Revision as of 22:59, 11 June 2007 view sourceMerzbow (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers7,854 edits rv banned user← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:08, 11 June 2007 view source Hisexcellencyreturns (talk | contribs)14 edits The best Islamophobia Article Ever...Please Do Not Edit.Next edit → | ||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{totally disputed}} | {{totally disputed}} | ||
{{discrimination2}} | {{discrimination2}} | ||
'Islamophobia refers to the practice of inciting or engaging in acts of prejudice against Muslims, or the deliberate vilification of Islam with the purpose of humiliating Muslims. It is a hobby particularly popular on Misplaced Pages, where editors who lack the courage to engage a Muslim face-to-face instead type away while chomping down on obscene quantities of cheetos. It is equally popular amongst lowly editors and administrators alike. Muslim editors who oppose this form of online activism are frequently blocked, or otherwise silenced so that the attacks can go on. | |||
'''Islamophobia''' is a controversial<ref> | |||
* Historian Victor Davis Hanson: "There really isn't a phenomena like "Islamophobia" - at least no more than there was a "Germanophobia" in hating Hitler or "Russiaphobia" in detesting Stalin." - The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) By Robert Spencer, ISBN 0895260131, Regnery Publishing, Pg. 200 | |||
* "All this indicates that "Islamophobia" is virtually useless as an analytical tool. To adopt it is to accept the most virulent form of theological equivalence, and to affirm, against all the evidence, that every religious tradition is equally capable of inspiring violence." - The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) By Robert Spencer, ISBN 0895260131, Regnery Publishing, Pg. 199 | |||
* "This term is a fabricated and question-begging linguistic manoeuvre designed to present the protection of religious sensibilities as a civil liberty issue." - , ] | |||
* "The pseudo-psychiatric term Islamophobia is a statement that any criticism of Muslims is evidence of clinical pathology. Yet the label is often attached to valid criticisms of particular Muslims whose behaviour has laid them open to legitimate censure." - ], | |||
* ] , Prospect, ]. | |||
* ] ''et al''. , BBC News, March 1, 2006.</ref> term that refers to what its proponents see as prejudice or discrimination against ] or ]s.<ref> | |||
*Sandra Fredman, ''Discrimination and Human Rights'', Oxford University Press, ISBN 0199246033, p.121. | |||
*Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, ''Muslims in the West: From Sojourners to Citizens'', Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195148061, p.19 | |||
*''Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All'', ], 1997, p. 1, cited in Quraishi, Muzammil. ''Muslims and Crime: A Comparative Study'', Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2005, p. 60. ISBN 075464233X. Early in 1997, the Commission on ] and Islamophobia, at that time part of the Runnymede Trust, issued a consultative document on Islamophobia under the chairmanship of Professor Gordon Conway, ] of the ]. The final report, ''Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All'', was launched in November 1997 by ] ]. | |||
*Edward Kessler, Neil Wenborn, ''A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations'', ], ISBN 0521826926 p.429. | |||
*Abduljalil Sajid. "Islamophobia: A New Word for an Old Fear" in ''Islamophobia and Antisemitism'', Markus Wiener Publishers, 2006, p. 1: defines the term as "anti-Muslim prejudice."</ref> The term dates back to the late 1980s,<ref>''Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All'', ], 1997, p. 1, cited in Quraishi, Muzammil. ''Muslims and Crime: A Comparative Study'', Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2005, p. 60; ]. , ] press release, ].</ref> but came into common currency after the ] attacks.<ref> | |||
*Casciani, Dominic. , BBC News, ]. | |||
*Rima Berns McGowan writes in ''Muslims in the Diaspora'' (University of Toronto Press, 1991, p. 268) that the term "Islamophobia" was first used in an unnamed American periodical in 1991.</ref> Opponents of the concept argue that it is often misused to undermine legitimate ].<ref name=Malik>Malik, Kenan. , Prospect, ].</ref> | |||
Islamophobes refers to people, mostly Americans and Europeans, who need to get a life. | |||
