What You Need to Know About Islamofascism Awareness Week

October 4, 2007

MPAC's guide for Muslim student and community groups in response to a series of highly controversial and provocative events on college campuses organized by extreme right wing activist David Horowitz.

Under the banner of "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" (IFAW), Horowitz's Freedom Center is organizing speaking engagements at colleges and universities for the likes of Ann Coulter, Daniel Pipes, Dennis Prager, Sean Hannity, Robert Spencer, Rick Santorium and Wafa Sultan. Organizers are billing the event as the "biggest conservative campus protest ever." To date, IFAW events have been canceled at a handful of universities, where administrators and student groups called the event divisive and hateful.

This guide includes information about the forces behind IFAW as well as a set of recommendations for Muslim student groups encouraging self-restraint in the face of outside agitators.

The guide includes information about the need for student groups to:

demonstrate Islamic ethics and restraint
support free speech
not respond
contact campus administrators
talk to other student groups
report hate crimes and hate incidents

MPAC has consulted with Muslim student leaders across the country to provide tools for dialogue and constructive engagement with campus administrators and other student groups and to prevent negative fallout from IFAW events.

MPAC is also conducting "Truth Over Fear: Countering Islamophobia" workshops for student groups, to provide them with tools to serve as an effective and constructive voice in their campus community, and to respond to incidents of hate and intolerance. To find out more about these high-energy, interactive workshops and to schedule one in your area, visit the Truth Over Fear program page or email tof@mpac.org.