The Michigan Independent

Islamophobia, an irrational fear of and prejudice against Islam and its followers, has always existed.  The 2010 elections, however, exploited and expanded this fear so that it became louder, angrier, and expressed publicly with pride.  In a sea of examples of that hate-filled rhetoric leaking into our local communities and day-to-day life, it has become clear that the University of Michigan has not been immune.

The last time I sat down with a fellow Wolverine who was homeschooled, I could barely hear her over the screams of her floral pattern dress. She had made it herself back at “the Compound,” amidst preparations for the imminent Rapture. I mentioned science and tears quickly welled in her eyes before she stumbled up and ran sobbing from the room. I never saw her again.

Just kidding.

This summer, the annual battle over the Michigan budget will once again demand media attention as Democrats and Republicans organize special interests to shape the way our government contracts with its citizens.

At the end of the budget process, Michigan citizens may see the state abandon the status quo and take a fundamentally different approach to taxes, education, corrections and a host of other state programs.

The University of Michigan prides itself on the cultural diversity of its student body. Along with this diversity comes markers of difference – some invisible, some impossible to miss. Among such markers is the hijab, a head covering worn by Muslim women in accordance with religious traditions of modesty.