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What is Islamophobia? A phobia can be described as an irrational fear of something, like spiders, confined spaces, heights, etc. So, could one assume that Islamophobia is simply an irrational fear of Islam and Muslims? The term Islamophobia can be somewhat problematic, as it assumes there’s an irrational or unexplained component related to the fear or distrust of Muslims. Islamophobia, is not an irrational fear, rather it is one of the many iterations of racism that exists in society today. Like all forms of racism, it is rooted in relationships of power, which enable it to be systemic and embedded in society. To further understand how Islamophobia is mediated through relationships of power, lets first examine how Islamophobia manifests.
Broadly speaking, expressions of Islamophobia emerge in two domains; the public sphere and through private actors. What is meant by the ‘public sphere’ is how Islamophobia is structural in nature and perpetuated by the state through law, legislation, and those in positions of privilege and power, like political elites, media figures, and lobbyists. Islamophobia in the ‘private sphere’ relates to Islamophobia as enacted by individual actors or groups of individuals not acting on behalf of the state. This occurs through hate crimes, harassment, the desecration of Muslim spaces, and through acts of violence, such as the Christchurch mass-shooting in New Zealand earlier in 2019.
When examining Islamophobia in the public sphere, political discourse is where we see Islamophobia most strongly promoted and perpetuated. One may assume that within the realm of politics, Islamophobia emanates from the political Right and is virtually non-existent on the Left or amongst self-proclaimed liberals. This view is not entirely accurate. Expressions of Islamophobia manifest differently across the political spectrum. Conservatives and individuals associated with the Right promote Islamophobia through cultural discourse. This occurs through advocating the notion that Islam and Muslims are diametrically opposed to the West, arguing that Muslims are culturally incompatible with Western values, and the ‘clash of civilizations’ thesis, which holds that the ‘East’ is fundamentally at odds with the ‘West’. This cultural gap will result in an inevitable clash between these civilizations. Underlying cultural Islamophobic discourse are fantasies of white supremacy and the view that Muslims are distinct/inferior—almost at a biological level—from those who represent white, Western, normative culture.
Liberal expressions of Islamophobia manifest through ‘good Muslim’ and ‘bad Muslim’ posturing. The logic embedded in this view is that not all Muslims are bad, some are actually good. Liberal Islamophobia promotes the notion that ‘bad Muslims’ are tainted by radicalized ideologies and are a threat to the state. Therefore, overt expressions of ‘Muslimness’ (i.e. long beards, head veils, face covers, etc.) are viewed as potential indicators of sympathies, vulnerabilities, or adoption of ‘radicalized’ views. ‘Good Muslims’ on the other hand zealously embody the Western archetype in dress, culture, values, and politics. Liberal strands of Islamophobia view radical Islamic ideology as infectious. It’s a ‘virus’ that Muslims are predisposed to. As such, until Muslims can prove their credentials and loyalties to the state they are viewed with distrust and as a potential fifth column trying to undermine Western values and freedoms.
The key difference between conservative and liberal Islamophobic views is that conservative articulations of Islamophobia are more overtly racist in nature, whereas liberal expressions of Islamophobia tend to be more sanitized and insidious. In some ways, these distinctions are meaningless, as both liberals and conservatives, and multiple actors from the political spectrum from the Right and Left, help to perpetuate systemic Islamophobia through legislation, laws, and policies. As such, the supposed ‘War on Terror’ spearheaded by George W. Bush, the targeted laws it instituted and the conflicts it exported to Muslim majority countries, was upheld and expanded throughout the Obama Presidency.
Private Islamophobia is typically how Muslims experience racism in their day to day lives. The more sensationalist examples of this include acts of violence and vandalism, but for most Muslims, Islamophobia is a lot more subtle. It can be through Islamophobic jokes at the work place, being called a ‘terrorist’ by your classmates, dirty looks in the subway, or unintended offenses by colleagues and friends through insensitive passing comments. However, in the past few years, there has been a surge of private Islamophobia. It has become more organized, more vocal, and more vitriolic. Throughout Europe and North America there have been a growing number of street protest movements focusing on Muslims as a primary area of concern. Examples include the English Defense League in the UK, the Bloc Identitaire in France, PEGIDA in Germany and Netherlands, the growth of the Alt-Right in the US, and La Meute in Canada. These groups have thousands of members and openly call for drastic measures to deal with the ‘Muslim problem’ facing their nations. This includes mass deportations, desecration of Muslim spaces, and in some instances promoting violence towards Muslims.
Islamophobia is not a post-9/11 phenomenon. Rather, it is a systemic form of racism that manifests in both the public and private sphere. Private and public Islamophobia go hand and hand. Islamophobic messaging in the public sphere feeds the masses racist anti-Muslim political rhetoric and normalizes street protest movements that target Muslims. Furthermore, the growth of anti-Muslim sentiment in the private sphere enables nativist and white supremacist political figures to gain popularity and promote anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant platforms. By understanding these variant forms of Islamophobia it enables us to develop holistic, contextualized, and informed understandings of this phenomenon. As with all forms of systemic racism and bias, a starting point for change lies in developing a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the relationships of power that undergird the subordination of underclasses and marginalized groups. Furthermore, through these deeper and contextualized insights, suitable approaches for dismantling and challenging the structures that perpetuate inequalities can be developed. This can take the form of grass-roots activism, collaborative organizing with other marginalized groups, and engaging in inter-communal dialogue to further encourage mutual understanding and acceptance.
