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Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion
PROSE Award- Media and Cultural Studies Finalist
How diversity initiatives end up marginalizing Arab Americans and US Muslims
One of Donald Trump’s first actions as President was to sign an executive order to limit Muslim immigration to the United States, a step toward the “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” he had campaigned on. This extraordinary act of Islamophobia provoked unprecedented Hollywood movies and mainstream television shows began to feature more Muslim characters in contexts other than terrorism; universities and private businesses included Muslims in their diversity initiatives; and the criminal justice system took hate crimes against Muslims more seriously. Yet Broken argues that, even amid this challenge to institutionalized Islamophobia, diversity initiatives fail on their promise by only focusing on crisis moments.
Evelyn Alsultany argues that Muslims get included through “crisis diversity,” where high-profile Islamophobic incidents are urgently responded to and then ignored until the next crisis. In the popular cultural arena of television, this means interrogating even those representations of Muslims that others have celebrated as refreshingly positive. What kind of message does it send, for example, when a growing number of “good Muslims” on TV seem to have arrived there, ironically, only after leaving the faith? In the realm of corporations, she critically examines the firing of high-profile individuals for anti-Muslim speech―a remedy that rebrands corporations as anti-racist while institutional racism remains intact. At universities, Muslim students get included in diversity, equity, and inclusion plans but that gets disrupted if they are involved in Palestinian rights activism. Finally, she turns to hate crime laws revealing how they fail to address root causes.
In each of these arenas, Alsultany finds an institutional pattern that defangs the promise of Muslim inclusion, deferring systemic change until and through the next “crisis.”
How diversity initiatives end up marginalizing Arab Americans and US Muslims
One of Donald Trump’s first actions as President was to sign an executive order to limit Muslim immigration to the United States, a step toward the “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” he had campaigned on. This extraordinary act of Islamophobia provoked unprecedented Hollywood movies and mainstream television shows began to feature more Muslim characters in contexts other than terrorism; universities and private businesses included Muslims in their diversity initiatives; and the criminal justice system took hate crimes against Muslims more seriously. Yet Broken argues that, even amid this challenge to institutionalized Islamophobia, diversity initiatives fail on their promise by only focusing on crisis moments.
Evelyn Alsultany argues that Muslims get included through “crisis diversity,” where high-profile Islamophobic incidents are urgently responded to and then ignored until the next crisis. In the popular cultural arena of television, this means interrogating even those representations of Muslims that others have celebrated as refreshingly positive. What kind of message does it send, for example, when a growing number of “good Muslims” on TV seem to have arrived there, ironically, only after leaving the faith? In the realm of corporations, she critically examines the firing of high-profile individuals for anti-Muslim speech―a remedy that rebrands corporations as anti-racist while institutional racism remains intact. At universities, Muslim students get included in diversity, equity, and inclusion plans but that gets disrupted if they are involved in Palestinian rights activism. Finally, she turns to hate crime laws revealing how they fail to address root causes.
In each of these arenas, Alsultany finds an institutional pattern that defangs the promise of Muslim inclusion, deferring systemic change until and through the next “crisis.”
- GenresNonfictionIslam
320 pages, Hardcover
Published November 22, 2022
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183 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 15, 2023
Thunder Bay is not the most diverse place, demographically, in Canada, but that has been changing. For various reasons, more immigrants have been arriving here in recent years from a wider array of countries. This includes many Muslim immigrants, as well as people from MENA (Middle East and Northern Africa) countries. Not only do these newcomers often face challenges with language, but my city can be a racist place. So I was intrigued by Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion because I hoped that I could learn more about the systemic anti-Muslim racism in our society. As is often the case, this book primarily talks about the United States yet the lessons are applicable to Canada as well. Evelyn Alsultany speaks from a potent combination of lived experience and scholarly knowledge.
I received this book for free in exchange for a review.
This is an exquisitely organized book. The introduction and epilogue are excellent end caps, wherein Alsultany lays out her thesis about how Muslim inclusion primarily works through a kind of neoliberal crisis diversity. Each of the five main chapters explores how this crisis diversity (dys)functions. Chapter 1 discusses stereotypes in entertainment; Chapter 2 is about the limits of increasing representation in industries like Hollywood or even politics. Chapter 3 introduces the idea of racial gaslighting, i.e., that how authorities and media downplay crimes against Muslim people (and other marginalized people) when classifying them as hate crimes is, Alsultany argues, important. Chapter 4 looks at examples of what we often call cancel culture: the purging of prominent individuals after they do or say something so racist that their sponsoring organizations have no choice but to distance themselves. Finally, Chapter 5 looks at the issues with diversity and inclusion on college campuses and similar places.
