CAIR-Chicago Closes Out Islamophobia Awareness Month with Recommitment to Mission

As we end our November, we want to spend this last day celebrating Islamophobia Awareness.

Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) is a campaign founded in 2012 by a group of Muslim organizations to raise awareness of Islamophobia. The campaign aims to showcase the positive contribution of Muslims and raise awareness of Islamophobia in society.

What is Islamophobia? It is the extreme fear of and hostility towards Islam and Muslims. This kind of behavior often leads to hate speech and, hate crimes, social and political discrimination. Islamophobia is used to rationalize policies such as mass surveillance, incarceration, and disenfranchisement. Islamophobia can influence domestic and foreign policy. Islamophobia omits the rational criticism of Islam. However, it is Islamophobia for criticism of Islam to be generated for the sole purpose of advocating social and political measures that discriminate against and violate the rights of Muslims.

2022 is considered one of the most significant milestones yet, as we step into the 10th anniversary of bringing awareness to Islamophobia in the United States. This is the time to acknowledge the great works and achievements of the IAM campaigns and the positive impacts it has provided to those who need them most.

The theme for IAM 2022 is #tacklingdenial. This year, the campaign focus is on the denial of Islamophobia. Islamophobia Awareness Month aims to raise understanding of the discrimination Muslims may face and the impact that misconceptions about Muslims and Islam may have on individuals and communities in all aspects of our American society.

WATCH: SUPPORT IAM2022

Take part in the conversation and be part of the solution. You can do this by implementing the following actions:

  1. Become an Official Supporter of the IAM Campaign - visit www.islamophobia-awareness.org/

  2. Follow IAM on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin.

  3. Publish a Positive Story - Showcase positive contributions Muslims make around the US, informative pieces on Islam, or emotive pieces on the impact Islamophobia has on people’s lives.

CAIR-Chicago stands in solidarity with the vision of IAM. We will work to continue to provide help intended to seek a society free from Islamophobia in all its forms.