Hollywood series and the "Nike" veil, are they enough to fight Islamophobia in America?

The American magazine "The Time" published an article whose author believes that the inclusion of Muslims in initiatives that seek to promote diversity and the inclusion of minorities is a step that would enhance feelings of belonging among American Muslims, but it is not sufficient to address Islamophobia, which has become a dilemma in the country.

Evelyn Al-Sultani, assistant professor at the University of Southern California, indicated in her article in Time magazine that efforts to include Muslims in the United States in diversity initiatives over the past decade included Hollywood producing films and series featuring Muslim personalities.

Among the examples given by El-Sultany in this context are the comedy-drama series “Ramy” which is broadcast on the Internet by the broadcasting company “Hulu” and the series “Mo” which is broadcast by “Netflix”. Wonder Woman (Ms. Marvel), which airs on the “Disney+” channel.

Al-Sultani said that some American universities adjust the timing of serving meals in their canteens during the month of Ramadan to serve the fasting Muslim students, and increase the places designated for prayer to enable Muslim students to perform their worship, and the company "Nike" has launched a special veil for Muslim athletes.

She explained that her research indicates that the inclusion of Muslims in plans that encourage ethnic and religious diversity in the United States came in response to certain crises or events with which the fact that Islamophobia is a problem in the country has become evident.

She believed that these initiatives, which were born from the womb of crises, may contribute to some important social changes, but limiting themselves to dealing with momentary crises instead of addressing the inequality to which Muslims are exposed and rooted in the United States makes the possibility of changing the situation limited.

She said that bringing about any social change that contributes to reducing Islamophobia requires addressing the roots of the problem produced by US foreign policies through a long history of dehumanizing Muslims.

Al-Sultani concluded in her article that American policies have always considered Muslims a threat to the national security of the United States, but the matter escalated after the September 11, 2001 attacks.