Islamophobia
Conclusion and Recommendations10
Work Cited .11
Islamophobia
Introduction
Targeting a certain population or set of people in the world and stereotyping them and discriminating against them is not a new phenomenon as it has been around since a long time. People and nations that have been in power, always find a way to maintain their hegemony and keep their interests and benefits alive. In the same way, different people, creeds, nations and ethnicities have been discriminated against in light of the prejudices harbored by influential people. These can spread and affect the views of other people in the same way because it is the influential and power ones that the less privileged people follow and look up to. A prominent historical example of this is the Jewish holocaust, an explicit description of anti-Semitic thought and outlook (CAIR 2010). Today, it is present in the form of Islamophobia where Muslims all over the world are stereotyped as terrorists and extremists and the entire Muslim community is thought to be anti-American and is out there to kill Americans and every other non-Muslim. However Islamophobia is a misinterpreted and misconceived notion about Muslims and Islam, and it is in fact, a form of racism against a set of people and their beliefs.
Islam is a religion that has been highlighted in the world since ages. It is a religion about 1400 years old, and it is one of the most widely followed religions in the world. After Christianity, the most popular religion is Islam. The reason stands for the vast area that Islam has covered ever since its revelation and people have followed it in throngs. Its followers named Muslims, are present in almost every country and the continent of the world, and it is obvious that wherever they go, they take their teachings and faith along. Islam has a certain set of rules and doctrines, and it expects its followers to observe them diligently because submission to the Will of God is a huge part of Islamic faith. Jihad is an intrinsic part of Islamic faith, which is one of the most important aspects of the religion that is followed by its staunch believers (Arches Quarterly 2010). Jihad, however, is a word that has been misinterpreted and distorted in the world, and the Muslims are today, subject to racism and discrimination because of it. In the name of Jihad, Muslims are thought to be spreading violence, anarchy and chaos in the world. They are allegedly killing people in order to maintain their hegemony and are doing so to gain the favor of God. Exacerbated by the 9/11 attacks, the term Islamophobia is a common term used by the people of the West today (Richardson 2013). This is because the West is the main target of the extremists, who are apparently Muslims, whose animosity against the West and its citizens is revealed in the form of bombings and targeted killing. This act has made the Western world turn against the Muslims, and they are criticized for their beliefs, mainly the extremist ones in their religion. This has generated feelings of fear and hatred against the Muslims and Islam and has spread around the globe as ‘Islamophobia.’ (Bleich 2011).
The main views which people hold about Islam and the beliefs of the followers are that Islam is a religion that teaches intolerance and promotes violence, sexism and hence Muslims are individuals who are prone to being anti-liberalism and anti-West, and they are just ignorant and wish to bomb people for salvation. This is the general view amongst Americans, and other westerners who believe that Islam and Muslims are a threat to world peace and their lives are in grave danger owing to the Muslims present everywhere in the world.
This, however, is a very biased view because there are about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world and if they all were terrorists, then there would not be a single peaceful country in the world. This paper argues that Islamophobia is a societal misconception, which should be prevented from escalating before it becomes a norm in society (Bleich 2011).
The Beginning of Islamophobia
In the 1900s and 2000s, Islamophobia became a recurrent term used by political activists, leaders, non-governmental organizations, public speakers and commentators and also by international organizations with the aim to intentionally or unintentionally, draw the attention of the masses toward detesting and degrading the religion Islam and Muslims (Stolze 2015). The term Islamophobia is not a generalized term for hating on Muslims, rather it also comes with a whole set of rhetoric and spoken and written discourse which exemplifies the meaning of the term. Edward Said’s publication in the 1970s termed ‘Orientalism’ has long clarified the notion of the West, which proffer much negative imagery, rhetoric and stereotypes rotating around Islam and Muslims (Bleich 2011). However, this was just a general hint of the term, but an open declaration of Islamophobia was made in the year 1997 with the report, ‘Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All,’ by the British race relations NGA named, Runnymede Trust (Gallup 2016). Ever since its publication, Islamophobia has been in the media, news and press and especially after September 2001, the term is more popular than ever. NGOs in Britain, France and the United States have used it the most ever since. Even the European Union issued several reports on the topic in the year 2004; Kofi Annan led a conference in the United Nations on ‘Confronting Islamophobia,’ where he said the world was heading toward a new trend of bigotry and hatred and Islamophobia was just another manifestation of the idea. (Arches Quarterly 2010).