In 1997, the British ] defined Islamophobia as the "dread or hatred of Islam and therefore, to the fear and dislike of all Muslims," stating that it also refers to the behaviour of excluding Muslims from the "economic, social, and public life of the nation." It includes the perception that Islam has no values in common with other cultures, is inferior to the West, is a violent ] rather than a religion, that its criticisms of the West have no substance, and that discriminatory practices against Muslims are justified.<ref name=Runnymede5>Runnymede 1997, p. 5, cited in Quraishi 2005, p. 60.</ref> | |||
British writer and academic ] has criticized the concept, calling it a "myth." Malik argues that the concept confuses discrimination against Muslims with criticism of Islam, and is used to silence critics of the religion, including Muslims who want to reform it.<ref name=Malik/> Novelist ] and others signed a manifesto entitled ] in ] calling Islamophobia a "wretched concept that confuses criticism of Islam as a religion and stigmatization of those who believe in it."<ref name=Rushdie>] ''et al''. , BBC News, March 1, 2006.</ref> | |||
==Etymology== | |||
The term is formed of ''Islam'', the post-classical Latin ''-o-'' connecting vowel, and the post-classical Latin combining form ''-phobia'' which is used to form nouns with the sense 'fear of' or 'aversion to.' <ref>"Islamophobia". ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford University Press. Draft Entry Sept. 2006.</ref> See ] for other "-phobia" coinages. | |||
==Use of the concept== | |||
A number of prominent individuals and organizations have used or defined the concept. ] told a UN conference on Islamophobia in 2004: "hen the world is compelled to coin a new term to take account of increasingly widespread ], that is a sad and troubling development. Such is the case with Islamophobia."<ref name=Annan>]. , ] press release, December 7, 2004.</ref> Muzammil Quraishi, senior lecturer in criminology at the ], writes that "whether we refer to behaviour as 'anti-Muslimism' or 'Islamophobia' seems a ]. If we are agreed that either term refers to behaviour encapsulating hatred, and/or dislike to the extent of social and economic exclusion of Muslims, we must move to discover the extent of such behaviour and to evaluate how this influences crime and victimization ..."<ref>Quraishi, Muzammil. ''Muslims and Crime: A Comparative Study'', Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2005, p. 60).</ref> | |||
In 1996, the ] established the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia, chaired by Professor Gordon Conway, the vice-chancellor of the ]. Their report, ''Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All'', was launched in November 1997 by the Home Secretary, ]. It described Islamophobia as involving eight distinctive features: | |||
:#Islam is seen as a ]ic 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 ]. | |||
:#It is seen as violent, aggressive, threatening, supportive of ], and engaged in a ]. | |||
:#It is seen as a political ], used for political or military advantage. | |||
:#Criticisms made of "the West" by Islam 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.<ref name=Runnymede1997>{{PDFlink||69.7 ]<!-- application/pdf, 71377 bytes -->}}, ''Runnymede Trust'', 1997.</ref> | |||
Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid, one of the members of the Runnymede Trust's Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia which published the 1997 report argued that: | |||
"Hostility towards Islam and Muslims has been a feature of European societies since the eighth century of the Common Era. It has taken different forms, however, at different times and has fulfilled a variety of functions. For example, the hostility in Spain in the fifteenth century was not the same as the hostility that had been expressed and mobilised ]] in the Crusades. Nor was the hostility during the time of the Ottoman Empire or that which was prevalent throughout the age of empires and colonialism. It may be more apt to speak of 'Islamophobias' rather than of a single phenomenon. Each version of Islamophobia has its own features as well as similarities with, and borrowings from, other versions."<ref> </ref> | |||
The American writer ] has defined Islamophobia as the condemnation of the entirety of ] and its history as ]; "denying" the existence of a moderate Muslim majority; regarding Islam as a problem for the world; treating conflicts involving Muslims as necessarily their own fault; insisting that Muslims make changes to their religion; and inciting war against Islam as a whole.<ref> , ''FrontPage Magazine'', ].</ref> | |||
