Episode 29 of Through the Gates aired via SoundCloud and iTunes Thursday, Sept. 15.
On the Sept. 15 episode of Through the Gates, Media School dean Jim Shanahan interviewed Abdulkader Sinno, associate professor of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies in the School of Global and International Studies. The two touched on topics ranging from the portrayal of Muslims in popular culture to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim citizens in the U.S. to comedians who help bridge the gap between negative perceptions and reality.
Sinno is the editor of “Organizations at War in Afghanistan and Beyond” (Cornell University Press, 2008) and “Muslims in Western Politics” (IU Press, 2009), to which Shanahan contributed a book chapter called “Western Politics” in 2008, long before becoming Media School dean in 2015. Sinno is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on Muslim minority political representation in Western liberal democracies, public attitudes toward Muslim immigration, the Arab Spring, conflict processes and Islamist parties’ participation in elections.
“In the United States, the political climate right now – especially having elected officials speak openly against Muslims and making it seem completely acceptable to actively dislike Muslims and make statements against them – has trickled down,” Sinno says during the interview. “You see an increase in hate crimes.”
In second part of this episode, Through the Gates host Janae Cummings interviews IU senior Dana Khabbaz, a Wells Scholar in the Hutton Honors College who is majoring in international studies and political science with minors in Spanish and near Eastern cultures and languages. Khabbaz founded IU’s Human Rights Coalition and #RefugeesWelcome Campaign. She serves on the Board of Aeons, is president of IU’s United Nations Association, is a committee chair and member of IU’s Oxfam Club, co-founded the Arab Student Association and serves as philanthropy and social justice chair for IU’s Muslim Student Union.
Through the Gates: IU This Week is a collaboration of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, The Media School in the College of Arts and Sciences and the IU Newsroom. All episodes are available through SoundCloud and iTunes, or on the Media School website.