Introduction
The term Islamophobia has slowly become increasingly common in today’s society and is often associated or used in western countries. As the world is increasingly become a multicultural, this gives an opportunity for people from different cultures and religions to coexist. There have been countless debates, interpretation and viewpoints of Islamophobia however there are no clear cut global recognized definition for it. It is usually termed towards the religion of Islam and its followers. This essay will explore the origins and meaning of Islamophobia as well as the different meanings of Islamophobia which is debated by scholars still today.
Meaning-Definition
The term Islamophobia is still undefined and academic scholars are still struggling to define the term as there is currently no globally recognized meaning of the term. However, having said that, the term Islamophobia is getting increasingly popular in the 21st century. Scholars are split in terming Islamophobia as either a concept or a phenomenon[1]. The question is that is this phenomenon primarily against Islam as a religion or the Muslims who follow Islam. Globally recognized sociologist Chris Allen believes that Islamophobia phenomenon occurred due to the Runnymede report which he heavily criticizes for not explaining or defining Islamophobia[2]. However he does believe that there is solid evidence regarding anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim incidents in the western countries. The Islamic Human Rights Commission reported 674 attacks towards Muslims living in UK after the events on September 11[3]. These attacks were a variety of range relating to harassment, physical violence and material damage. These however are only the reported attacks as there are many attacks that go unreported. According to the Islamic Human Rights Commission, there was an increase in attacks by a mammoth 600 percent after the events of September 11[4]. There are scholars who believe Islamophobia is a concept meaning it is a general notion. This would imply that the majority of the people fear hate or dislike Islam and the Muslim people. The United Nations secretary General Kofi Anan in 2004 used the term Islamophobia in his speech which gives it recognition and legitimacy at an international level[5]. Islamophobia is best defined as “indiscriminate negative attitudes or emotions directed at Islam or Muslims”[6]. The term contains the word “phobia” which means an extreme, irrational fear of something, activity or a situation that leads to avoiding it[7]. Islamophobia also relates to terms like anti-Semitism and racism. The term can also mean the fear of Islam and Muslim people. The fear of the religion of Islam becoming the major religion in a Western Country often relates to Islamophobia. Islamic symbols such as the Veil are often targeted and interrupted as “anti-liberal and anti-feministic”[8]. The closest globally recognized definition relates to the Runnymede Report in 1997.
“1. Islam is seen static/monolithic, 2. Islam is not having anything in common with the other. 3. Islam is seen inferior to The West. 4. Islam is seen violent/aggressive. 5 Islam is seen as an ideology. 6. Criticism made to The West is rejected. 7. Discrimination and exclusion of Muslims from mainstream society. 8. Anti-Muslim hostility accepted as natural.”
The definition given by Runnymede Report relates closely to the social aspects of discrimination of the religion of Islam. This report was known as the first effort to type the definition of the concept of Islamophobia and was made in Britain and handed to the Government. The questions lies in is Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism Similar or are they different concepts. There is research being done in regards to finding similarities as well as differences. Researchers have begun to use this term in their study of causes and consequences of anti-Muslim and Anti-Islam sentiments[9]. Due to there being no globally recognized definition for the term, this causes difficulty in seeing and comparing levels of Islamophobia across location, time and social groups[10]. This makes it very difficult for scholars and researchers to identify the different causes and consequences of Islamophobia and its effects on people. Another problem today is the measuring the levels of Islamophobia because it is determined by a variety of public important figures, media reports today, politicians who all have a different meaning or theory regarding the term. This topic of Islamophobia is very popular among google searches as the term Islamophobia is the most searched keyword in UK, Canada, US, Australia and Malaysia[11]. The main problem as previously stated is that there is no globally recognized definition for it. Perhaps a global organization such as the United Nations should attempt to define Islamophobia so there is at least a mutual definition for everyone. This will avoid confusion and misrepresentation of the term and researchers can then easily measure the levels of Islamophobia. Similar to the term which the United Nations defined in regards to the term “Genocide” which is very accurately defined in the 1948 “Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”[12]. Due to the term “Genocide” well defined by the United Nations, it allows researchers and scholars to accurately use the term and as well allow them to measure the different levels, causes and consequences of Genocide.
Origins
The origin of the term Islamophobia is hugely debated among scholars today. However the very first use of the term Islamophobia goes back to 1985 where an article by Edward Said used “the connection… between Islamophobia and anti-Semitism”[13]. Edward Said later also criticised how writers in the modern Christian West do not provide recognition in regards towards the hostility against Islam which is similar to Anti-Semitism. After this, the next use of this term in English was used by the American journal Insight in 1991[14]. The Insight wrote in regards to the hostility shown by the Soviet Union towards its Muslim citizens. However ever since the early 21st century, the term has been in publications of many global organizations such as United Nations, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, and Organization of the Islamic Conference[15]. There is still debate on what year was this term used as Chris Allen in his book Islamophobia states that Islamophobia was first by the French in 1925[16]. The literature was authored by Etienne Dinet and Slima Ben Ibrahim in which they wrote the phrase “acces de delire Islamopobe”. However their main purpose was to write about the Prophet Muhammad and there was no connection in the definition of Islamophobia which is used in today’s literature and media. According to Caroline Fourest and Fiammetta Venner, Islamophobia was used by the Mullahs towards Iranian women who choose not to wear the hijab, a religious symbol of the religion of Islam. However the most popular organization who has used the term Islamophobia is the Runnymede report in 1997.It is believe that this was the first recognized attempt to define the term Islamophobia although it has a lot of critics in regards of the attempt to define the term. This is because it is still unclear what Islamophobia means as a globally recognized definition. There are those who believe that Islamophobia was coined by the Islamists. French Scholars such as Fourest and Venner believe that Islamophobia was used to defend or divert any criticism towards the religion of Islam[17]. As stated already, the true origins of the term Islamophobia, weather it is in literature or use of the word is still widely debated among scholars and historians. There is no globally recognized origin for the term which adds on to the mystery of the famous term which is used so commonly today.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, the term Islamophobia is still hugely debated by historians and academic scholars today in regards with the definition of the term and its first usage or origin. However, despite the confusion in regards of the usage of the term, Islamophobia has gained very popular in the 21st century and is getting increasingly common among society and community. The hope is that some big organization such as the United Nations or the European Union takes steps to define Islamophobia and establish a globally recognized origin as well. This will avoid confusion and miss usage of the term as well as assist researchers in regards of measuring and identify the causes and consequences of Islamophobia.
