Saturday marked the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 in Bosnia which resulted in the death of eight thousand Muslims at the hands of the Serbian Army of Republika Sprska (VRS) under the command of Ratko Mladic. Bosnians from across the country and the diaspora mourned and remembered the shocking event which continues to be Europe’s only major atrocity since World War two and fits the very definition of genocide. While times have evolved and the international system is now defined by increased cooperation, multilateralism and promotion of diversity, Srebrenica’s anniversary serves as a stark reminder that the Western world still has a long way to go as far as eliminating Islamaphobia is concerned.
In Serbia, the very subject of the Srebrenica episode evokes denial with war criminals such as Mladic and Radovan Karadzic often hailed as heroes. The same applies to countries in the Muslim world where the denial of the Armenian genocide of 1914- 1923 by Turkey hints at how states downplay massacres which have been historically perpetrated by members of their own armed forces. Yet in the 21st century, where the concept of empires is obsolete and multilateral cooperation with sovereign states is the established norm, the rise of populism in the West has failed to prevent widespread discrimination against Muslim populations in the form of their depiction in popular culture, being equated with Islamic terrorism and denial of immigration rights.
President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary and Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom have used rhetoric which demonizes Muslims and Islam. Despite hailing from states which champion the cause of human rights, these respective leaderships through their polarizing and divisive views have inspired white supremacist groups to systematically target the Muslim community by citing rationales such as the ‘White genocide theory’ of Renaud Camus which considers the European population to be in danger of being replaced by immigrants. The results of such empowerment have often been horrific such as the March 2019 egregious terrorist attack which took place on two mosques in Christchurch in March 2019. The perpetrator of the attack had cited Donald Trump and US conservative commentator, Candace Owens as inspirations in his manifesto with a mission to exterminate the Muslim population from Western shores. While there is a complete absence of endorsement of massacres in the Western world, the rhetoric in the mainstream media and from populist politicians have emboldened far right groups such as the Identitarian movement of Europe, The Lads Society in Australia and the Ku Klux Klan in the United States, enabling them to have a more visible and vocal presence in the political landscape. Muslims alongside members of the African American community and other groups become targets due to religious and racial profiling with Muslims being associated with terrorism and attacks against mosques and hate crimes increasing across the United States and Europe.
The very act of championing human rights with controversial profiles of Islamaphobia and with criticism directed at other states for pursuing policies aimed at curbing extremism is open to skepticism
On the anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, world leaders addressed the solemn ceremony via video link on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement of grief and solidarity with the eight thousand lives lost and the tireless quest for justice for the victims. This expression of grief and solidarity however, needs to be complimented with tangible measures to counter Islamophobia in countries such as the United States. Statistics on hate crimes, physical assaults and property damages on Muslims clearly indicate that since Trump assumed power, violence perpetrated by white supremacists on Muslims alongside Mexicans and Jews had increased. The depictions of Muslims in the mainstream media as a threat to American national security has also proliferated since Donald Trump assumed power with controversial televangelists such as Pamela Gellar and anchors such as Sean Hannity promoting narratives which demonize the Muslim community.
While the West does confront the global palpable threat of terrorist attacks from Al Qaeda and ISIS, the rise of populism has blurred the distinctions between terrorism, refugees and Muslim citizens allowing fringe elements to become more vocal. In Europe and the United Kingdom, groups such as PEGIDA in Germany, the English Defense League and the Law and Justice Party of Poland have been allowed to fester in an environment enabled by populist leaders of whom many have employed violence as protest against the perceived rise of Islam in Europe, the increase in the number of refugees or threats to Christianity. Condemnation of these groups have not been followed up with blanket bans over hate mongering where clashes between the democratic right of freedom of expression and curbing hate speech leaves Western governments in a quandary.
The very same Western governments are often seen criticizing states such as China over dealing with Islamic insurgents in the Xinjiang province. The establishment of reeducation camps with the aim of de radicalizing insurgents become the subject of controversy with little regard for China’s legitimate threat perceptions. Islamophobia on Western shores however, continues to be structured, measured, promoted, tolerated and encouraged as a glaring reality. Thus, the very act of championing human rights with controversial profiles of Islamaphobia and with criticism directed at other states for pursuing policies aimed at curbing extremism is open to skepticism. The 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre is a reminder that amid calls for standing in solidarity with Muslim victims, the West still has a long way to go as far as tackling homegrown Islamophobia is concerned.
The writer is an Assistant Research Officer at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute. He was also a Visiting Fellow at Stimson Center, Washington DC in 2016