==EUMC report== | |||
The largest project monitoring Islamophobia was undertaken following 9/11 by the ] (EUMC). Their May 2002 report "Summary report on Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001", written ] and Jorgen S. Nielsen of the ], was based on 75 reports — 15 from each EU member nation.<ref name=EUMC>Allen, Chris and Nielsen, Jorgen S. , EUMC, May, 2002.</ref> | |||
The report highlighted the regularity with which ordinary Muslims became targets for abusive and sometimes violent retaliatory attacks after 9/11. Despite localized differences within each member nation, the recurrence of attacks on recognizable and visible traits of Islam and Muslims was the report's most significant finding. Incidents consisted of verbal abuse, blaming all Muslims for ], forcibly removing women's ]s, spitting on Muslims, calling children "]," and random assaults. Muslims have been hospitalized and on one occasion paralyzed.<ref name=EUMC/> | |||
The report also discussed the portrayal of Muslims in the media. Inherent negativity, stereotypical images, fantastical representations, and exaggerated caricatures were all identified. The report concluded that "a greater receptivity towards anti-Muslim and other xenophobic ideas and sentiments has, and may well continue, to become more tolerated."<ref name=EUMC/> | |||
==Criticism== | |||
] was one of 12 prominent writers who signed a statement condemning Islamophobia as a "wretched concept."<ref name=Rushdie/>]] | |||
The concept of Islamophobia has been criticized on several grounds. Some critics argue that it is real, but is just another form of racism and does not require its own category, while others argue that, unlike racism, Islam is a religion that people can choose to adopt, to retain or to leave or ]. Others argue that it is used to censor criticism and that its use threatens ]. | |||
British writer and academic ] has called the concept a "myth," arguing that it obfuscates discrimination against Muslims with criticism of Islam, and that it is used to silence critics and Muslim reformers. He writes that the extent to which Muslims are more vulnerable to social exclusion and attacks than other groups is exaggerated, and that the concept allows politicians who may have supported the ] or the ] to "reclaim the moral high ground" and "pitch for the Muslim vote." He argues that the result is the creation of a culture of victimhood, allowing individual Muslims to attribute low achievement to Islamophobia, and not to themselves. Islamophobia is not a form of racism, in his view, because Islam is a belief system. "I can be hateful about other beliefs, such as ] or ]. So why can't I be hateful about religion too?"<ref name=Malik>Malik, Kenan., Prospect, February 2005.</ref> | |||
Malik's analysis of Islamophobia was criticized by ] from the ] and Abdul Wahid from the ] group ].<ref name=Bunglawala>Bunglawala, Inayat & Wahid, Abdul. , ''Prospect Magazine'', March 2005.</ref> Bunglawala writes that Malik's argument is limited to overt acts of violence against Muslims. As an example of less overt prejudice, Bunglawala cites a BBC study that found applicants for jobs who had English-sounding names were more likely to secure an interview than those with Muslim names. By ignoring non-violent examples of alleged Islamophobia, Malik's commentary "makes a mockery of victims of prejudice by pretending they have not been discriminated against," according to Bunglawala. In addition, he argues that Malik did not adequately study the proposed law against the incitement of religious hatred, and that he failed to appreciate the definitions of the term "Islamophobia" according to the very sources he uses in his article.<ref name=Bunglawala/> | |||
In the wake of the ], a group of 12 prominent writers signed a statement in the French weekly satirical newspaper '']'' in March 2006, warning against the use of the term Islamophobia to prevent criticism of "]." The novelist ] was among these signatories. The statement alleged that "Islamism is a reactionary ideology that kills equality, freedom and ] wherever it is present. We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", a wretched concept that confuses criticism of Islam as a religion and stigmatization of those who believe in it."<ref name=Rushdie>] ''et al''. , BBC News, March 1, 2006.</ref> | |||
