Colleagues, I want to draw your attention to a statement that I have drafted for those of us concerned about the level of Islamophobia in the current U.S. election campaign. The idea started on the e-list of the American Academy of Religion. The purpose of the statement is to point out in a non-partisan way the inherent anti-Muslim (and by extension anti-Black) prejudice in the false claim that Senator Obama is a Muslim and with the unsolicited mailing in swing states of DVDs of the Islamophobic film "Obsession." The statement is posted at http://tabsir.net/?page_id=672 If you would like to add your name to the statement, please let me know (including your affiliation). If you have further informative resources to hyperlink on the webpage, please send these to me as well. I plan to announce the site to media sources on Thursday (after the dust of the debate has settled). If you agree with the statement, please send this email on to colleagues and encourage them to sign on. I realize that we have only a small voice in the pundit sphere, but as scholars of Islam and Muslim societies, or just concerned citizens, it is important we add our voice to the din. This page is separate from the blog Tabsir (www.tabsir.net), but you are welcome to post commentaries on the blog, which I moderate with a dozen scholars.
Dan

Daniel Martin

VariscoChair and Professor Anthropology

Hofstra UniversityHempstead,

NY 11549Daniel.M.Varisco@hofstra.edu