“So far as the West is concerned, Islam represents not only a formidable competitor but also a late-coming challenge to Christianity.” [Edward Said]
Islamophobia has become a topic of increasing sociological and political importance. Islamophobia is irrational fear of or prejudice against Islam, rather than simple criticism, prejudice against, or hatred or fear of Islam or Muslims . Criticism of Islam has existed since Islam‘s formative stages. Early written criticism came from Christians, prior to the ninth century, many of whom viewed Islam as a radical Christian heresy. Later there appeared criticism within and also fromJewish writers and from ecclesiastical Christians. According o Wikipedia, the term seems to date back to the late 1980s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States to refer to types of political dialogue that appeared prejudicially resistant to pro-Islamic argument.
Perceptions
- Some of the negative perceptions highlighted through western media campaign are:
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- Islam is projected as a monolithic bloc, static and unresponsive to change.
- It is seen as separate and “other.” It does not have values in common with other cultures, is not affected by them and does not influence them.
- It is seen as inferior to the West. It is seen as barbaric, irrational, primitive, and sexist.
- It is seen as violent, aggressive, threatening, supportive of terrorism, and engaged in a clash of civilizations.
- It is seen as a political ideology, used for political or military advantage.
- Criticisms made of “the West” by Muslims are rejected out of hand.
- Hostility towards Islam is used to justify discriminatory practices towards Muslims and exclusion of Muslims from mainstream society.
- Anti-Muslim hostility is seen as natural and normal.
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Criticism of Concept
Responses to criticism
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Deepa Kumar, the author of Outside the Box: Corporate Media, Globalization, and the UPS Strike, in her article titled ‘Fighting Islamophobia: A Response to Critics’ says “The history of Islam is no more violent than the history of any of the other major religions of the world. Perhaps my critics haven’t heard of the Crusades — the religious wars fought by European Christians from the 11th to the 13th centuries”referring to the brutality of the crusades and then contrasting them to forbidding of acts of vengeance and violence by the Sultan of EgyptSaladin, after he successfully retook Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Speaking on the Danish Muhammad cartoon controversy (which resulted in more than 100 deaths, all together), she says “The Danish cartoon —- is nothing if not the visual depiction of the racist diatribe that Islam is inherently violent. To those who can’t understand why this argument is racist, let me be clear: when you take the actions of a few people and generalize it to an entire group — all Muslims, all Arabs — that’s racism. When a whole group of people are discriminated against and demonized because of their religion or regional origin, that’s racism.” And “…Arabs and Muslims are being scapegoated and demonized to justify a war that is ruining the lives of millions.”Edward Said, in his essay Islam Through Western Eyes, stated that the general basis of Orientalist thought forms a study structure in which Islam is placed in an inferior position as an object of study. He claims the existence of a very considerable bias in Orientalist writings as a consequence of the scholars’ cultural make-up. He claims Islam has been looked at with a particular hostility and fear due to many obvious religious, psychological and political reasons, all deriving from a sense“that so far as the West is concerned, Islam represents not only a formidable competitor but also a late-coming challenge to Christianity.”Karen Armstrong, tracing what she believes to be the West’s long history of hostility toward Islam, finds in Muhammad’s teachings a theology of peace and tolerance. Armstrong holds that the “holy war” urged by the Qur’an alludes to each Muslim’s duty to fight for a just, decent society.William Montgomery Watt who in his book Muhammad:Prophet and Statesman addresses this issue. He claims that “Of all the world’s great men none has been so much maligned as Muhammad [pnuh].” Watt argues on a basis of moral relativism that Muhammad should be judged by the standards of his own time and country rather than “by those of the most enlightened opinion in the West today.”
Cathy Young of Reason Magazine claimed that the growing trend of anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim sentiment stemmed from an atmosphere where such criticism is popular. While stating that the terms “Islamophobia” and “anti-Muslim bigotry” are often used in response to legitimate criticism of fundamentalist Islam and problems within Muslim culture, she claimed “the real thing does exist, and it frequently takes the cover of anti-jihadism.”
- [Courtesy/Source Wikipedia]