Why is "Islamophobia" on the rise?

Question

I guess the first question is whether all fear is irrational?

Heres part of the article the question is based on:

"The study, compiled by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia, urged European authorities to strengthen policies on integration. But it also noted that Muslims need to do more to counter negative perceptions driven by terrorism and upheavals such as the backlash to cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad."http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061218/ap_on_re_eu/europe_muslims

What I find amazing is that a left-wing institution like the "European Monitoring Institute" which normally works under the left-wing assumption that all religions deserve respect and any negative view of a religious people is unexcusable bigotry, said that "muslims needed to do more". In other words, there is some rational basis to the backlash measured.

They certainly do need to "do more" other than all the wars they are involved in worldwide.

Answer 1

YOU BETTER HOPE ITS ON THE RISE- and dont give me that ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT that there are good muslims and bad muslims, im sick of that ****. they are in the country man, they are in the country and are ready to carry out the attacks mentioned in the quran. They are loyal to Osama not the USA. If you can't shoot them, send the camel ******* back where they came from.

Answer 2

Is it on the rise?
It is still to new for the rational people to take note because they are inundated daily with the murder of the islamic foolishness.
I have a little Fear of our American Muslims because I read excerpts from the koran (a book owned by all muslims) that condones killing the infidel (me) and encourages them to lie when confronted, and many unbelievable actions of discrimination and dominance.
NOW there are good muslims, law-abiding BUT be real,, they fear their radical brothers more,, because they don't know that their neighbor isn't a sleeper.
The pope simply pointing at the violence in the koran, struck a riot. The words are printed in the book, and they are evil. Is that irrational?
Irrational?? the daily news of bombs in Baghdad etc the rockets fired into Israel, (that has been happening for decades), Irrational or FACTS. What about Africa's genocide, Bali, russia's school.
Has anyone seen a radio or TV add from the american islamic community denouncing the violence or demanding a resolution?
The EMI ?? don't change the subject.
Be ashamed at the actions of a decrepit ideology we see daily.
My islamophobia is well founded and documented daily. And I am tired of it.

Answer 3

Islamophobia is a word made up by the Left to smear anyone who dares question their false narrative of how Islamic totalitarian political ideology spreads and is maintained. When you are called an "islamophobe" you're supposed to feel like someone has called you a racist. Which, not uncoincidentally, is another term used to smear people who factually win an argument with a liberal. What is most notable in both of these cases is that the words "racist" and "islamophobe" have both been rendered meaningless by the Left's attempted expansion of the terms to include everybody white (usually in the context of "white privilege") and people who favor Judeo-Christian western civilization, respectively.

Answer 4

Peace be with you,

It is on the rise because people do not do their own research or their own reading. They beleive what the Media says and all they talk about is the Terrosrrist and 9/11 which were not by true Muslims. If anyone read the Quran correctly and researched everything they would see the truth of the Religion. Those who have Islamophobia never learned about the Religion corectly in the first place.

Answer 5

How can all fear be irrational when fear is a biological mechanism designed to protect us from mortal danger? Of course, there is enough irrational fear in the world, particularly involving anxiety disorders and the like, but I think your question is meaningful. Islamophobia is understandable, albeit somewhat irrational based on statistics and probability in this country (USA). If I was writing from beautiful downtown Baghdad, well, that would be a different story. Muslims are the only religious group that I know of who kill each other based upon religious beliefs--Muhammed versus his grandson--Shi'ite vs. Sunni. There are over a million Islamic "extremists" (read potential or actual terrorists), and we can't ignore that fact. I saw pictures of little children, girls included, deriding the west based upon religious differences. The Muslim world needs to do more not only with words but with action to make me and many others believers that they sincerely want peace. The only peaceful, loving and beautiful Muslim I know of is my wife. Her family ain't so hot however, and even she admits this.

Answer 6

It used to be that in the past a "phobia" had to do with "irrational" fear. Today it is being used as part of Political Correctness laws in order to condemn normal fear of harmful things/people.

The history to Islam, its practices since of the time of its founder, and even it book of doctrines, teach the Shiria Law. This says that all the world must either be Muslim or at least consent to follow these laws by penalty up to and including death.

Do I fear that as not being good for me and 2/3 of the world? Yes indeed. But it is a rationaly founded fear which is continually being re-inforced by actions of the Muslims around the world.

Answer 7

Who says that we fear Islam? I will not live in fear of terrorists. I will say that I do not respect Islam at all. Too many atrocities have been committed by individual Muslims and Islamic countries or groups. Just because I don't like something doesn't mean it's a phobia. So in answer to your question, some fears are irrational, like fear of flying since it's been proved to be a very safe form of transportation. I have arachnophobia but that's based on the fact I am allergic to spiders.

Merry Christmas.

Answer 8

People fear what they do not understand. People in positions of power know that by manipulating peoples fear of the unknown, they can steer them in the desired direction.

With Islam we find that the talking heads on TV will make some very baseless claims about what Islam is and what Muslims believe, yet have no one who knows any thing about Islam on to refute those claims. It's the same thing that happened during the McCarthy Communist scare.

So, Islamophopia is on the rise, because it works to the favor of the powers that be and the religious right as well as to the advantage of the cowardly terrorist who hide behind the mask yet do not follow the true teachings of Islam.

Answer 9

As someone who doesn't suscribe to any particular religious doctrine, I can sympathize with what you refer to "the left-wing assumption that all religions deserve respect.." but not exactly in the same context. Since I think religion is bull anyway, I think they should all be treated equally, as deluded people trying to convince other deluded people why their delusion is the best ( if that made sense).
Rationality and religion can't belong to the same sentence but I agree that "civilized" and religion can. Wars and killings are attributed to every religion throughout history and it so happens that at this particular time, fundamental Islam is having its moment.
You are saying that there is a rational fear behind the intolerance against Islam...I say there "should" be a rational fear behind religion( so I'm guessing that includes Islam).

Answer 10

"Islamophobia" is a convenient term used by those who take the "blame the victim" stance on the issue of the culture clash between Islam and the West. I think you are quite right to ask if the fear is irrational. Most people have no fear or resentment of most people of the Muslim faith, but have a natural and very rational fear of the intentions of the people of that faith who commit atrocities in the name of their faith.

It is no more right or accurate to label all non-Muslim people as Islamophobic than it is to label all Muslims as radical jihadists.

Answer 11

Yes, very much so. Just look at some of the questions in this forum equating Muslims with the anti-Christ, sending them to hell and all sorts of hate coming from so-called Christians. I wonder if they are teaching this hate in the Christian churches as yet another method of misleading people into a hate that has no basis in the bible or with Jesus.
I like your word islamophobia, did you coin that?