Elected figures can act as counter-definers within the mainstream

Evidence

Some members of the political class do contribute to pushing back against Islamophobia and the logic of the war on terror. This has been a perceptible trend after the election of four women of color in 2018 who together have been called “the Squad.” Consisting of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the Squad have used their platforms as primary definers to bring anti-racist politics into the mainstream. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have articulated positions against anti-Muslim racism and in support of Palestinian rights within the corporate media. However, an analysis of their appearances is likely to show that they face an uphill battle in trying to puncture the dominant Islamophobic ideology, not unlike what scholar Reza Aslan encounters (see Chapter 3). Progressive news shows like Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show and others have amplified the voices of the members of the Squad as these shows reach a younger demographic more open to such critical positions. Additionally, the Squad have utilized social media to great effect. Indeed, the role of social media needs to be examined in greater depth to understand how resistance to anti-Muslim racism is both articulated and mobilized for social justice. One pivotal space in which resistance has been articulated is music. In his book Rebel Music, scholar Hisham Aidi explores the musical subcultures created by young Muslims around the world in the war on terror era. He shows how hip hop and other musical genres including rock and reggae have articulated resistance to war on terror policies. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 768

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

Related

• Musical subcultures articulated resistance to war on terror policies (similarity 0.79)