The UNC Parr Center for Ethics held a forum Tuesday to discuss the recent anger and fear expressed towards Muslims in America. The room was full with students, professors and community members. Some had to stand in the back because there weren’t enough seats.

The panelists included UNC professors Charlie Kurzman, Tim Marr and Juliane Hammer. Author and attorney Melody Moezzi also acted as a panelist.

The discussion began with a breakdown of different statistics. Last year, there were a little over 16,000 homicides in America. Kurzman says Islamic Extremism accounts for a very tiny part of any of the violence committed in the United States.

“The fear that exists out there, Islamophobia and negative attitudes, are not based on a real threat.”

Moezzi says a bigger number to consider is the number of suicides in the United States last year – over 40,000. She says this should be taken into consideration with the different stigmas associated with Islam.

“The kind of hostility that you face as a Muslim in America every single day is something that will affect your mental health and does it in a way that we don’t acknowledge.”

She says she’s often made to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.

“It affects me every single time I see an alert on my phone about—it’s almost as if it says you do not belong here. It may as well say—whatever it says, one new thing that Donald Trump has said or one new crime that was committed against a Muslim.”

Hammer says her kids experience that same feeling in school with the ways their peers treat them.

“I have two children in the public school system here, around here somewhere in an unnamed school, and their experiences are terrifying.”

Moezzi says a way to work against this mindset is to become educated on what different Islamic and Arabic terms really mean.

“My biggest problem, and I’m a member of the media so with the media in particular the mainstream media, is how they accept the terrorist definition of everything.”

Hammer says one of the ways to combat this is to stop thinking about and referring to Islam as if it’s a single entity.

“There’s no such thing as ‘Islam says women should be silent.’ Islam doesn’t say anything. I was telling my students earlier today, ‘you can’t take Islam to lunch. It’s not a person.’”

UNC assembled the forum because of recent events, such as the terrorist shooting in a Florida night club in June and because of language used to describe Muslims in the presidential campaign.

Related Stories
‹
Parking, Parties and Team History: What to Know Ahead of Mexico vs. Türkiye Soccer in Chapel Hill
The men's national soccer teams of Mexico and Türkiye will meet in Chapel Hill Tuesday for a friendly. Here's what to know before you go.
Police: UNC Student Victim of Carjacking in W. Franklin Street Parking Deck
Chapel Hill Police are investigating the carjacking of a UNC student that took place early Saturday morning. No injuries are reported.
Honoring Chapel Hill's Black Builders: UNC Landmarks and the Local Faces Who Built Them
Maps are storytellers, but they can exclude certain narratives. Fowota Mortoo said that’s the case for Chapel Hill’s Black builders.
No More Coal? Chapel Hill Prepares for Hearing on UNC's Co-Gen Plant and Potential New Fuel Source
Chapel Hill Town Hall will host a hearing on Thursday to take comments on a potential alternative fuel source for UNC's cogeneration plant.
Photo Gallery: Chapel Hill Sees First Snow in Years
For a few hours over the weekend, the greater Chapel Hill community was in a winter wonderland. A winter storm blanketed Orange County and the surrounding area with a thin layer of snow on Friday. Overnight on Saturday, it was later packed down or rinse away by freezing rain, which its own layer of ice […]
UNC: Ridge Road Open to One Lane After Month-Long Closure, Still 2 Weeks From Normal Traffic
Ridge Road on UNC campus is allowing vehicles and pedestrians through once again. But normal traffic patterns are likely still weeks away.
Chapel Hill Police Investigate Pair of Overnight Armed Robberies Reported 8 Minutes Apart
A pair of armed robberies reportedly took place less than ten minutes from each other during the early morning hours of Saturday, according to Chapel Hill Police.
Chapel Hill Jeweler Contributes 'Blue Crown' Prop to Latest Season of Netflix's 'Outer Banks'
Chapel Hill jeweler William Travis Kukovich was hired to create the Blue Crown, a featured prop, for Netflix's new season of "Outer Banks."
Sancar Scholars Residence in Development to Support Visiting Turkish Academics and Students
Construction is underway for the Sancar Scholar Residence, which will provide accommodations for visiting Turkish scholars and students.
UNC Wrestler Charged With Felony Assault, Suspended from Team
UNC wrestler Jace Palmer has been charged with felony aggravated assault after punching a fellow student. An incident report from the Chapel Hill Police Department says the assault took place on Monday afternoon at 828 Purefoy Road in Chapel Hill, near the intersection with Howell Street south of the UNC campus. According to court records, […]
›