Book Signing with Khaled Beydoun

By Samana Sheikh

Khaled Beydoun discussed his novel, ‘American Islamophobia: Understanding the roots and the rise of fear’ with various individuals on Friday, September 7, 2018.

Beydoun signed copies of his novel for people to take home at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn, Michigan. His book captures Islamophobia from an American lens in today’s world and also dates back to the time-era of slavery. It discusses Americans that have faced Islamophobia within different racial, cultural and socio-ethnic lines.

Beydoun declared within the first few chapters the reader will find personal stories, statistics and analysis of history and law.

“I wrote the book to effectively broaden what Islamophobia is,” Beydoun stated. “Where it comes from, what its history is, to mark the moment because of the rise of Trump.”

“The first story involves a Latino Muslim in California,” he added. “Stories about Muslims in Minnesota, the south, the objective are to be geographically expansive to show that Islamophobia is a national phenomenon.”

The venue for book signatures was sponsored by the Muslim Community Council (MMCC) and The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU).

“Disaffection with our democracy has long plagued the American Muslim community, and it is only growing with the nature of the current political climate,” Husain Haidri, Civic Engagement Ambassador for the Muslim Community Council stated. “Khaled Beydoun’s ‘American Islamophobia addresses this central issue for American Muslims, and I believe that promoting this conversation in a solution-oriented manner is paramount.”

The sponsors were involved with talking to people passing by, helping with set-up and selling novels.

“Khaled is one of ISPU’s scholars,” Amal Beydoun from The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding said. “We have worked a lot with Khaled and he is a key-note speaker for our annual banquet dinner. Most importantly this book signing is important. It spreads awareness that everyone can relate to even if they are not Muslim.”

Several individuals bought books, received a famous signature from Beydoun and most importantly discussed their personal stories with why this novel was important to them. The location, friendly sponsors and most importantly civically engaged authors made this event a success.