St. Cloud Times — A group of social workers, mental health professionals and teachers gathered recently to learn what Islamophobia is and the harm it can do.
The presentation was part of a series the United Way of Central Minnesota offers on child and youth mental health. The session was so popular it was moved from United Way offices to the St. Cloud Public Library.
A few minutes into the talk, a man in one of the front rows raised his hand.
He asked one of the presenters to quote a particular passage from the Quran. Then he quickly quoted another passage, one he implied promoted violence. Aren’t you worried about this, he asked of the presenter.
Before he could finish, a woman in front row raised her hand: Can I stop you for a minute? That’s not what the session is about. We came to learn what Islamophobia is about.
The audience erupted in applause.
The man protested, saying he just came to learn more information.
That’s when the presenter, St. Cloud State University professor Consoler Teboh, tried to refocus the conversation.
