“Beyond ‘Muslim Rage’: Making Sense of ‘Anti-Americanism’ in the Islamic World?”
In early September, the release of an amateurish video produced in the United States set off a torrent of protests in the Arab and Muslim worlds. The film, “Innocence of Muslims,” castigates and mocks the prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith. As demonstrations and attacks on U.S. embassies or installations spread to no less than 29 cities in 18 or more countries stretching from Morocco to Indonesia, intellectuals, politicians, and the media in the U.S. highlighted the absence of respect for free speech in the Muslim world and suggested that Islamic cultures and Arab societies are susceptible to intolerance and fanaticism.
Why did the wave of protests occur and spread so quickly? What do they tell us about U.S. relations with the Arab and Muslim worlds? We explored the alternative views of the crisis, investigated its relationship to Islam and Islamophobia, and assessed the paradoxical role of the United States in generating anti-Americanism.
This event was co-sponsored by the Center for Civil Engagement and Middle Eastern Studies
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