Liberal portrayals of Muslims rely on stereotypes

Liberal representations of Muslims traffic in stereotypes and expectations, a new book argues.

This increased presence of Muslims in American life has not led to a corresponding increase in understanding, many say. A majority of Americans report they don’t know any Muslims, and that they know very little about Islam. Yet Americans do hold views about Muslims, and these views are polarized along political lines.

“…I hesitate to even speak of ‘understanding Muslims’ which seems to imply a coherence to the category that I would want to unsettle.”

Mitra Rastegar, a clinical associate professor for liberal studies at New York University, writes about American perceptions and representations of Muslims in the post-9/11 era in her book Tolerance and Risk: How US Liberalism Racializes Muslims (University of Minnesota Press, 2021). Through case studies across a range of events, people, and populations, she explores the underlying assumptions and expectations against which Muslims are deemed worthy (or unworthy) of tolerance and sympathy. She is particularly interested in liberal representations and perceptions of Muslims.

The book poses a provocative question. Representing Muslims as tolerable and sympathetic may resonate with liberal values of inclusivity and multiculturalism, but do these representations actually promote tolerance for Muslims in all their diversity?

Here, Rastegar talks about the issues her new book raises, and how her personal history helped formulate the focus of her scholarship:

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