Bibliography – Secondary Sources
Allen Chris, ‘Islamophobia’, England, 2010, p 14.
Berger Hank, ‘The Concept of Islamophobia in Europe’. 2015. Accessed on September 19th 2015. http://www.ufppc.org/us-a-world-news-mainmenu-35/12180-analysis-the-concept-of-islamophobia-in-europe.html.
Bleich Erik, ‘What is Islamophobia and How Much Is There?’, United States, 2011.
Hordwitz David, ‘Islamophobia’, 2011. Accessed on September 18th 2015. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/Articles/Islamophobia.pdf.
ICLA, ‘What Does Islamophobia Mean?’, 2013. Accessed on September 20th 2015. http://www.osce.org/odihr/106577?download=true.
Phobia, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/phobia Accessed on September 25 2015.
Richardson Robin, ‘Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism – or what?’, Accessed on September 19th September 2015. http://www.insted.co.uk/anti-muslim-racism.pdf
Sutar Chirag, ‘Islamophobia’ – exploring the concept and its manifestation among the Dutch in The Hague, 2013, https://www.academia.edu/9764866/_Islamophobia_-_exploring_the_concept_and_its_manifestation_among_the_Dutch_in_The_Hague, Accessed from 19th September 2015.
United Nation,’ Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide’, 1948. Accessed on September 19th 2015. http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html.
Urbrock Miriam, ‘Islamophobia – conceptual historical analysis’, http://www.theewc.org/uploads/content/archive/IGP_islamophobia.pdf, accessed on 25 September 2015.
International Civil Liberties Alliance, ‘The Problematic Definition of Islamophobia’, 2013. Accessed on September 19th 2015. https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2013/09/22/the-problematic-definition-of-islamophobia/.
[1] Sutar Chirag, ‘Islamophobia’ – exploring the concept and its manifestation among the Dutch in The Hague, 2013, https://www.academia.edu/9764866/_Islamophobia_-_exploring_the_concept_and_its_manifestation_among_the_Dutch_in_The_Hague, Accessed from 19th September 2015.
[2] Allen Chris, ‘Islamophobia’, England, 2010, p 123.
[3] Islamic Human rights Commission, The Hidden Victims of September 11: the Backlash Against Muslims in the UK (Wembley: Islamic Human rights Commission, 2002), 8.
[4] Allen Chris, ‘Islamophobia’, England, 2010, p 123.
[5] Allen Chris, ‘Islamophobia’, England, 2010, p 123.
[6] Bleich Erik, ‘What is Islamophobia and How Much Is There?’, United States, 2011.
[7] Phobia, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/phobia Accessed on September 25 2015.
[8] Urbrock Miriam,’Islamophobia – conceptual historical analysis’, http://www.theewc.org/uploads/content/archive/IGP_islamophobia.pdf, accessed on 25 September 2015.
[9] Bleich Erik, ‘What is Islamophobia and How Much Is There?’, United States, 2011.
[10] Bleich Erik, ‘What is Islamophobia and How Much Is There?’, United States, 2011.
[11] Sutar Chirag, ‘Islamophobia’ – exploring the concept and its manifestation among the Dutch in The Hague, 2013, https://www.academia.edu/9764866/_Islamophobia_-_exploring_the_concept_and_its_manifestation_among_the_Dutch_in_The_Hague, Accessed from 19th September 2015.
[12] United Nation,’ Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide’, 1948. Accessed on September 19th 2015. http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html.
[13] Richardson Robin, ‘Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism – or what?’, Accessed on September 19th September 2015. http://www.insted.co.uk/anti-muslim-racism.pdf.
[14] Richardson Robin, ‘Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism – or what?’, Accessed on September 19th September 2015. http://www.insted.co.uk/anti-muslim-racism.pdf.
[15] Richardson Robin, ‘Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism – or what?’, Accessed on September 19th September 2015. http://www.insted.co.uk/anti-muslim-racism.pdf.
[16] Allen Chris, ‘Islamophobia’, England, 2010, p 14.
[17] Sutar Chirag, ‘Islamophobia’ – exploring the concept and its manifestation among the Dutch in The Hague, 2013, https://www.academia.edu/9764866/_Islamophobia_-_exploring_the_concept_and_its_manifestation_among_the_Dutch_in_The_Hague, Accessed from 19th September 2015.
