Welcome to the Empire Files podcast. This is Abby Martin. This is the audio version of each episode of the Empire Files hosted on Telesaur English. You can watch every episode at the Empire Files. TV.

2015 was the most dangerous year for Muslims in America, setting records for hate crimes against them.

There have been dozens of attacks on mosques, including firebombings and physical assaults,

like stabbings, shootings, and beatings against Muslims grew to the highest numbers ever

recorded.

Already wrapping up as a deadly year, the last few months of 2015 saw hate crimes against Muslim

Americans dramatically increase.

Members of the community are saying the climate of hate is worse now than after 9-11.

To take a look at Islamophobia in America and its roots in empire, I talked to Dr. Deepa

Kumar, author of Islamophobia and the politics of empire

and professor of media studies at Rutgers University. I think that if you look at the year

2015, it has been a horrible year for Muslims, not just in the United States, but around the

world, because if you see the two events that bookend 2015, it is the Charlie Hebdo

attacks, the horrific Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, and the Paris attacks later on towards the

end of the year, and then San Bernardino. And what these attacks have done is that they have

exacerbated and really ratcheted up what

we've seen as tendencies since 9-11.

What are some of these tendencies?

Well, first of all, hate crimes against Muslims and those who look Muslims have, you

know, have skyrocketed.

You've seen not just people being verbally and physically attacked.

You've seen mosques being desecrated.

...