This is the Equation Between Islam And Judaism - Do Islam and Judaism have anything in common? Are they two religions that are radically different and at constant odds? There is a common perception that Muslims and Jews have been at odds for hundreds of years. Consequently, it is often stated that the “Muslim-Jewish conflict” can never be resolved. However, this is historically inaccurate. People mistakenly conflate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with Islam and Judaism. Even then, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict started in 1948, prior to that there were very few wars between Muslims and Jews. This is not meant to downplay the conflicts that do occur, but to contextualize them historically. These two faiths share more in common than many might initially think. With the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia around the world, it is important to understand what these two faiths have in common.
The Qur’ān refers to Jews and Christians as people of the book. This means that they have a special place and treatment because of their similar beliefs with Muslims. Many might be surprised to know that Islam allows Muslim men to marry Jewish or Christian women. Further, Islam allows Muslims to eat meat that was properly slaughtered by a Jew or Christian. The two faiths are not as radically different than some might expect. The purpose of this article is to dispel the myth that Islam and Judaism are completely at odds by highlighting some of the similarities between the two religious traditions.
They worship the same God
Islam and Judaism are resolutely monotheistic faiths. Allah is the Arabic name for God. The Arabic name Allah has linguistic connotations that are not shared with the English term God. For instance, the word Allah cannot be made plural like the word God. Nevertheless, Allah is the same Creator, Sustainer, and Provider that Jews and Christians worship.
Jesus
Because these two faiths are strictly monotheistic in nature, they both do not consider Jesus to be divine. They both consider it blasphemous to attribute a literal son to God. The idea that God has a son is inconsistent with the uncompromising monotheistic message found both in the Qur’ān and Torah. However, unlike Jews, Muslims believe that Jesus is a great Prophet of God who delivered the message of Oneness to the Children of Israel and that his mother Mary was the greatest of all women.
Prophets
Muslims and Jews share beliefs in certain Prophets. They both believe that God sent Prophets to mankind to deliver the message of monotheism. Jews believe that Moses is the greatest of all Prophets who was sent to mankind. Muslims also believe in Moses, who is in fact the Prophet most mentioned in the Qur’ān. Muslims and Jews also believe in Abraham, Noah, David, Solomon, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Because Muslims believe in all Prophets and Messengers, they also believe in the scripture they delivered. Therefore, Muslims believe that Moses was given a book called the Torah. However, they believe this book was not preserved in its original form. For Muslims the Prophet Muhammad, God’s final Messenger to mankind who delivered the final book, the Qur’ān.
Jerusalem
Historically, many of these Prophets resided in the city of Jerusalem. Both Islam and Judaism consider Jerusalem to be a holy city. Prophet Solomon established the first Temple in Jerusalem which made it the religious center for Judaism. Jerusalem is Islam’s third holiest city after Mecca and Medina. Prophet Muhammad was taken on a miraculous journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascended to the heavens.
Circumcision
Islamic law and Jewish law share many things in common. In the Bible, Abraham was commanded to undergo circumcision. This practice has been established among Abraham’s children. The Torah instructs that newborns be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. The command for circumcision is not in the Qur’ān, but the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him required it for his male followers.
Dietary Restrictions
Jews only eat kosher and Muslims only eat halal. There are many similarities between kosher and halal, and in some cases, kosher is considered halal for Muslims. Some kinds of foods, such as pork, are prohibited in both Islam and Judaism. Other kinds of foods must be prepared in a certain way for them to be permissible for consumption. The animal must be slaughtered properly, mentioning the name of God, and for Jews, the person must be Jewish. However, Muslims are allowed to consume an animal if it is slaughtered by a Muslim, Jew, or Christian.
Female Head Covering
Both religions encourage modesty and require that women cover their hair. This is not meant to detract from women’s beauty, but to channel it to her marriage where it truly belongs. Many married Jewish women wear a scarf to cover their hair. Islam instructs that women wear a headscarf (hijab) after puberty. Along with the head covering, both religions encourage women to dress modestly. This includes wearing long and loose-fitting clothing. Although they both cover in very similar ways, after 9/11 Muslim women have been targeted for their hijabs more than women of other faiths.
North America has been home to Muslims for a long time
Muslims first arrived in North America centuries before Columbus due to trading expeditions with Native Americans. After Columbus, the slave trade transported African Muslim slaves, who retained their spiritual practice and religious identity, to the Americas.
Over the next few centuries, Muslim migrants from all over the world settled in the New World in search of personal goals, such as education or employment. While some dreamed of returning “home” one day, the subsequent generations largely knew no other place but the United States or Canada as their home.
Muslims in North America today
During the course of this timespan, many indigenous North Americans have studied Islam and adopted the religion; prominent among these are Africans and Hispanics, although individuals of all backgrounds are attracted to the simplicity and purity of Islam.
Today, there are approximately 7 million Muslims in the United States, with more than 2000 mosques across America. American Muslims actively contribute in a variety of professional fields, such as medicine, engineering, IT, architecture, education, and journalism. Muslims are also represented in the military and social service.
In Canada, the situation is similar, although there are only about a million Muslims. The greatest concentration of Muslim communities is located in the Greater Toronto Area and major cities, like Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, etc. Pockets of Muslims also reside in Mexico.
In this section, we explore Islam in North America, with a special focus on American Muslims – their history, challenges, and contributions.
