islamophobia

 ** Islamophobia and the 21st Century **  by Fahim Khan. 993906993

History has witnessed many eras of conflicts between religion and culture. Christianity and Judaism both have suffered negative stereotypes since their inceptions. The 21st century, however, has given rise to a new fear in people's mind: Islamophobia. A phobia can be defined as abnormal fears regarding an object or an ideology, based on unfounded knowledge, or emotions. Some symptoms of Islamophobia include fear of communicating with the members of the Islamic faith, as well as of different integrals of the religion itself. An Islamophobic person might react with a verbal or even physical abuse upon a Muslim man walking by, wearing a beard, or a Muslim woman, wearing a face veil - known as the Niqab. These are just examples of Islamophobia, a growing trend in the present world, especially in the west. The causes that fuel this unfortunate trend are primarily the incorrect understanding of the Islamic Caliphate system, negative stereotyping in the media, and global terrorism in the name of the religion. Islamic Caliphate, also known as the Khilafah system, was introduced in the world following the demise of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, peace be upon him. The caliphate system allowed for better organization of the resources and merits of the newly founded Muslim community of 7th century (Msn Encarta). It also allowed for perfect implementation of the Shari'ah law - the prescribed set of rules and regulations from the teachings of the holy Qur'an and the practices of Prophet Muhammad. History bears witness to the fruits of a just government under the system, which not only brought harmony and peace among the divided tribes of the Arabs in that era, but also allowed for peaceful coexistence of different faiths, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. in 1924, the caliphate system collapsed and many in the Muslim world believes that its reestablishment would return the peace and tranquility in the world once again. With this common goal in mind, there has been a rise of many groups and ideologies working towards reestablishing the Khilafah. They work towards this goal, taking it as of foremost importance. In reality, such an approach is criticized by the majority of Islamic scholars (Al-Kawthari). Moreover, due to lack of knowledge about the Shari’ah law, many in the western world fear the Islamic faith, and in turn dislike those that work towards propagating it in the world. The western media plays a big part in advancing Islamophobic ideology in the hearts and minds of people of the countries. From radio anchors to entire news stations have been identified to have fueled irrational fears in the minds of the audience against the Islamic faith, and Muslim in general. Such stereotypes are sustained by continued misrepresentation by the media outlets, and lack of knowledge of the common people (Islamophobia-watch). More than often, the western media successfully propagates an ideology of “guilty-by-association”, which demonizes anyone subscribing to the Islamic faith, as a result of the action of few extremists and terrorists. In the modern time, the Islamic faith linked with both terrorism and extremism. While It’s debatable as to what is defined as extreme, the definition of terrorism is more clear-cut. Even though the religious scholars in the Islamic world have repeatedly given out Fatwas – Islamic edicts, pronouncing terrorism as a teaching alien to Islam, there have been a growing number of Muslims who have taken part in indiscriminate acts of violence and murder. As a result, Muslims in general have become people to be cautious of as it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between good and bad Muslims (BBC). Such a phobia, though can be substantiated the statistics of recent events, should still not be highlighted to give rise to a phobia of the entire religion, as the religious scholars have repeatedly clarified its disassociation from such violent actions. In conclusion, Islamophobia is an issue that requires more exploration with the aid of historical and statistical resources. The media should be more balanced in covering the acts of extremists, as well as their condemnation by the religious figures. The Muslim citizens in the west should also make attempts to integrate themselves further into the society to break the decades long prejudices that still remain.

  Works Cited & Reference Al-Kawthari, Muhammad Ibn-Adam. "Obeying the Law of the Land." Darul Iftaa. 05 Feb. 2009 < http://www.daruliftaa.com/question.asp?txt_QuestionID=q-18270572 >. "BBC NEWS | UK | UK 'Islamophobia' rises after 11 September." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 29 Aug. 2002. 05 Feb. 2009 < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2223301.stm >. "Caliphate - MSN Encarta." MSN Encarta : Online Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Atlas, and Homework. 05 Feb. 2009 < http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575871/Caliphate.html <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">>. Desai, Mufti Ibrahim. "Question on Khilafah." Ask Imam. 20 Oct. 2005. 05 Feb. 2009 < <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">http://www.askimam.org/fatwa/fatwa.php?askid=c90ec4235eaf85bf7d80f2e62c3fc2d8 <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">>. Islamophobia Watch - Documenting the war against Islam. 05 Feb. 2009 < <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/ <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">>. <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">