British columnist Josie Appleton argues Runnymede Trust uses the term Islamophobia to prevent ]. "Rather than engage Muslims in debate, non-Muslims are supposed to tiptoe around them, for fear of causing offense."<ref name=Appleton>Appleton, Josie. , ''Spiked Online'', ].</ref> ], a Dutch ], writes that the concept is used to delegitimize criticism by characterizing it as ]<ref name="Ellian">]. , ]</ref> while ] activist ] has called it "intellectual blackmail".<ref> - International TV interview with Bahram Soroush, ].</ref> French writer ] argues that the history of the term demonstrates that the term Islamophobia was created by "radical islamists" to "tackle feminists".<ref>" L'islamophobie, l'arme des islamistes contre la laïcité."</ref> | |||
] of '']'' has criticized the use of the term by organizations like ], arguing that ] interested in reform are left unsupported because people fear being accused of Islamophobia. He writes: "If Muslim women and Muslim ]s are going to have any kind of decent life, the liberals need to receive solidarity and support – but slap-dash charges of Islamophobia intimidate people who could offer it ... While Islamophobia Watch talk about defending Muslims, they end up defending the nastiest and most right-wing part of the ] – the ones who are oppressing and killing the rest."<ref name=Hari>Hari, Johann. , June 6, 2006.</ref> | |||
Critics have cited the case of British journalist ], who was nominated in May 2003 for the title of "Most Islamophobic Media Personality of the Year" at the ] overseen by the ], who has argued that there is no such thing as Islamophobia.<ref name=Toynbee>]. , ''The Guardian'', September 28, 2001.</ref> The nomination was based on her comments in ''The Guardian'' that "herever Islam either is the government or bears down upon the government, it imposes harsh regimes that deny the most ]."<ref name=Toynbee>Toynbee, Polly. , ''The Guardian'', October 5, 2001.</ref> | |||
Reacting against a proposed ] curtailing religious criticism, actor and comedian ] drew the distinction between racism and criticism of religion: "To criticise a person for their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous but to criticise their religion, that is a right... A law which attempts to say you can criticise and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar law indeed."<ref name="Rowan-Atkinson">{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article535556.ece|title=Rowan Atkinson leads crusade against religious hatred Bill|accessdate=2007-03-29|publisher=]|year=2007|work=Times Online|author=Simon Freeman|format=HTML}}</ref> | |||
====Islamophobia-phobia==== | |||
Writing in the ], philosopher Piers Benn suggests that people who fear the rise of Islamophobia foster an environment "not intellectually or morally healthy", to the point that what he calls "Islamophobia-phobia" can undermine "critical scrutiny of Islam as somehow impolite, or ignorant of the religion's true nature", encouraging "sentimental pretence that all claims to religious truth are somehow 'equal', or that critical scrutiny of Islam (or any belief system) is ignorant, prejudiced, or 'phobic'".<ref name=Benn>.</ref> | |||
'']'' editor ] argues that the word "Islamophobia" is a misnomer. "A phobia describes an ], and it is axiomatic that fearing the effects of radical Islam is not irrational, but on the contrary very well-founded indeed, so that if you want to speak of a legitimate phobia — it’s a phobia I experience frequently — we should speak instead of Islamophobia-phobia, the fear of and revulsion towards Islamophobia."<ref name=Kimball>Kimball, Roger. , January 2006.</ref> | |||
American writer ], director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, has cautioned against what he sees as a tendency to accuse all opponents of Islamic radicalism of Islamophobia, but writes that it is nevertheless a real phenomenon. He defines it as the condemnation of the entirety of ] and its history as ]; denying the existence of a moderate Muslim majority; regarding Islam as a problem for the world; treating conflicts involving Muslims as necessarily their own fault; insisting that Muslims make changes to their religion; and inciting war against Islam as a whole.<ref name=Schwartz>]. , ''FrontPage Magazine'', April 28, 2005.</ref> | |||
==Efforts against alleged Islamophobia== | |||
There have been efforts against alleged Islamophobia by many organizations in many countries; some of these are detailed below. | |||
