The Medieval Muslim Myth - The Stories Behind the Story

In this episode of WISE Women with Daisy Khan, host Dr. Daisy Khan sits down with international human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar to dismantle one of Islamophobia's most persistent lies that Muslims are medieval and incompatible with Western democracy. Discover how this trope became a political strategy rooted in scapegoating tactics of alienation, criminalization, and elimination, leading to policies like the USA PATRIOT Act that expanded domestic terrorism definitions. Iftikhar reveals the irony behind calling Muslims medieval when the Islamic Golden Age gave the world algebra, modern anesthesia, and the oldest continuously operating university founded by a woman in 859 AD. Learn how seven Muslim-majority countries have already elected female heads of state while America still hasn't, and hear the heartwarming story of six-year-old Jack Swanson whose $20 donation to a vandalized mosque sparked a viral moment of interfaith solidarity. This conversation exposes how Muslims remain political footballs in elections worldwide while offering hope through authentic storytelling and strategic allyship to counter centuries of manufactured fear.

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