Muslims center of discussions in La Crosse

One teaching about hating Americans,
the other on how Americans hate Muslims 

There could almost not be two discussions in La Crosse that take such opposite views on a particular subject matter.  

Either Allah is Satan or Islamophobia is a threat to American ideals and the U.S. Constitution.

The two just-announced discussions taking place in La Crosse have very different views of Islam.  

You could get either message depending on which one you attend over the next few weeks.

Coming up next week is Usama Dakdok, who will speak at the Black River Beach Center. He’s an evangelizing fundamentalist Christian who touts himself as a scholar of Islam. Among his claims is that Allah is, in fact, Satan. And, he calls Mohammed a womanizer, child molester and killer.

He preaches the Quran teaches Muslims to hate Americans and that Allah wants to fill hell with humans.

The week after, it’s a talk at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on a heightened level of Islamophobia and how it coincides with the current presidential race.

UW-L associate professor Mahruq Khan will focus on the impact of religious bigotry and racism on the lives of Muslims in the U.S.  

Both talks come at a time when the FBI says hate crimes against Muslims have spiked across the U.S.