Islamophobia, a fear, derision, and/or hatred of Islam and Muslims, both an individual prejudice and a geopolitical instrument.
I can clearly say that the hate against Muslims and racism in general have their bases online more than being in the communities. What the far right have been trying to do is to show that their presence is much bigger than it really is. The main problem however is that the political system in Europe needs the right extremism as part of its existence and I can see that in the comments against “multiculturalism” by its leaders. While the political system is attacking the democratic rights of the people through privatisation, deregulation and strengthening security measures against them it needs a bigger infighting within the people and that is partly a fight against the Muslim
After many years of a negative portrayal, bias Against Islam and Muslims is deeply rooted in Western minds and it will be very difficult to eliminate it, Spanish journalist Yusuf Fernandez says.
The Islamophobia is a real problem in the Western societies, not only for Muslims but for the whole society because it is a hatred phenomenon, which is harmful for all people. Today, many politicians attack Islam and Muslims just to gain votes and in some countries girls are banned to wear headscarves at high schools or work places. Opening a mosque is also becoming more and more difficult in some countries.
Generally speaking, the image of Muslims in Western media is very negative and poor. When Western journalists speak about any issue, they are supposed to know the issue they are writing about. But this rule is broken when they write about Islam. They can then make claims that have nothing to do with the reality of Islam and Muslims. Muslims are presented as fanatics, terrorists or backwards people. Muslim women are presented as ignorant or submissive. These so-called “experts” ignore that Islam gave many rights to the women much before the Western societies did.
There are extremists in Europe who are staunchly opposed to multiculturalism in the continent and are not afraid of physically removing whoever they deem threatening their ideology for a consolidated Europe free of immigrants and Muslims. The most prominent example was Anders Breivik who massacred 77 people simply because they had voiced support for the people of Palestine in a demonstration.
An anonymous Christian extremist group in the Republic of Ireland has sent Muslim schools and mosques in the capital city of Dublin a letter threatening to attack any man, woman or child seen entering a mosque.
Referring to a planned €40m mosque complex in Clongriffin, north Dublin, letter not only threatened Muslims living in Ireland, but also anyone who is thought to be Muslim.
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council, was quoted by the Irish Mirror saying: "The emergence of this letter and its threats is both sinister and alarming."
The letter contains much nationalistic rhetoric which has become ever more common in Europe lately, as the increasing population and political power of Muslims in the continent is for some testing the limits of multiculturalism and diversity.
There's a new mainstream anti-Muslim racism that is built on fears for the survival of Western values. That's the product of a nervous society in which social betterment is becoming increasingly difficult and in which there is a sense of omnipresent competition and struggle. The emotions generated by this are often not directed at a system, but at those who are different, at foreigners. This is also launched from the political arena and absorbed at grassroots level. Only recently, the conservative Bavarian party CSU suggested that foreigners should speak German at home.
There is a pervading belief that Islam is here to take over the West, despite any number of statistics which can demonstrate that A) that intent does not exist and B)It would not be possible without a radical shift in demographic trends. Wedded with that there is a willingness to blame the actions of a few extremists on all Muslims. That all results in Muslim Journalists receiving hate mail, not for their beliefs, but because they are Muslim. That is prejudice against the Muslim Religion. Would you send hate mail to Christian Journalists because of the KKK?
Although theoretically we live in a secular state, only church bells are allowed to ring out; the muezzin is not even permitted to issue a call to prayer on Fridays or public holidays. Muslim burials without a coffin are prohibited in all but a handful of federal states. The mandatory use of coffins dates from the seventeenth century, when it was introduced as a way of preventing the burial of a person who only appeared to be dead, by storing the body in a coffin for 48 hours. Muslims are not represented on the majority of broadcasting councils, although they also pay fees for public-service broadcasting.
We live in a shrunken world and millions of people are on the move; one of our biggest challenges is how we learn to live in proximity to difference – different skin colours, different beliefs and different way of life. According to a study by COMPAS, Muslims born and educated were given the impression of outsiders. The perception among Muslims is that they are unwelcome in Britain is undermining efforts to help them integrate into wider society. Most of them say that they have experienced race discrimination and religious prejudice. Muslims and Islam is promoted a fundamentalist and separatist by the western elite, which have negative impact on community and social cohesion. The number of racist incidents occurring in London Borough of Redbridge’s schools have reached their highest levels since record begin.
