perspectives on what it means to be both black and Muslim in Michigan.

Islamic convention in Detroit this weekend

Nov 25, 2016

The Islamic Organization of North America is hosting its 12th annual convention in Detroit this weekend. It will take place at Cobo Hall for three days, starting Friday.

It is addressing serious challenges facing the Muslim community in America with a focus on drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues, and rising Islamophobia, according to William Antoun, assistant outreach director of IONA.

Antoun said another big focus will be "the political fallout from this election and our community's response and obligations and challenges ahead."

flickr user JMacPherson /

As ISIS claims responsibility for the deadly bombings in Brussels, it raises a serious question: How do news stories linking Muslims with terrorism impact the way we think of all Muslims?

University of Michigan assistant professor of communication Muniba Saleem and her fellow researchers wanted to find out. Their study is called Exposure to Muslims in Media and Support for Public Policy Harming Muslims.

Muslims hold a vigil in Royal Oak in response to attacks in Libya
Mercedes Mejia / Michigan Radio

In the U.S., random attacks against Muslims – or people the attackers think look like Muslims – are on the rise. Michigan is not exempt.

In her recent article for The Islamic Monthly, Michigan public school teacher Zeinab Chami wonders why, 14 years after the most significant incident of violence in the name of Islam ever, we are now seeing more vitriolic comments against Islam – not fewer.

The article is called The Prayer of the American Muslim. That prayer: “Please, God, don’t let them be Muslim.”

Islamophobia harms the fearful as much as the feared

Nov 19, 2015
flickr user JMacPherson /

The Next Idea

The ISIS attacks in Paris triggered fresh waves of fear and suspicion aimed at Muslims.

In just one example, the FBI is now investigating a Michigan woman regarding a tweet she sent out the day after the Paris attacks:

“Dearborn, MI has the largest Muslim population in the United States. Let’s f--- that place up and send a message to ISIS. We’re coming.”

From a local tweet like that to CNN anchors questioning why no one in the French Muslim community spoke up to warn of the Paris attacks, the shock waves of fear and paranoia can be felt resonating far and wide.