Towards Demystifying Islamophobia

Abstract

Islamophobia has been a recurrent socio-political narrative for some time now, and it has been exacerbated since the aftermath of 9/11. Despite the plethora of studies on the subject, little is known about Muslim scholars’ perception of this phenomenon. This is due primarily to the language barrier since the Arabic language is the code for their discourse. It is essential to consider both Islamic and Western perspectives to understand the problem thoroughly and suggest solutions, as relying on one approach is both biased and uncompromising. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is threefold: first, it explains how Islamophobia should be defined contextually. It frames its arguments within three contexts: a historical setting (Meccan and Madinah period), Islam in the Arab world, and Islam in the West. Second, the paper demonstrates how a Muslim’s perspective contrasts with the Western narrative. It critically challenges some of the arguments put forward in social sciences and intellectual discourses and adopts an unapologetic and non-defensive approach in the treatment of Islamophobia.  Third, the paper discusses the variables that affect Islamophobia, such as Western media and terrorism (including state terrorism). Finally, the paper proposes some approaches to mitigating the situation.