When Islamophobia Backfires

While Muslim-bashing is relatively common in Texas and other red states, two recent incidents from North Texas show that it’s not always political gold.

Excerpts: Key to Bhojani’s win was his ability to reach across ethnic and religious lines in a city that is majority white, but where 1 in 5 residents are foreign-born, mostly from Asia and Africa, which account for most Muslims worldwide. Unsurprisingly, Islamophobia is more prevalent among people who have little or no contact with Muslims.

[…] In Dallas-Fort Worth, on the other hand, the Muslim population more than tripled between 2000 and 2010. Mosques — 73 in the DFW area — dot the cityscape, and it’s not unusual to see women wearing the hijab. That doesn’t mean that DFW is free of Islamophobia, of course, even in some multicultural communities.

Source: Texas Observer / David R. Brockman / Jun 1, 2018

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