Throughout, Alsultany establishes a firm line when it comes to not letting institutions off the hook. At the same time, I really appreciated her ability to empathize with people’s ignorance and prejudice. I am definitely biased, but I think she portrays other perspectives fairly and with nuance. This is particularly true whenever she discusses anti-Palestinian discrimination: she is unapologetic in her analysis of Israel as an apartheid state and condemnation of how Zionist groups weaponize and distort the definition of antisemitism; however, she also recognizes that Muslims and Jews both face a lot of discrimination. Indeed, a great deal of her discussion in Chapter 5 relates to how systems try to divide and conquer, pitting different minority groups against one another.
I really appreciated the wealth of examples and analysis that Alsultany brings to each chapter. She looks at specific TV shows, such as All-American Muslim and Shahs of Sunset. She engages with specific scholarship, citing her own contributions to research (like the Obeidi-Alsultany Test) as well as those of scholars whose names I recognized and many I did not. This book is a great entry point into the wider literature around anti-Muslim racism (Alsultany explains in her introduction why she prefers this term to the more common Islamophobia, a distinction I found very interesting!).
The nuance I mentioned earlier is also present in how Alsultany discusses improvements we have seen so far. Notably, her analysis of Shahs of Sunset points out that while the show is far from perfect, there are aspects of it that improve the portrayal of Muslims on screen. But she is adamant that there is no “quick fix” for diversity on or off the screen. I think this is an important takeaway—so often people are looking for the easiest, fastest solutions, but the problem here is neoliberalism and a deeply baked-in white supremacy that will take more than bandaid solutions to fix.
Broken is a very considered and detailed exploration of an important topic of our day. If we are going to make our society a better place for everyone, we need to make it a better place for Muslims. I appreciated the solidarity Alsultany shows to trans people here, and I hope other non-Muslim trans people will return that solidarity—we are all in this together. Allow this book to arm you with the knowledge you need, regardless of your background or privilege, to change the systems that have failed for so long to include Muslim people in authentic and compassionate ways.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
I received this book for free in exchange for a review.
This is an exquisitely organized book. The introduction and epilogue are excellent end caps, wherein Alsultany lays out her thesis about how Muslim inclusion primarily works through a kind of neoliberal crisis diversity. Each of the five main chapters explores how this crisis diversity (dys)functions. Chapter 1 discusses stereotypes in entertainment; Chapter 2 is about the limits of increasing representation in industries like Hollywood or even politics. Chapter 3 introduces the idea of racial gaslighting, i.e., that how authorities and media downplay crimes against Muslim people (and other marginalized people) when classifying them as hate crimes is, Alsultany argues, important. Chapter 4 looks at examples of what we often call cancel culture: the purging of prominent individuals after they do or say something so racist that their sponsoring organizations have no choice but to distance themselves. Finally, Chapter 5 looks at the issues with diversity and inclusion on college campuses and similar places.
Throughout, Alsultany establishes a firm line when it comes to not letting institutions off the hook. At the same time, I really appreciated her ability to empathize with people’s ignorance and prejudice. I am definitely biased, but I think she portrays other perspectives fairly and with nuance. This is particularly true whenever she discusses anti-Palestinian discrimination: she is unapologetic in her analysis of Israel as an apartheid state and condemnation of how Zionist groups weaponize and distort the definition of antisemitism; however, she also recognizes that Muslims and Jews both face a lot of discrimination. Indeed, a great deal of her discussion in Chapter 5 relates to how systems try to divide and conquer, pitting different minority groups against one another.
I really appreciated the wealth of examples and analysis that Alsultany brings to each chapter. She looks at specific TV shows, such as All-American Muslim and Shahs of Sunset. She engages with specific scholarship, citing her own contributions to research (like the Obeidi-Alsultany Test) as well as those of scholars whose names I recognized and many I did not. This book is a great entry point into the wider literature around anti-Muslim racism (Alsultany explains in her introduction why she prefers this term to the more common Islamophobia, a distinction I found very interesting!).
The nuance I mentioned earlier is also present in how Alsultany discusses improvements we have seen so far. Notably, her analysis of Shahs of Sunset points out that while the show is far from perfect, there are aspects of it that improve the portrayal of Muslims on screen. But she is adamant that there is no “quick fix” for diversity on or off the screen. I think this is an important takeaway—so often people are looking for the easiest, fastest solutions, but the problem here is neoliberalism and a deeply baked-in white supremacy that will take more than bandaid solutions to fix.
