Islamophobia

Saya bawa pengertian mudah dan ciri-ciri Islamophobia ini untuk renungan rakan-rakan belia. Inilah sedang berlaku sekarang. Islam sudah berada dikandang orang salah. Kita terpaksa mempertahankan diri sedangkan perkara ini sudah lama dierbincangkan. Masyarakat dunia sudah membiasakan diri hidup dalam berbagai agama, warna kulit, budaya dan bahasa. Cuma permulaan abad ini, ianya bertukar corak. Orang yang sentiasa mempunyai agenda buruk terhadap Islam mengambil kesempatan untuk berbicara perkara yang tidak rasional dan membangkitan kemarahan umat Islam. Dalam negara ini, kita tidak berada dalam situasi ini, tetapi jangan kita ambil mudah sehingga orang lain (orang barat) berupaya menggunakan golongan ini sebagai agen pencetus kontraversi sehingga menimbulkan ketidakstabilan dan kekeliruan dalam masyarakat Malaysia.

This definition, from the 1997 document 'Islamophobia: A Challenge For Us All' is widely accepted, including by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. The eight components are:

• 1)Islam is seen as a monolithic bloc, static and unresponsive to change.
• 2) Islam 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.
  3) Islam is seen as inferior to the West. It is seen as barbaric, irrational, primitive and sexist.
  4) Islam is seen as violent, aggressive, threatening, supportive of terrorism and engaged in a 'clash of civilisations'.
  5) Islam is seen as a political ideology and is used for political or military advantage.
  6) Criticisms made of the West by Islam are rejected out of hand.
  7) Hostility towards Islam is used to justify discriminatory practices towards Muslims and exclusion of Muslims from mainstream society.
  8) Anti-Muslim hostility is seen as natural or normal.

According to Wikipedia, Islamophobia is the fear and/or hatred of Islam, Muslims or Islamic culture. Islamophobia can be characterised by the belief that all or most Muslims are religious fanatics, have violent tendencies towards non-Muslims, and reject as directly opposed to Islam such concepts as equality, tolerance, and democracy.

It is viewed as a new form of racism whereby Muslims, an ethno-religious group, not a race, are nevertheless constructed as a race. A set of negative assumptions are made of the entire group to the detriment of members of that group. During the 1990's many sociologists and cultural analysts observed a shift in forms of prejudice from ones based on skin colour to ones based on notions of cultural superiority and otherness. Some argue that "the term 'Islamophobia' does not adequately express the full range and depth of antipathy towards Islam and Muslims in the West today. It is an inadequate term." "A more accurate expression would be 'anti-Islamic racism' for it combines the elements of dislike of a religion and active discrimination against the people belonging to that religion."