Sahar Aziz

Sahar Aziz

Global Islamophobia and the Rise of Populism Promo

Sahar F. Aziz is Professor of Law, Middle East Legal Scholar, and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers University Law School and Founding Director of the Center for Security, Race, and Rights.

Author

Sahar Aziz authored The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom (UC Press, 2021, ISBN 9780520382299), which analyzes how racialization affects Muslim communities and restricts religious freedoms in Western societies. Sahar Aziz also co-edited Global Islamophobia and the Rise of Populism (Oxford Press, 2024, ISBN 9780197648995) with John Esposito, a collection examining the global increase of Islamophobia and its ties to populist movements.

Candidate for Westfield Board of Education

Sahar Aziz was a candidate for Westfield Board of Education in 2020. Excerpt from Questionaire:,

"What are your qualifications for office?

My professional training as a lawyer and experience as a professor at a public university provide me skills and insights that I believe will add value to the oversight role of the Board of Education. For example, I have chaired committees tasked with budget and planning which entailed reviewing industry standards, best practices, and comparisons with peer institutions. I also engaged with various stakeholders to solicit their feedback in pursuit of the best course of action that serves the institution’s overall mission.

In my role as a Rutgers Law professor training the next generation of lawyers in New Jersey, I understand the type of support needed for teachers to be most effective and in turn provide the best service to our students. Thus, providing teacher training and the resources they need to give our children a robust, high-quality education should be a priority for any high achieving school district

Finally, as a mother of a 16-year-old daughter and two boys aged 15 and 10, I appreciate how different each child is in how they learn, socialize, and mature. Our schools should be equipped to serve the different needs, interests, and ways of learning of all of our students.

What would your top priorities be if elected to the school board?

Through a process that incorporates state and national best practices, comparisons with peer districts, and stakeholder feedback, I would prioritize the following issues:

1 – Curricular improvements that adapt to the increasing ubiquity of technology and entrepreneurship in our economy and society

2 – Increasing diversity in teacher hiring, teacher training, and curriculum

3 – Providing high quality academic, emotional, and mental counseling to our students

How would you work to promote diversity in Westfield public schools’ education?

Over recent years, diversity has been both co-opted and staunchly opposed. Diversity is co-opted when it becomes mere check-the-box tasks that do not meaningfully change the life experiences of people. Meanwhile, diversity is subject to knee-jerk opposition by individuals and groups who mistakenly believe diversity initiatives aim to shame white people, men, or other groups with collective power.

As a civil rights legal scholar, I approach diversity as a tool to enrich the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and community through exposure to people and cultures that are different than our own. Ideally, this can be done through life experiences such as having teachers with diverse life experiences, engaging with students from diverse backgrounds, and travel. At the very least, the curriculum should allow our students to read, listen, and learn about the perspectives of minorities, women, and other groups of people who historically have not experienced collective power. Such exposure instills empathy and critical thinking—an essential skill for tomorrow’s leaders.

CAIR - Houston Banquet 2018

CAIR-Houston 17th Annual Banquet by Council on American-Islamic Relations - Houston Chapter held Sun, December 9, 2018

Hassan Shibly and Linda Sarsour spoke at CAIR - Houston’s 17th annual banquet in December 2018 along with U.S. Rep.Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and with Roula Alouch as "Master of Ceremonies."

From the invitation:,

"We are excited to invite you to our 17th Annual CAIR - Houston Banquet!

Please join us in celebration and review of the progress that our outstanding team has made this year. We are also excited to have Linda Sarsour and Hassan Shibly as our special keynote speakers with Roula Alouch as our Master of Ceremonies.

Sahar Aziz was invited.

Law School Faculty Letter opposing Jeff Sessions as Attorney General

Sahar Aziz, Texas A&M University School of Law signed the Law School Faculty Letter opposing Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.,