It is often quoted by the Western media that Muslim schools ghettoizes the children, and even lead to their radicalisation if they are not integrated. There is no evidence that faith schools lead to a “ghettoized education system. In British schools, pupils are encouraged to focus too much on their similarities rather than their differences. The integrationist approach merely results in Muslims feeling that their faith, language and culture is not respected.
A report by the Institute for Community Cohesion found that native parents were deserting some schools after finding their children outnumbered by pupils from ethnic minorities. Schools in parts of England are becoming increasingly segregated. The study focused on 13 local authorities. Many of the schools and colleges are segregated and this was generally worsening over recent years. This is RACISM because British society is the home of institutional racism. My statement regarding Muslim schools where there is no place for non-Muslim child or a teacher is based on educational process and not on racism. Muslim children need Muslim teachers during their developmental periods. For higher studies and research, Muslim teacher is not a priority
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on January 6, warned the EU it should tackle “Islamophobia” amid rising anti-Muslim protests. Erdogan said Islamophobia is on the rise in Europe, complaining that racist organisations won sympathy in some Western societies with “each passing day”.
“The Islamophobia, which we constantly draw attention to and warn of, represents a serious threat in Europe. If the issue is not dealt with seriously today, and if populism takes European politicians captive, the EU and European values will come into question,” he said.
His comments came a day after controversial German group Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident or PEGIDA rallied 18,000 people in Dresden for a demonstration against “Islamisation” of Europe and “criminal asylum seekers.”
Many people ignored a call by Chancellor Angela Merkel to snub such street protests.
PEGIDA movement began with just a few hundred in October.
Extreme right-wing parties have grown in popularity across Europe in the past decade, surfing on anti-immigrant sentiments amid widespread discontent over the dismal economic situation.
Thousands also joined counter-demonstrations in several cities against PEGIDA. Ten thousand people joined a Muslim community rally against Islamophobia in Berlin where Merkel said her Government would do everything in its power to fight intolerance amid a growing anti-Islamic movement in the country. Merkel used the occasion to deliver her strongest condemnation yet of PEGIDA.
“What we need to do now is to use all the means at our disposal…to combat intolerance and violence,” Merkel said.
“To exclude groups of people because of their faith, this isn’t worthy of the free state in which we live. It isn’t compatible with our essential values. And it’s humanly reprehensible. Xenophobia, racism, extremism have no place here,” she added.
Bahray, a 20-year-old Eritrean Muslim man, was killed in a knife attack in the same day in the eastern German city of Dresden. Saxony’s Left Party Deputy Juliane Nagel pointed that the potential Islamophobic background of the murder should be taken into consideration.
According to the CCIF Islamophobia watchdog, about 130 students were rejected from class last year for outfits deemed too openly religious. This matter can be resolved easily, instead of creating hatred I think French of all religions and non-religious can coexist, My opinion is Muslims should have their own schools.
Why is it that when a woman in the east chooses to wear a hijab, it is called maltreatment but when she is forced to remove it in the west, it is suddenly liberation? But the reality? I have witnessed my friends and relatives being pulled aside at airports because of their physical appearance, i.e. their beard or hijab. I have seen students terrified that they will not be able to study in the US simply because of their Muslim name. When a Muslim man is involved in a terrorist attack, Islam is put to blame; it is called out as ‘radical Islam’, however, if a white man is under the same circumstances, he is labelled on media channels as ‘psychologically ill.’ Why is it that when a woman in the east chooses to wear a hijab, it is called maltreatment but when she is forced to remove it in the west, it is suddenly liberation?
Furthermore, the year 2018 marked an increase in Islamophobia at alarming rates in Austria, France, Netherlands, and United Kingdom as well as in the rest of the world. The Office for Documenting Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Racism in Austria stated in a report that an increase of approximately 74% of documented anti-Muslim racist acts was noticed in 2018. Vandalism at places of worship such as mosques also rose by around 50%, thereby breaching laws and resolutions focusing on the security and protection of individuals of all backgrounds.
It doesn't help that the depiction of Muslims in the press is almost entirely negative, or that the stories are often distorted (and in some cases completely made up). For instance, the Daily Mail admitted that the Winterville story they peddled for 14 years was a myth, and a former writer for the Daily Star confessed that a story about Muslim-only public toilets that generated so much outrage was a total lie, and there was more to the story about the dinner lady fired for serving a Muslim child gammon (she'd served the wrong food to vegetarian children as well so perhaps it was about incompetence and not pandering to Muslims?). So irresponsible and damaging. This country is overdue a debate on Islam. But sadly, the term Islamophobia is used to stifle the debate. People who have concerns about the impact of the religion in this country (which is a large majority) are immediately shouted down and labelled as Islamophobes. It happened with the Birmingham College incident last week as an example. Do you think Belgium recently banned the burqa, when there were barely even thirty women in the whole country who wore it?' If barely anybody wears it I can't see why you're so upset about it?
