Muslims in North America

This contribution to the special JCREOR issue on “Analyzing the Discourse of Religious Phobia” reflects on the political, professional, and personal dimensions of the theoretical discussions involved, by foregrounding my lived experience as a scholar who has been engaged with these questions for many years in North America. Distrust and discrimination based on religion have a complex history in North America, intertwined with the politics of race, culture and class. This paper builds on my own academic and personal experiences in interfaith cooperation, reconciliation, and healing in both Canada and the United States. I address two central themes: First, is there an opportunity to make peace and resolve the conflict? And second, can we use shared trauma as a bridge in ways that are mutually beneficial across communities?