The Rise Of Islamophobia, And How Can It Be Tackled

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Islamophobia is defined as an irrational fear, prejudice, and hatred directed against the religion of Islam or its followers, Muslims. It was a term invented in the early 20th century but became increasingly salient in the past couple of decades. 

Over the last 20 years, many people have been systematically brainwashed against Islam. Muslims around the globe are being targeted and attacked. Islamophobia is a language that is being normalized. It is a language that has been portrayed for the past few decades. The consequences are pretty alarming.

Are Muslims the only ones being targeted?

If we dig deeper, showing hatred against a particular religion, caste or caste is nothing new. Human history is loaded with people or groups asserting their dominance and targeting certain groups because of their religion, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. There have been numerous prominent hate groups in human history, for example, Anti-semitism, anti-atheism, homophobia, anti-Catholicism, anti-Christian, and now opposition to transgender persons.

The first modern hate group to use terrorism was Ku Klux Klan, the main U.S. white supremacist organization. Although this hate group has waned in recent decades, the trend they started has placed many groups under attack.

Why does Islamophobia need more attention?

Muslims are a dazzlingly diverse group with roots in nearly every part of the world. In the past two decades, terrorism and wars against Muslim majority countries raised questions among many people whether Islam is compatible with the modern world. These questions are not only limited to debates. There have been uncountable incidents where Muslims have been targetted just because of their religion. TheIslamophobia is a serious issue and needs the attention of the worldwide media. Otherwise, the world would be heading towards a mass discord. The introduction of Online Quran classes has helped to change the perspective of people around the globe to some extent. But everyone has to play their part to fight this rapidly spreading hatred. Christchurch Mosque murders in New Zealand is the most recent example.

When did it all start?

It would not be wrong to say that Muslims were not on the radar of extremists before 9/11. That incident changed pretty much everything for Muslims -- not in a single country but all around the world. The hatred against Islam and Muslims grew immensely after the incident of 9/11. Muslims became social pariahs overnight. Some world leaders have entirely banned Muslims from entering their countries. Muslims are being seen as enemies. They are being isolated from the rest of the world and the situations are worsening with each passing day.

The incident of 9/11 in particular has given birth to various extremist hate groups against Muslims. These groups have affected the lives of millions. Various Muslim countries have been in a state of war for years.

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Who is to blame?

Rather than acting sensibly and changing people’s opinions, many Muslim groups have taken a low road. Various Islamic scholars have created hatred in the hearts of different Muslim groups which has driven them to form extremist groups themselves. The extremist groups such as ISIS, that claim to be fighting for Islam have been no help; they have been quite the opposite in fact. Such groups are a small part of the Islamic world but they are representing the whole religion by their actions. Who is to blame? There is no one in particular that can be blamed. Blaming western society entirely would be an injustice and the same applies to Muslim society. The thing is that targeting Muslims right now is as easy as shooting fish in the barrel.

Is there any solution?

Many people think of jihad -- ethical struggle -- as the only solution. But it’s not. Such misconceptions are one of the reasons behind the fall of Muslims. The only rational solution is to read Quran online. People need to see the reality of Islam. Right now the world is seeing the ISIS group or individuals like Osama bin Laden, who do not depict the true image of Islam.

To combat Islamophobia, online Quran tutoring companies have introduced online Quran learning. You can learn Quran on line from any part of the world and understand the true meaning of Islam. Promoting online Quran teaching classes would not only educate the rest of the world but would also be of great guidance to Muslims themselves who believe that violence is the only way out of jeopardy for Muslims.

Author: Malik Asad Ullah
Originally published: 2020-OCT-03

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