Concept of Islamophobia
The Runnymede Trust was the first platform which gave an opinion over the term and meant to define it. Firstly, it directly proposes that Islamophobia is a term that teaches hatred of Islam and all Muslims, who should be hated equally. It also adds that Islam and Muslims need to be feared. However then it also narrates how a proper judgment between the criticism and disagreement needs to be made because Islam is a religion and it has its beliefs and then at certain times, those beliefs are used as an excuse to practice discrimination and hatred (Stolze 2015). This report also explains that the term Islamophobia is not only related to the rhetorical side, but it also concerns the practical consequences of discriminating against a set of people. This means that Muslims are not given equal rights and are generally discriminated in everyday life, in education and job opportunities, and it becomes difficult for them to survive in a foreign environment (Richardson 2013).
The emergence of Islamophobia has not been highlighted as such until the World Trade Center Attacks of 9/11 which have marked a chapter in the history of terrorism against America. The key players behind the attacks were Muslims and America had been battling their terrorist activities in various parts of the world before the attacks were carried out (Bleich 2011). Since then, America changed a lot of things such as security, scrutiny and stronger defensive actions against terrorism. The blame for the event was obviously given to the terrorists, but the faith of the terrorists became more important and thus, Muslims were the chief targets. Racial profiling and banning Muslims became the sole mission of Americans this fear that every Muslim was perhaps out there in the country to kill or bomb off Americans was the general thought in the country. Of course, the media and public spokespeople had a great hand in dissipating this thought, and it became more widespread as there was no refutation of this thought given at that time (Stolze 2015).
Why Islamophobia is rational for many people
Islamophobia is considered a true phenomenon for many people, in fact, they argue that such a term needs to exist. This is in the face of many different reasons posed by these people. The first is the general image of Islam that is known to the world. The religion has certain strict rules regulations that are supposed to be followed and the followers do obey diligently (Richardson 2013). The image of Muslims is shown to the world revolves around men with beards and turbans on their heads and who have an air of seriousness and grim submission around them and the women that are heavily cloaked and covered from head to toe and are apparently oppressed by men and society. The image portrayed to the world shows that Islam is all about following verbatim what is written in the Koran and what is dictated by the Prophet Muhammad, and if the people don’t follow their teachings, then they are hell-bound in the afterlife. (Stolze 2015).
There are many teachings of Islam, and certain are taken very seriously. The first is that the sanctity of the religion is supposed to be protected at all times and if the religion is in danger then the true followers will retaliate by all means and can answer with violence and by force. By sanctity of the religion, the meaning appears to be the threat it has from other religions or practices or anything that generally violates the dictates of Islam. (Arches Quarterly 2010).
This also leads to the belief that Muslims also wants others to comply with and follow the beliefs of Islam the way they do. Preaching one’s religion to another has been an ancient practice, and this has been the only way that religions spread far and wide, however if this is done by force, it is unethical and dangerous.
People who support and believe that Islamophobia is reality are those who have objectively observed Islam and Muslim. What adds to this is the depiction of a typical Muslim in the media, in the films and television, which is a stereotypical portrayal of the ‘Islamic fundamentalist.’ It is believed by watching such content and listening to such rhetoric that depicts an image of Islam as an extremist religion which teaches men to suppress others and disregard the notions of other religions and faiths is a major precursor of Islamophobia. Therefore, what is being fed to Islamophobes is that Muslims are people who are ignorant of what their critics might say of them. Hence, they are intolerant and aggressive. They like to follow the teachings of the Koran, and those of Muhammad and anything that comes in their way should be destroyed. Since western culture, particularly American culture is spreading so fast and is becoming a part of other cultures of the world (Richardson 2013). This is alarming for the Muslim cultures because according to their teaching, following the American culture is against their religion and it is misleading for their nations. Hence, they adhere to getting rid of Americans all over the world, particularly those in America, so they can purify their religion and fulfill their religious duties. The second notion is of Jihad. Jihad is the phenomenon in the light of which Muslims carry out terrorist attacks and turn to extremism in order to eliminate the enemy of Islam from the world. In order to make the world submit to Islam and spread their influence, Muslims will kill anyone who comes in their way (CAIR 2010). This rigidity in religion with regard to women, following God’s path, Jihad against non-believers and the presence of verses in the Koran that support the persecution of non-believers in the name of God are the reasons why people have become Islamophobic, and they feel unsafe around men and women that follow Islam. What has added to the problem since 9/11 attacks are the Paris attack and the very recent Brussels attacks, for which the prime suspects are Muslims. Also, many incidents of shootings and killings are attributed to Muslims because of their image as troublemakers in America who have an agenda to fulfill. These incidents add to the apprehensions that people already have in order to make them more Islamophobic and Muslim-hating individuals (Bridge Georgetown 2015).
Why Islamophobia is baseless
As mentioned above, the holocaust is considered an unfair and unjust incident because an entire race of people was persecuted and blamed for their religion. Religion is something people are born with, and their children, infants and even adults are not blamable for adopting a certain religion. In the civilized world, to blame one religion and its followers for the unrest created at a certain time is not rational. This is illogical and nonsensical. (Bridge Georgetown 2015). There are many propositions that support the fact that all Muslims are not terrorists, in fact, the acts of terrorism committed by so-called believers of Islam are un-Islamic. The meaning of Islam is peace, purity and submission. The followers of Islam are supposed to follow the path of their Prophet, who preferred peace over everything else. As far as the demeanor of Muslims is concerned, it is not just a religious duty to cover the body (as of the females) rather it is a part of the culture in many Muslim countries. There are many Muslim females who do not cover their heads, an exception being those of the Arab countries because those areas are considered to be the birthplace of Islam. (Bridge Georgetown 2015).
The extent to which Jihad is misinterpreted and distorted is out of proportions. Jihad literally means to strive. Strive in this sense is spiritual. The secondary meaning is to strive against the enemy. Jihad is more of an inner struggle of a true Muslim to remain steadfast and not give into falsehood and one’s needs and desires and to remain adamant on the path of righteousness. The second meaning is to fight against those forces that threaten or put Islam in danger. It is a verbal declaration of the word of God and to revoke the false teachings and promote Islamic ones. Muslims can fight in combat to protect their religion just like the people of any other faith such as Christians, who have fought the Crusades, or the Buddhists or Hindus and doing this has conditions too. Islam clearly mentions that during a fight, women and children cannot be harmed, standing crops and trees cannot be burned, houses and property should be protected, and the fight should end as soon as the enemy surrenders. Fights are not just religious; they are worldly as well. Realizing these, Islamophobia is baseless (CAIR 2010). This is because Islam does not preach violence and people need to understand this by reading and interpreting the Koran according to a neutral and non-extremist perspective. Many Muslims today do not know Arabic and only understand the meaning of the Koran by heresy. However following traditions like covering the head, or praying or going to the mosque is just an attempt to keep their teachings alive. Muslims, not just in America or Europe but all over the world are studying, gaining an education and many of them own reasonably well-known occupations. Therefore to judge them all as fundamentalists and extremists are wrong and unfair. Discriminating against them without understanding that their image is being distorted by people who do are misrepresenting Islam is irrational. Islamophobia only creates tension and divide, and Muslims are unjustly profiled as extremists and troublemakers. Muslims are a race and people like any other living in America, and they need to be understood before they are criticized and revoked from society (Bridge Georgetown 2015).
Conclusion and Recommendations
America and other major countries of the world face the epidemic of Islamophobia, which is fear and hatred of Islam and Muslims. The term is an old one, being used to discriminate against and spread fear of Muslims in the hearts of people. Many people in the West fear Muslims and would like them to leave their country only because they are afraid of some insidious agenda that Muslims have against them. Exacerbating after 9/11, these incidents of discrimination have grown rapidly, and Muslims are openly condemned and feared. The media and political spokesmen have also added to the issue. However this attitude is racist, and it worsens conditions in Islamophobic countries. The leaders of these countries need to take a step and discourage their people from this racist attitude and prevent them from hate speech and acts of discrimination. Judging others is not how civilized nations live, and they need to uphold their beliefs and resolve to peace and harmony amongst the people.
References
Arches Quarterly. 2010. Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred: causes and remedies. The
Cordoba Foundation. Retrieved March 25, 2016 (http://www.thecordobafoundation.com/attach/ARCHES_Vol%204_Edition%207.PDF)
Bangstad, Sindre. 2014. Islamophobia: What’s in a name? SindreBangstad.com. Retrieved
March 25, 2016 (http://www.sindrebangstad.com/islamophobia-whats-in-a-name/)
Bleich, Erik. 2011. What Is Islamophobia and How Much Is There? Theorizing and Measuring
an Emerging Comparative Concept. Sage Publications. Retrieved March 25, 2016 (https://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/361902/original/bleich_2011_abs_dec_islamophobia.pdf)
Bridge Georgetown. 2015. Define Islamophobia: The right work for a Real Problem. Bridge
Initiative Team. Retrieved March 25, 2016 (http://bridge.georgetown.edu/islamophobia-the-right-word-for-a-real-problem/)
CAIR. 2010. Same Hate, New Target. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved March 25,
2016 (https://www.cair.com/images/pdf/2010-Islamophobia-Report.pdf)
Gallup. 2016. Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. Retrieved
March 25, 2016 (http://www.gallup.com/poll/157082/islamophobia-understanding-anti-muslim-sentiment-west.aspx)
Richardson, Robin. 2013. Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism – or what? – concepts and terms
revisited. InTed. Retrieved March 25, 2016 (http://www.insted.co.uk/anti-muslim-racism.pdf)
Stolze, Ted. 2015. Islamophobia: What it is and why it’s wrong. Cerritos College Club
Presentation. Retrieved March 25, 2016 (http://www.academia.edu/11589738/_Islamophobia_What_It_Is_and_Why_Its_Wrong_
