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Defining Islamophobia

By Alice Aslan - posted Thursday, 8 January 2009


I agree with Professor Nick Haslam that we should be careful not to stigmatise people who criticise Islam and Muslims as Islamophobic. But on the other hand if most of the criticism about Islam comes down to “Islam is evil and violent”, then then we need to be critical of this.

Criticism and free speech are very important and should be encouraged for social progress. Lack of criticism leaves people vulnerable to political manipulation; for instance most people in Western societies succumbed to political manipulation and supported the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. But as a society we all need to understand what criticism really means. Saying that “there are such and such human rights violations in such and such Muslim countries” is criticism that can open up productive debate. But saying that “Islam is evil and violent” is essentialism that means “evil” and “violence” are essence of Islam, and consequently everything and everyone related to Islam is evil and violent. This essentialist statement blocks any conversation and debate.

Any philosophy or religion can turn into an authoritarian and violent ideology and regime in the hands of the wrong people who seeks endless power and dominance over others. For example, mostly Christian democratic Western societies invaded Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of human rights and killed over a million people. But we do not say democracy, human rights and Christianity are evil and violent.

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Furthermore, Islam is compatible with democracy and human rights like any other religion. In fact, the results of a largest survey to date of Muslims indicate that majority of over one billion Muslims from different cultural, ethnic, linguistic and geographic backgrounds condemn religious fundamentalism and terrorism, and value democracy and freedoms such as the freedom of speech in the West. (BBC News Online (2008), Most Muslims “Desire Democracy”.)

And when we look at the contemporary global political picture, what encourages and legitimises terrorism and use of violence in the world today is the state terrorism, or the disproportionate use of power if you like, by the US and powerful states like Israel in the name of self defence and the international community that watches this in silence.

Unlike Professor Nick Haslam, I believe we should not shy away from using the term “Islamophobia” as well as homophobia and xenophobia. The discourse on Islamophohia and the term itself does not aim to stigmatise people as Islamophobic, but like the term “racism” it helps us recognise and understand a specific social problem and tackle it head-on.

What blocks any dialogue and debate is essentialist statements about Islam and Muslims rather than the use of the word “Islamophobia”. Through ongoing discussion at public platforms, we need to convince people that essentialist expressions are not criticism. In this society that has contributed to the destruction of Muslim societies in the Middle East, Muslims are a minority like Indigenous Australians, Asians, Jews, homosexuals and others; and essentialist beliefs like “Islam is evil and violent” leaves them vulnerable to discrimination and shuts them out of the society.

Most important of all, we always need to remember that in this society everyone has something to say, and every culture has something to offer.

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About the Author

Alice Aslan is an artist, thinker and activist passionate about arts, culture, ideas, justice and wildlife.

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