Dean of Georgetown University Qatar urges collective action against Islamophobia

ISTANBUL (AA) – The dean of Georgetown University Qatar on Sunday called for collective action against Islamophobia at the conclusion of a two-day gathering focused on the threat of hatred of Islam.

Safwan M. Masri, who is also the distinguished professor of the practice at Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, hailed Qatar for its efforts against racism and Islamophobia.

“Our host country, Qatar, has taken the lead with a global initiative to address global racism, including anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia,” said Masri.

“The broad multifaceted efforts include education, public dialogue, policymaking, and convening of experts and policymakers to facilitate collective action,” he added.

He also praised the university’s Hiwaraat Conference, which this year focused on Islamophobia, saying on its website: “With Islamophobia becoming a household term over the past decade, it is incumbent on scholars and practitioners to explore the historical origins and global connections of this phenomenon to fully understand and confront its current iterations.”

In his closing remarks, Masri said that the conference has made “a contribution to the efforts to call attention to Islamophobia and respond to it, challenge its destructive impact, and engage the impactful work of activists, educators, and artists.”

During the two-day “Global Histories and Practices of Islamophobia” conference, participants engaged in insightful conversations, posed questions, and explored the intellectual roots of manifold dimensions of prejudice against Muslims and Islam.

Co-organized by Georgetown University Qatar, it brought together “highly influential scholars, practitioners, and journalists, among them Georgetown alumni and Georgetown University Qatar students, to contribute their insights,” a press release said.

“The conference culminated in a high-level roundtable discussion exploring potential solutions, the intersection of research and decision-making, and partnerships that promote tolerance and understanding to combat Islamophobia.”

Georgetown University Qatar was founded in 2005 as an overseas campus of the venerable Jesuit-founded private university in Washington, DC.