People are afraid of many different things. Ask anyone right now what they fear the most and you will probably get a host of answers. Some people will tell you that they fear spiders and any other arachnid. Others may list fear of snakes or heights as their worst fear. There are those who will give you fear of dying as their answer, while others may have too many to count. Every type of fear is felt by a person for a reason, but there are those that cannot be explained because they are simply irrational. Anyone who is scared by the thought of Islamism practices what is called Islamophobia.
Islamophobia is the fear that an individual or even a group may have of any other person or organization that promoted the doctrine of Islam. Just like other phobias may have rational or irrational roots, Islamophobia too may be explainable or inexplicable. The difference between the two types of phobias lies in the reasons an individual has for the fear in the first place.
Rational vs. Irrational Islamophobia
Any psychologist will probably tell you that people will experience fear for one of two reasons. The first is that something happened to an individual or somebody he or she knows to cause that fear. The second is simply what you can call the fear of the unknown. People will fear death because they do not know what comes after it. Similarly, a person may be claustrophobic because he or she was once locked in a place where he or she felt trapped, thus the fear of enclosed spaces.
No clear line can divide rational and irrational Islamophobia. A person may have witnessed the death of others at the hands of a Muslim and become scared of all Muslims. Such fear can be considered justified and thus rational. However, if he or she were to project this fear onto every Muslim, then the fear could be regarded as irrational.
Islamophobia’s rationale is a tricky thing. The fear of Islam is frequently driven by the misconception of the religion’s beliefs because most individuals do not understand Islam. Generalization whereby a population stereotypes all Muslims as terrorists or enemies also results in Islamophobia. Finally, there is perhaps the deadliest and most prevalent cause of Islamophobia; ignorance coupled with a pack mentality.
Why we need to stop the fear of Islam
The fear of Islam, just like all other phobias, has numerous adverse effects on an individual and a community and that is the reason it needs to be curbed.
One of the greatest impacts that Islamophobia has in any community with a Muslim population is death. Take the example of India. India is a nation steeped in tradition. For years, the Indians have revolted against Islamism. A few days ago, two Muslim men were brutally hacked to death in the Asian nation. It was a needless loss of life. Just because they bowed to a God they called by another name, they were killed. Similarly, the US saw two men shot to death several weeks ago. The two men, said the authorities, had died because the one who held the gun had thought them Muslims and raged over that. Later it was discovered that the two men did not even practice Islam. They were murdered because somebody thought they were Muslims and irrationally took their lives for it. Islamophobia leads to the death of many especially in regions where Muslims are a minority, and sometimes even to the death of innocent bystanders such as was the case in the US.
If you read through your history, you will find many cases where a minority was oppressed and revolted. Oppression could be in any form- colonialism, suppression of beliefs, stratification and even bullying. When someone looks down on another, the other fights against that. It is the same case with Islamophobia. In a place where Muslims are a minority (because the effects are less felt in a Muslim majority) and are oppressed, they will rebel.
If you take a look at the history of India and Pakistan, you will find that the two countries came to be after a bloody war between the Hindus and the Muslims. The Muslims felt threatened and acted out. Similarly, consider the case of China and Tibet. China trying to wipe out Tibetan Buddhism resulted in the 1960s revolt that left many dead and others injured. Intimidating Muslims when they are in the minority may foster hatred of other religious groups, making them even easier to radicalize when Jihadist groups come knocking. Islamophobia may breed terrorism along with other forms of rebellion by the group that is discriminated against.
Finally, we need to stop Islamophobia not only to protect life or conserve peace but also to simply protect their rights. Imagine living in a world where people continually point at you or whisper as you walk by. One in which strangers ostracize and bully your child because he or she is different. One where you are not allowed to celebrate religious festivals such as Christmas or that of whichever religion you belong to because your neighbors will accuse you of plotting something. In this universe, the police officers will always stop and question you because they are suspicious. When members of your family are continually attacked these very officers will ignore you. In this world, you will live as a Muslim does because of the effects of Islamophobia. They continue to suffer discrimination and human rights violations because of the fear some groups have of them.
Stopping Islamophobia
There is no one way to end this fear of Muslims, but a combination of ways could do it. Maybe following the example of San Diego’s School District would be the easiest way to start doing so. Islamophobia can be reduced by exposing children to Islam from a young age for two reasons. One, so that they may understand the faith thus not fear it. And two, so that they may realize that people are the same no matter the religion. One bad Christian or Muslim does not mean the whole batch is bad; it just means that the individual is wrong.
