Bloomington Against Islamophobia mobilized in an emergency meeting Sunday evening to discuss how the community can educate, collaborate, protect and support Muslim members in the face of Donald Trump’s impending presidency.
Dozens of students and community members crammed into Boxcar Books and Community Center, circled up in the main space and spilled into an adjacent room. Many had never been to a Bloomington Against Islamophobia meeting before.
The activist group began with a few rallies last year, organizer Amanda Lanzillo said, and it has since delved into educational events, including panels and a teach-in. Looking forward, its members hope to reach out to the larger Bloomington community, which is slated to accept about 60 refugees next year.
[IU professor works to bring refugees to Bloomington | IDS]
“People here have to be ready to stand up when they see hatred directed at new members of our community,” Lanzillo said. “There’s going to be a whole bunch of new people coming here in March, both Congolese and Syrian, so we have to be ready to find ways to ally with them and say, ‘Look, you are wanted here.’”
Representative from the Islamic Center of Bloomington and founder of the Openhearted Campaign Anna Maidi spoke to the present sense of urgency less than a week after the election.
“Stay connected with our community,” Maidi said. “Don’t let it just be today.”
Spilling onto the front porch to do just that, people divided into education, safety and support, collaborations, and refugee support committees. The education committee then divided into groups for Islam, foreign policy and civil liberties.
Maidi explained there are two ways to teach about Islam. There are the solid facts about the pillars and tenets of the religion and the stories of Muslims in the community. Her subcommittee plans to combine them to maximize impression.
The foreign policy subcommittee plans to focus on American involvement in the Middle East by having film screenings and speakers who will explain that current conflict is much more the result of politics than religion.
The civil liberties subcommittee hopes to work with College Republicans at IU, have interfaith panels and provide Trump supporters who do not want to be racist with actions they can take and organizations they can join to support minority groups.
The safety and support committee plans to organize people to watch over the mosque, provide safe rides for people who feel vulnerable at night and work with the education group to train businesses and groups that wish to be labeled safe spaces.
The collaborations committee discussed ways Bloomington Against Islamophobia can work with the Muslim Student Association, Black Student Union, UndocuHoosier Alliance and others to promote co-sponsorship.
The refugee support committee plans to work with the Bloomington Refugee Support Network and Exodus International Inc. to prepare for the coming refugees and to assist them when they arrive.
However, the executive branch maintains full control over the national acceptance of refugees, so the inauguration of a new president in January could change the way the nation functions.
“Right now is the time to mobilize,” IU junior Kinza Abbas said.
