Claiming the Narrative: The Muslim Community s Response to Discrimination and Stigmatization in Pursuit of Empowerment in Los Angeles

Abstract

On November 8th, 2016 Donald Trump was elected as the next president of the United States. In his campaign and as a president Trump politicized the Islamophobic narrative that arose after 9/11 and Muslims in the US experienced an increase in discrimination and stigmatization. This research aimed to understand how the Muslim community in Los Angeles addresses this discrimination and stigmatization through activism in pursuit of empowerment. To answer this question ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in Los Angeles, from February to April 2017. This research is theoretically based on notions of identity politics within a multicultural nation-state, processes behind discrimination and social exclusion, the importance of representation by defining the nation-state as a system of representation and finally through the concept of empowerment, which is to be attained by deploying agency and increasing social capital. As a conclusion, it is argued that Muslims in Los Angeles address the different forms of discrimination and stigmatization they experience by focusing on a better representation of the community, educating and engaging with the public, and building a stronger community.