*In 2006 the ] (OIC) set up an observatory on Islamophobia which will monitor and document activities perceived as Islamophobic around the world.<ref> ''IslamOnline'', May 9, 2006.</ref> | |||
*A ] host from 630 ] on November 26, 2006 allegedly exposed the prevalence of Islamophobia by seeming to advocate a government program to force all Muslims to wear "identifying markers."<ref>{{cite news|title=In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep | author=Bernd Debusmann | publisher=Reuters|date=Dec 1, 9:05|url=http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=58909}} Retrieved on Dec. 16, 2006</ref> The hoax was revealed at the end of the program. See ] for more details. | |||
*During the accession talks regarding Turkeys possible entry to the EU, then ], ], said Islamophobia must not affect the possibility of Turkey's entry to the ].<ref> BBC -Wednesday, 21 July, 2004</ref> | |||
*50,000 people signed a petition urging ] ] to "consider Islamophobia as a new form of racism, punishable by law. The statement reads that the publishing of insulting cartoons of ] by the French press hurt and offended the feelings of French- Muslims."<ref> - ADN Kronos - June 2, 2006</ref> | |||
*In ], a densely populated area in ] with a large Muslim community, a crime reporting scheme called "Islamophobia - Don't Suffer in Silence" has been set up which police hope will raise awareness of Islamophobia and help them to understand the extent of the alleged problem.<ref> BBC - Wednesday, 17 November, 2004</ref> | |||
*The British ] (NUT) has issued guidance to teachers in the union advising that teachers have to "Challenge Islamophobia", and that they have a "crucial role" to play in helping to "dispel myths about Muslim communities."<ref> BBC - Friday, 15 July, 2005</ref> | |||
*Following an Islamist demonstration outside the Danish Embassy in London organized by the ] organization in response to the ], the ] organized a peaceful rally in ]. Organizers made available placards and ]s bearing the rally's official slogan, the phrase, "United against Islamophobia, united against incitement."<ref> BBC - Saturday, 11 February 2006</ref><ref> The Guardian - Sunday February 12, 2006</ref> | |||
*Following the ], the British government set up a number of initiatives aimed at combating alleged Islamophobia, including the "National Forum against extremism and Islamophobia".<ref> BBC - Thursday, 10 November 2005</ref> There was also plans by the British government to ban incitement to "religious hatred", however, this failed to get through the ].<ref> BBC - Friday, 27 January 2006</ref><ref> BBC - Wednesday, 1 February 2006</ref> | |||
*] issued a call in 1999 to world leaders to combat Islamophobia.<ref> BBC - Tuesday, September 21, 1999</ref> Abdel-Elah Khatib, the Jordanian ] said "The ] must consider how to confront this phenomenon of Islamophobia in order to prevent its proliferation". | |||
* The ] (]) and the ] (]) held a seminar on how to combat Islamophobia.<ref></ref> | |||
==Incidents reported as examples== | |||
===Alleged acts of Islamophobia=== | |||
* Dr Amanda Wise and Ghali Hassan from GlobalResearch.ca have alleged that the ] were the result of a climate of "Islamophobia" in Australia.<ref>, ''Australian Broadcasting Corporation'', December 20, 2005</ref><ref>, ''Global Research'', December 14, 2005</ref> | |||
* Dalil Boubakeur, a director of a Paris mosque described the ] on a Mosque in ], ] as Islamophobic.<ref> The Guardian - Tuesday February 22, 2005</ref> | |||
* Giles Tremlett of '']'' referred to the burning of a Muslim Sanctuary in the Spanish city of ], as an instance of Islamophobia.<ref>, ''The Guardian'', April 18, 2006</ref> | |||
* Halima Mautbur, from the ] called an attack on a ]i Muslim woman "an Islamophobic incident".<ref>, ''University of Toronto News'', March 16, 2006</ref> | |||
* ] in a report prepared by the ] released on March 7, 2006 mentioned the publishing of the cartoons at the heart of the ] regarding, "The development of Islamophobia or any racism and racial discrimination ..."<ref>, ''UN NEWS CENTRE'', March 7, 2006</ref> | |||
* On March 8, 2006 the ] made a press release entitled, "Islamophobia in Prisons stretches far beyond Belmarsh" concerning prisons in Britain.<ref>, ''Islamic Human Rights Commission'', March 8, 2006</ref> | |||
* Destruction and vandalism of Muslim graves in France were seen as Islamophobic by a report of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.<ref> CNN - May 24, 2002</ref> | |||
