Bucar, L. (2020, September 3). Islamophobia and Americans’ Problems with Face Masks. The Revealer. https://therevealer.org/islamophobia-and-americans-problems-with-face-masks/ 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans refuse to wear a face mask as it is seen as limiting freedom, shows weakness, and goes against American values. This discourse is eerily similar to that pertaining to religious coverings, specifically face covering worn by Muslim women. As face coverings in general are associated with foreignness and submission, Americans do not want to cover. The controversy surrounding face coverings is also situated upon an us versus them dichotomy. The author argues that by understanding the virtues and meanings behind religious face coverings, people would embrace COVID face masks. That is, face coverings, both religious and COVID face masks, support the common good and can morally change us. Becoming familiar with face coverings will allow us to shift the narrative of face coverings as a security threat to that of promoting social values and cultivating character.

The Teaching Against Islamophobia resources were developed with funding support from the Law Foundation of BC, and the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies at SFU.