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Revision as of 14:44, 28 April 2003 by Axon (talk | contribs) (rewrote and moved some text to talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Islamophobia is a relatively new term describing hatred based upon irrational fear (hence phobia) against Islam, and Islamic culture in general. Similarly, an islamophobe is someone who has an irrational hatred or fear of muslims. Generally, islamaphobia is based upon a fear of Islamic fundamentalism and characterised by a belief that all muslims are religious fanatics, but it can also be a form of racism against arab peoples in general.
Islamophobia can also be seen as the increased trend in Western politics to view the tenets of Islamic Fundamentalism and the Western ideals of democracy and capitalism as being fundamentally opposed forces, much in the same way that Communism was categorised during the Cold War.
The events of 11 September, 2001 have lead to a worldwide increase in islamaphobia.
It is thought the term 'islamophobia' is based upon the term 'homophobia'.
History
Ever since the Muslim expansion in the 8th century islamophobia has been a part of European culture.