* Vandalism of Muslim Graves in Charlton cemetery in Plumstead, London.<ref> Mulsim Council of Britain - 19 Mar 2004 </ref> | |||
* Muslim protesters alleged that the ] in London was Islamophobic.<ref>, ''The Muslim Association of Britain'', June 7, 2006</ref><ref>, ''RINF'', June 11, 2006</ref> | |||
*In Germany, the state of ] has proposed regulations that require citizenship applicants from the member states of the ] to answer questions about their attitudes on ], ] and other religious issues.<ref> - The Muslim News - Friday 27 January 2006</ref> | |||
*A BBC survey taken in the summer of 2004 found that employment applicants with ] were far less likely to be called for an interview than applicants whose names did not appear to be Muslim. This study was taken by using fictitious applications to jobs using candidate descriptions that were similar in qualification and education, but under different names. The survey found that while a quarter of 'nonmuslim applicants' were invited to an interview, only 9% of the applications with Muslim names were responded to with invitations.<ref> - ] ]. ], ].</ref> Groups, such as the ] have cited this as further evidence for the widespread existence of Islamophobia.<ref> - ]. ].</ref> | |||
*In 2005, ''The Guardian'' commissioned an ] poll which indicated an increase in Islamophobic incidents, particularly after the ] in July 2005.<ref> The Guardian - Tuesday July 26, 2005</ref><ref> Poll of Muslims in the UK. The Guardian - Tuesday July 26, 2005</ref> Another survey of Muslims, this by the ], found that of those polled 32% believed they had suffered religious discrimination at airports, and 80% said they had experienced Islamophobia.<ref> ] - Nov 22 2004</ref><ref> Sarfraz Manzoor - The Guardian - November 30, 2004</ref> | |||
*France, which has a strong secular tradition ],<ref>, ''YaleGlobal'', December 12, 2003</ref> was accused of Islamophobia when the ] was passed, which bans the wearing of conspicuous ] in public schools. The policy extends to Muslim headscarves, large Christian crosses, Jewish skullcaps, and other visible signs of religion, although the display of small<ref> ''Assemblee.nationale.fr'' Retrieved on 05-24-07 </ref><ref> ''BBC.co.uk'' Retrieved on 05-24-07 </ref> religious symbols (such as the ], ]es, and ]s) is permitted. | |||
* In a ] report by ] the head of the Party of France's Muslims, ] in discussing the ] was quoted as saying that the legislation would, "institutionalise Islamophobia".<ref>, ''Al Jazeera'', February 10, 2004</ref> | |||
*In January 2006 the Dutch parliament voted in favor of a proposal to ban the ] in public, leading to accusations of Islamophobia.<ref name="Mardell">Madell, Mark. , BBC News, January 16, 2006.</ref> ], the leader of ] bloc has said his party is "Islamophobic." He said: "Yes, we are afraid of Islam. The Islamisation of Europe is a frightening thing."<ref>, The Flemish Republic.org newsletter, April-June 2006.</ref> | |||
*An ] teenage is driven to suicide because of bullying.<ref>, Reuters, June 8 2007.</ref> | |||
===Views labeled Islamophobic=== | |||
*], a scholar of ], and the ] has alleged that ] is "Islamophobic".<ref> , CAIR News Releases, ], 2005 </ref><ref name="Ernst"> - ], ]</ref> | |||
*The Council on American-Islamic Relations has stated that the views of ] are Islamophobic.<ref>, ''Council on American-Islamic Relations'', March 10, 2004</ref> | |||
*Oliver Duff of '']'' said in 2006 that the ] attempted to use increasing Islamophobia to make gains in local elections.<ref>, ''The Independent'', April 8, 2006</ref> | |||
*Liz McGregor and John Hooper of ], has alleged that the views and writings of ], an Italian journalist and author of "]", was "Islamaphobic" . <ref> - ], ], ]. "''Controversial Italian journalist famed for her interviews and war reports but notorious for her Islamaphobia''"</ref> | |||
*The ] gave U.S ] ] a nomination for their 2003 "Islamophobe of the year" award for publicly saying, "Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends his son to die for you"<ref></ref><ref> San Francisco Chronicle</ref> | |||
*The ] made ] a nominee for their 2004 and 2005 "Islamophobe of the year" awards.<ref>, ''Islamic Human Rights Commission'', ]. *, ''Islamic Human Rights Commission'', ].</ref> | |||
*A December 2005 interview by ] frontman ] with the American-Jewish newsweekly ] included a question if "Jews should vote for a party that espouses xenophobia". Dewinter responded by saying: "Xenophobia is not the word I would use. If it absolutely must be a ‘phobia,’ let it be ‘Islamophobia.’"<ref>, ''Jewish Week'', December 9, 2006</ref> | |||