I'm not suggesting sweeping negative stories relating to Islam or extremists under the carpet, but tell the positive stories as well. Like how last Christmas Blackburn Muslims banded together and donated 5 tonnes of food and £1,000 to a Christian run food bank to feed the poor. Or how Muslim students in London set up a Ramadan Tent to feed the homeless. Or about the Muslim Snow Patrol who volunteered to clear our streets last Winter. Or the Muslim donors in Bradford who saved the city's last synagogue. Or the Muslims in Tower Hamlets who supported gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. Or the Inclusive Mosque initiative which seeks to open mosques that are mixed (not segregated) with women led players and are welcoming of gay Muslims. Tell those stories too. Islamophobia is firmly back on the radar of British politics. The increase in attacks against mosques and renewed support for far-right groups reminds us of the need to think seriously about how to root out anti-Muslim sentiment. And where are the Westminster politicians talking about this issue? Where are the constant condemnations of attacks on places of worship? There is a conspiracy of silence, which is only making things worse. We must accept this problem exists, and condemn it publicly and forcefully, before we can resolve it. Who is prepared to do that in UKIP Britain?
Prime Minister Imran Khan stated in his speech:
There is only one Islam and that is the Islam of Prophet (PBUH)…there are radical fringes in every society, but the basis of all religion is compassion and justice.”
With the passage of time, it seems as though many of us have forgotten that we are after all, one human community. Divisions based on religion and backgrounds have caused marginalization, which has further provoked radicalization. This way, each and every single individual is to blame for attacks that take place in our world today. We might have failed our Pakistani founders, such as Mohammad Ali Jinnah, but there is still time to instil qualities such as tolerance, empathy, and equity in our children and create a pathway of action towards a more just system.
In the wise words of Helen Keller: “The greatest result of education is tolerance.” Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. And, with these wise words, I’ll conclude by simply stating that I need you to be the first to take a step to end Islamophobia to help better our world today.
Labour could set an example by refraining from the use fascistic slogans like 'One Nation' and 'British jobs for British workers'. As long as that kind of language does not change, Islamophobia or any other kind of phobia in the society will not disappear. For me, that article is also serving the marginalisation of Muslims in Britain whilst I'm sure it genuinely intends the contrary. Islamophobia in Europe is as old as Islam. What do you think the Crusade Wars were for? Plus Homophobia is quite old as well and not limited to Muslim people. Therefore inducing the whole debate to the raise of Muslim immigrants is so wrong and only perpetuating the case. Was there any Islamophobia prior to 9/11? And prior to 9/11, how many people knew there were Sunnis and Shia?
It goes without saying racism in all its pernicious forms should be opposed tooth and nail and that includes anti Muslim racism. In my opinion, an increased level of participation of minorities, Muslims included, in civic society and politics is possibly the best starter. If all people from minorities in the UK and elsewhere were to start joining trade unions, anti racist organizations, political parties, community based organizations, think tanks and soup kitchens, it would not necessarily herald the end of racism or racist sentiments. But by empowering minorities and enhancing their degree of participation in society, it could create an antidote to the ideology of intolerance exemplified by the likes of the BNP and EDL. The best way to fight intolerance towards minority groups does not necessarily have to entail silencing the intolerant but rather by empowering those who tend to find themselves at the receiving end.
Does anyone remember the recent story of the Bradford mosque which offered tea and biscuits to the EDL campaigners who were protesting outside it? No? Thought not. Just this one simple act was enough to change the minds of many of the EDL members present. The only side of Islam portrayed by the media is one of a hateful and intolerant bunch who are responsible for many of the world's woes. Nobody ever reports the positive side of the religion.
Stop treating foreigners like garbage and they will stop ruining your precious country. Why did you let them in in the first place if you didn't want them here? They left everything in their countries because of your promises. Are you so anxious to please that you can't say "no"? I would love to see you go to a foreign land where you don't have any friends, you don't even know anyone and you don't speak the language, and start from scratch.
he Taliban kills 150 or so people, and the world condemns them, as it should. But the US kills over 500,000 children and the world calls the USA the beacon of democracy, the shining light on the hill? How can people think with the bells of cognitive dissonance ringing so loudly in their heads?
IA