Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

Islamophobia and its growing Factors in western societies

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Islamophobia and its growing Factors in western  societies

Islamophobia refers to various prejudicial or irrational behaviors against Islam and Muslims across the world, especially western countries. Based on media news, it has been widely infused in western countries that Islam is a source of threat to western culture and civilization adding that Islam is an ideology rather than a religion. For example, last year a white man attacked on a mosque in New Zealand killing tens of Muslim worshipers. Other types of Muslim harassment also heard from western countries, especially in recent years. It seems that those Muslims who are more virtuous and regularly worship or go to mosques can face more harassment in western countries.  The owner of this pen who has few years of experience in western countries has also witnessed such approach. For example, several time I faced troubles because the prefix of my name was Mohammad. Another  examples is the recent expressions of France president about Islam or Muslims which largely damaged the peaceful relationships in today’s interdependent world. the current president of the United States, Donald Trump, had also banned the citizens of seven countries from entering into the United States.
Undoubtedly, the Islamophobia neither is deniable nor can put all responsibilities on the shoulder of western societies. If  the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Daesh, Haqqani group, Lashkar Jangawi, Jaish Mohammad and so on are the example of Muslims, then Muslims deserve such behaviors even worse, but the western people, especially the western elites must not recognize Islam from glasses of traitors of Islam. According Muslim scholars, these terrorist groups and their supporters are the biggest traitors of Islam and Muslims because they introduced such a face from Islam and Muslim that does not have the smallest similarity to Islam and Muslim. So, neither they are our representatives and nor  we have commonalities with them while we have many commonalities with all none-Muslims including commonality in humanity, rationality, economy, politics and so. In addition, Islam has special connection with Christian and Jews as all these  great religions originated from the same divine root. Therefore, instead of spread of Islamophobia, hatreds and divisions in today’s interdependent world we must unite against the common threats of humanity because the uses of these tools have largely increased after increase of dangerous weapons in modern era.  So, we also need to proceed with more scientific approach so as to find the fundamental roots and factors of the common global threats.
Regardless of historic factors, today we witness new factors and motives for fueling the flame of Islamophia and likely to increase in the future. It is largely believed that the first factor of Islamophobia is cultural differences. For example, homosexuality, gambling, wine and pork food are some of the cultural differences which are not allowed in Islam while these are usual in western culture. But these issues do not seem strong enough to create Islamophobia across the world because these differences have already solved by universal human rights declarations and pluralistic views based on liberalist values. So, if there is no other motives, freedom of religion, freedom of faith, freedom of expressions and etc have long ago accepted. In the other world, several centuries ago Muslim and non-Muslim had realized that no one could impose their values on others. No one can convert others by forces.  Therefore, the provisions and contents of human declarations and other global conventions had already put an end to these issues provided that we do not go back to the past.  Moreover, the cultural diversity is not a weakness but strength based on sociological perspectives.
The next factor which intensify Islamophobia in western countries are radical political parties or individuals such as Ms. Fleche seeking fame or power through spreading of hatreds and gaps in their countries. In recent years, these hatred slogans have repeatedly annoyed the ears of free human across the world.  Unfortunately, these categories of immoderate people either recognize Islam from perspectives of terrorist groups or from perspective of subservient immigrants who carry personal spites from their previous compatriots. In regard to this, there are personal stories which in person experienced. Anyway, western radicalisms have largely propelled the western society towards Ismophobia. there are many examples that the rightist political parties orally or physically targeted Muslim refugees in western society. They are against presence of foreigners, especially Muslim refugees in western society. Some of them think that the identity of western society are under threats of weaves of new immigrants everyday enter into those countries while others are in the favor of creating peaceful environment for religious and social dialogues. These show that the western society have no clear position against increase of Islamophia in those countries.
The last but not least, is the factors of Islamophobia is the role of media in western society. Unfortunately, some of the media irresponsibly infuse the masses as if Islam or Muslims are the source of violence and extremism. They never stated the reality that Muslims  are in forefront of battle against terrorists and have numerously victimized by terrorist groups who work under name of Islam. No one can prove that any terrifying faithwa has issued from a formal and independent Islamic address. In general, if the western societies do not stop Islamophobia, it may act as a dangerous factor in the future. From one hand, they regularly accept Muslim refugees, on the other hand; they have no fundamental plan for stopping Islamophobia. Undoubtedly, this paradoxical approach will not end up with an ideal outcome.

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahirakbari@gmail.com

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