*The ] Minister Peter Hain's statement that Britain's Muslim community is "isolationist" was met with accusations of Islamophobia, as well as ] prime minister ]'s public claim that Western civilization is superior to Islam.<ref name="spiked">, ''Spiked'', July 2, 2002</ref> | |||
*Some suggestions in the ] (which concerned the circumstances in which Muslim women should be required to remove the ]) were considered Islamophobic by MP ].<ref name="McDonnell">See, e.g., "", a ] by ] MP from ], ].</ref> | |||
*CAIR and ] called United States Rep. ] (R-VA) islamophobic for his Dec. 2006 letter stating that Rep-elect ]'s desire to use the Qur'an during the swearing in ceremonies was a threat to "the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America" and for saying "I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies."<ref name="Howsare">{{cite news|title=Anti-Muslim letter goes out to hundreds - not all are amused|author=Erika Howsare|date=12/19/2006|url=http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=141404064431134&ShowArticle_ID=11041812060944420}} Retrieved Dec. 20, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Congressman Will Not Apologize for IslamophobiaBy The Associated Press| publisher=Associated Press| date=December 21, 2006|url=http://www.diversityinc.com/public/1064.cfm}} Retrieved on Dec. 21, 2006</ref> | |||
*Concerning the US state of ]’s position (as expressed by their attorney general’s office) in the ongoing case of ] that the only swearing-in for testimony in court that was valid had to be on a ] (and that all others must choose to affirm), CAIR's Legal Director in Washington D.C, Arsalan Iftikhar, said “This shows there's a lot of anti-Muslim sentiment, especially here in the United States.”<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0720/p02s02-usju.html|title=Raise your right hand and swear to tell the truth... on the Koran?|date= July 20, 2005|author=Patrik Jonsson|publisher=The Christian Science Monitor}} Retrieved on Jan. 22, 2007</ref> | |||
ABC News has reported that "ublic views of Islam are one casualty of the post-Sept. 11, 2001 conflict: Nearly six in 10 Americans think the religion is prone to violent extremism, nearly half regard it unfavorably, and a remarkable one in four admits to prejudicial feelings against Muslims and Arabs alike."<ref name=ABCMarch8>, ”ABC News”, March 8, 2006.</ref> They also report that 27 percent of Americans admit feelings of prejudice against Muslims.<ref name=ABCMarch8/> According to Gallup polls, 40 percent of Americans admit to prejudice against Muslims, and 39 percent believe Muslims should carry special identification. <ref>, ''Good Morning America'', September 9, 2006. </ref> | |||
===General references=== | |||
*While in ], the former ], ], prayed for "both Christian and Muslims to raise an intense prayer to the one almighty God", and begged "God to keep the world in peace." He won praise from the ], ], for "protecting the world from Islamophobia".<ref> CNN - September 23, 2001</ref> | |||
*In March 2005 ], while on the BBC television program "]", said, "What grieves me today, truly, is the fact that not only in the United States but also in Europe we've seen the rise, over the last few years, of Islamophobia," adding, "Muslim populations and the Muslim world has been increasingly, not decreasingly, viewed as a menace, as alien, as, perhaps, incompatible with ] and values. And I passionately believe that that is not true and that we have a great deal of work to do there."<ref> BBC Transcript of Breakfast with Frost. Sunday, 20 March.</ref> | |||
*Anja Rudiger, Executive Coordinator of the ], argues that it is no longer acceptable to use ] as an attribute to distinguish people, and that ] and ] have become the "markers of seemingly 'natural' kinds of differences." She writes that Islam has become "the new 'other' ..."<ref name=Rudiger>Rudiger, Anja. "Discrimination and Legislation," session 5, Conference on "Muslims in Europe ]," St. Antony's-Princeton Conference, ], ].</ref><ref>Also see the ] report, "Summary report on Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001" by Chris Allen and Jorgen S. Nielsen of the ], May 2002, the largest monitoring project on Islamophobia to have been commissioned to date.</ref> | |||
*The ], ], said that the media bore some responsibility for a "rising tide of Islamophobia." He compared the reporting of Muslims in Britain to the way the flight of Jews from Russia had been covered 100 years ago.<ref> BBC - Wednesday, 31 August 2005</ref> | |||
===Incidents on aircraft=== | |||
*On ] ] British passengers on-board a flight from Malaga to Manchester requested the removal of two men of Asian descent from a plane. According to a spokesman for the ] in Malaga, "These men had aroused suspicion because of their appearance and the fact that they were speaking in a ] thought to be an ], and the pilot was refusing to take off until they were escorted off the plane." A security sweep of the plane found no explosives or any item of a terrorist nature. ] booked the men, who were Urdu speakers, into a hotel room, gave them a free meal and sent them home on a later plane. The men later responded, "Just because we're Muslim, does not mean we are suicide bombers." The Islamic Human Rights Commission blamed "ever-increasing Islamophobia" related to the "war on terror" for the incident.<ref> - ]. ], ]</ref><ref> - ]. ],].</ref><ref>]. ]]</ref> | |||
*A passenger traveling to the ] on a plane bound for the United States from Manchester in the UK was forced off the plane prior to ]. The man, a British-born Muslim residing in the United States, said he was singled out because he was a Muslim pilot and was left feeling "demoralized and humiliated. I must have met the profile on the day. I have an Arabic name, I am a Muslim, I'm from Britain and I know how to fly."<ref> - ]. ], ]</ref><ref> - ]. ], ]</ref> | |||
*On ] ], six ] were forcefully removed from a ] flight at ] on suspicions of terrorism. The event led to an outcry from Muslim organizations in America saying that what happened showed the growing prejudice against Muslims in America.<ref>, '']'', ], ].</ref> Details of the accusations made against the imams can be found in the official police report on the incident (currently exclusively hosted ), which includes written witness testimony of the imams' extremely suspicious activity, such as praising terrorism, praying unnecessarily loudly, asking for ] extensions that were obviously not needed (then putting said extensions under their seats), not sitting in their assigned seats (having someone near each exit in a pattern shared by hijackers of the past), and getting up to move around and confer with each other repeatedly. See ] for more details regarding this incident. | |||
==See also== | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist|3}} | |||
==Further reading== | |||
* | |||
* | |||
*, ''Islamicawareness.net'' | |||
* | |||
* -], 25 January 2007 | |||
* | |||
* | |||
*, '']'', February 11, 2006. | |||
*] | |||
*Dr. Louay Safi's | |||
*Brooks, James. Islamonline.net. | |||
*Deane, Claudia and Fears, Darryl. , ''The Washington Post'', March 9, 2006. | |||
*]. , chapter from '' The Conference on the Books: The Search for Beauty in Islam'', ''Scholars of the House''. | |||
*]. , ''The Glasgow Herald'', February 5, 2006. | |||
*Hassan, Fardusa. , ''The Guardian'', August 31, 2006. | |||
*Hassan, Ghali. , ''Globalresearch.ca'', February 7, 2006. | |||
*]. , ''The Daily Telegraph'', May 8, 2002. | |||
*Marud, Abdal-Hakim. , ''Masud.co.uk'', first delivered as a lecture on April 30, 2000. | |||
*], ''Fueling Our Fears: Stereotyping, Media Coverage, and Public Opinion of Muslim Americans''. 2006 | |||
*O'Keefe, Derrick. , ''Seven Oaks Magazine'', October 27, 2006. | |||
*]. , ''New York Sun'', ]. | |||
*Ramji, Rubina. ''The Journal of Religion and Film'', Vol. 9, No.2, October 2005 | |||
*Riyanto, Geger. , ''The Jakarta Post'', October 27, 2006. | |||
*]. , ] blog. | |||
*Barry Van, ''Confronting Islamophobia in Educational Practice'' ISBN 1-85856-340-2 | |||
*]. , '']'', December 18, 2006. | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Revision as of 23:08, 11 June 2007
Template:Totally disputed Template:Discrimination2 'Islamophobia refers to the practice of inciting or engaging in acts of prejudice against Muslims, or the deliberate vilification of Islam with the purpose of humiliating Muslims. It is a hobby particularly popular on Misplaced Pages, where editors who lack the courage to engage a Muslim face-to-face instead type away while chomping down on obscene quantities of cheetos. It is equally popular amongst lowly editors and administrators alike. Muslim editors who oppose this form of online activism are frequently blocked, or otherwise silenced so that the attacks can go on.
Islamophobes refers to people, mostly Americans and Europeans, who need to get a life.