Broken is a very considered and detailed exploration of an important topic of our day. If we are going to make our society a better place for everyone, we need to make it a better place for Muslims. I appreciated the solidarity Alsultany shows to trans people here, and I hope other non-Muslim trans people will return that solidarity—we are all in this together. Allow this book to arm you with the knowledge you need, regardless of your background or privilege, to change the systems that have failed for so long to include Muslim people in authentic and compassionate ways.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
January 9, 2025
What does DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) really mean? As universities and corporations fall over themselves to prove just how “inclusive” they really are, Evelyn Alsultany examines where and how Islam and Muslims fall into this framework of “diversity.”
Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion takes a critical look at what diversity has come to mean, particularly in the contexts of Hollywood entertainment, violent hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs, and Zionist targeting of pro-Palestinian students on college campuses.
Alsultany does an excellent job of pointing out the flaws of token “diversity” as a way of addressing (or rather, not really addressing) racism and prejudice, particularly against Muslims or those perceived to be so.
Alsultany analyzes the ways in which Hollywood has moved forward, and backwards, in its representations of Arabs, Iranians, & Muslims in general. From adding more actors of colour to movie casts, to creating new tropes that don’t actually break stereotypes, Alsultany highlights that “inclusion” isn’t always actually good for us as a community.
Given that this book is an academic work, there is unfortunately no discussion on how “inclusion” in Hollywood is already a spiritually dubious endeavor for Muslims. Readers should certainly consider whether or not we really want to be included in the entertainment industry to begin with. Scratch the surface just a little, & I think we can all agree that there is almost no way to avoid exponential levels of haraamness in the industry!
Of more significance to the bigger picture are the chapters on racial gaslighting, racial purging, and “flexible diversity.” From violence against Muslims stripped of the context of Islamophobia, to "free speech" scandals that are a cover for Islamophobia, & finally how Zionism co-opts diversity-speak to attack the Palestinian cause - this book is a great analysis of all the ways "inclusion" hasn't helped Muslims at all.
4.8/5 🌟
#bookstagram #Muslimbookstagram #mymuslimshelfspace #ownvoices #academia #diversity #inclusion #MuslamicAcademia #Islamophobia #injustice #civilrights #DEI #EDI #education #hatecrime #nonfiction #bookreview
Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion takes a critical look at what diversity has come to mean, particularly in the contexts of Hollywood entertainment, violent hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs, and Zionist targeting of pro-Palestinian students on college campuses.
Alsultany does an excellent job of pointing out the flaws of token “diversity” as a way of addressing (or rather, not really addressing) racism and prejudice, particularly against Muslims or those perceived to be so.
Alsultany analyzes the ways in which Hollywood has moved forward, and backwards, in its representations of Arabs, Iranians, & Muslims in general. From adding more actors of colour to movie casts, to creating new tropes that don’t actually break stereotypes, Alsultany highlights that “inclusion” isn’t always actually good for us as a community.
Given that this book is an academic work, there is unfortunately no discussion on how “inclusion” in Hollywood is already a spiritually dubious endeavor for Muslims. Readers should certainly consider whether or not we really want to be included in the entertainment industry to begin with. Scratch the surface just a little, & I think we can all agree that there is almost no way to avoid exponential levels of haraamness in the industry!
Of more significance to the bigger picture are the chapters on racial gaslighting, racial purging, and “flexible diversity.” From violence against Muslims stripped of the context of Islamophobia, to "free speech" scandals that are a cover for Islamophobia, & finally how Zionism co-opts diversity-speak to attack the Palestinian cause - this book is a great analysis of all the ways "inclusion" hasn't helped Muslims at all.
4.8/5 🌟
#bookstagram #Muslimbookstagram #mymuslimshelfspace #ownvoices #academia #diversity #inclusion #MuslamicAcademia #Islamophobia #injustice #civilrights #DEI #EDI #education #hatecrime #nonfiction #bookreview
September 9, 2024
This book is well organized, thoughtful, and thought provoking. It ignited questions and curiosity, and also challenged blind acceptance of current practices (apologies, firing, etc) when racist, xenophobic actions happen. Further, Alsultany expertly weaved threads to connect how anti-LGBT+, anti-immigrant, and bigoted practices are connected to these anti-Muslim sentiments and practices. We have gotten so much wrong, and have real opportunities to move beyond individual actions to institutional ones to improve inclusivity not just for Muslims, but to better welcome marginalized peoples across all of our intersections. Alsultany, I hope you have books more for us.
February 21, 2024
Thought provoking
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews