The literal meaning of the word phobia is an inexplicable fear against an object, belief, class, or situation. Islamophobia denotes the prejudice against the Muslim community which results in discrimination, fear, hate speech, marginalisation, bias, and in extreme cases leads to violence too. Over the past few years, western society has exhibited negative perceptions and discrimination against Muslims. Though Islamophobia existed before 9/11 too, but the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have witnessed a gradual increase in frequency.
Research by the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations and the League of Arab States, shows the aftermath of terrorist attacks made lives of Muslim community difficult in western countries. Anti-Muslim sentiments increased in the West, not the mere dislike of the Muslim community but linking them to terrorism and violence got prevalent. Post-9/11 era showed an increase in the civil rights cases filed by the Muslim community in the West and most of the cases got dismissed by the judges. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids any kind of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion. These were the most common cases filed by the Muslim community. At the workplace, Muslims faced discrimination too and those cases were met with the same fate too.
Recently, there are multiple incidents that showed islamophobic tendencies. In 2011, France imposed a ban on women to wear a full-face veil and became the first European country to ban hijab in public places. Switzerland passed a referendum in 2009 to ban the construction of minarets on the mosques. The minaret on local Turkish cultural association mosque in Wangen bei Olten, was the prime stimulus for the proposed initiative. There were many other controversies that emerged concerning the construction of mosques in some western states. Also, the widely debated sketches of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) made by Denmark are another example. A recent most example of an Islamophobic incident in London, Ontario is where a man bumped into five members of a Muslim family and four of them got killed. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has termed the attack an act of terrorism and hate.
Most of the people in the West that show prejudice or anti-Muslim sentiments, have little to no knowledge about Islam in general
It’s time to address the rise behind anti-Muslim sentiments and evaluate the Islamophobic tendencies at the individual level. There is no particular definition of islamophobia, some scholars termed it as a new form of racism that is targeted against a specific religious community. Most of the people in the West that show prejudice or anti-Muslim sentiments, have little to no knowledge about Islam in general. Globally, Muslims are the most common religious community vulnerable to discrimination and unfair treatment. Many Muslims in Western societies report not feeling safe and respected by people in the West. Several elements are responsible for the respect among Muslim and western communities; differences in religion, culture, ideas, and values shape a person’s opinion towards another. Most of the surveys show culture and religion as the root cause of tension between the West and the Muslim world.
Though Islamophobic tendencies increased post 9/11, but it can hardly be declared as the sole factor responsible. The rise of anti-Muslim sentiments dates back to the 1980s, though the term “Islamophobia” was coined much later. By far, the most comprehensive definition of Islamophobia is provided by the Runnymede Trust report entitled “Islamophobia: A Challenge for us All”. The report highlights that Islamophobia can be understood as a concept involving multiple dimensions. It includes fear of Islam, to view Islam as a political ideology and inferior to the West, them versus us mentality, and the report also justifies that Islam is a new kind of religious prejudice. Plus, Western media has widely played its role to influence people’s minds by linking Islam with terrorism. Many times media reports showed veiled Muslim women’s pictures with the news of terrorism to create a link between violence and Muslims. Media cultivates the brain of the general population, its bias and prejudice towards a particular religious community would certainly cause detrimental effects in the society.
To understand attitudinal determinants responsible for the spread of Islamophobia, one can analyse religious intolerance and racism under the light of some prominent theories (cognitive capability approach, social identity theory, perceived threat theory). All these theories collectively employ a narrative that is based on the perception of us versus them or in-group and out-group mentality. Such stereotypes create sentiments of hate and discrimination among people and in extreme cases can lead to violence too.
Today, the world is witnessing the worst kind of Islamophobia causing the loss of precious human lives. Prejudice against the Muslim community has reached unprecedented levels; discrimination and hate are converting into physical violence and harm. The media needs to stop feeding people with xenophobic tendencies against Islam and the Muslim community. A neutral approach by mainstream international media is a prerequisite to eradicate the misperceptions in the West. Besides, Muslim countries should together take an initiative to spread the knowledge about Islam. The most significant role and responsibility still hinge on the media to adopt an unbiased narrative.
The author is a writer and researcher