islamophobia – The Pen Magazine

The role of civil society in struggling against Islamophobia

03/05/201321/11/2016 A.Cihangir İşbilir

Islamic non-governmental organizations should develop projects for enhancing the mechanisms of appropriate promotion and efficient representation in every field and on every topic of Islam in the fight against Islamophobia. ISLAMOPHOBIA: A THREAT OR AN OPPORTUNITY? Islamophobia is a compound word formed from the Greek word ‘phobia’, which means ‘baseless fear’, and Islam. Their combination together in one word is daunting, and the reality has become one of the gravest threats of our times. Unless it is defined properly and fought against with a strategic action plan, this relatively recent…

Islamophobia/Islamophilia: Beyond the Politics of Friend and Enemy

22/12/201121/11/2016 Yunus Emre Pehlivan

Andrew Shryock, editor of this volume of nine articles, says that Islamophobia can be a very nebulous term. And he defines it roughly as a blanket fear or dislike of Muslims. “Some people treat it as an ‘irrational’ fear, but I don’t think that adds anything important to the concept. It can be quite rational,” he says. And he defines Islamophilia as a blanket affection for Islam and Muslims; an apologetic, defensive attitude; usually is activated by Islamophobia. “The two go together,” he says. [Live Web Chat: Islamophobia/Islamophilia, muslimvoices.org] The…

The path of systematic destruction and disinformation

14/09/201126/09/2011 Emre Karahan

The kingdom of fear in the hearts and minds of non-Muslim society not only in United States but also in all around the world. The deep roots of this problem starts with disinformation, takes its place on the media through distorted examples which appears to be the movements or groups practicing real Islam. Extremists groups are intentionally trying to act in the name of Islam and showing up just in the time and in the format that misinformation experts need to create the worst image of Islam ever. In this day…

10 Years After 9/11

12/09/201121/11/2016 A.Cihangir İşbilir

9/11 was a turning point both for the Muslim World and the West. Nothing has been the same since then. American madness has not come to an end with Obama, but it has changed its dimension. A ‘Global psychological and physical war against Muslims began and it stills continues! It was mostly abolished in Turkey after a decade that it was put in stage. Everything is not in order in Turkey yet. As Davutoglu says, “Only a master can change the places of the stones without collapsing the wall.” The…

Fear Inc. Collapsed in Turkey

12/09/201121/11/2016 Yunus Emre Pehlivan

…And will collapse in the US, too. A report titled “Fear Inc. The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America” was published recently by Center for American Progress. The report reveals an Islamophobia network which fabricates a wide array of mischaracterized information about a non-existent threat of Islam and Muslims in America. ‘It is not a vast right-wing conspiracy behind the rise of Islamophobia in our nation but rather a small, tightly networked group of misinformation experts guiding an effort that reaches millions of Americans through effective advocates, media partners,…

Islamophobia and Women Rights

15/08/201112/09/2011 Hamza Berat

WOMEN IN ISLAM HAS GREAT RANK, AND HONORABLE POSITION, she is the first teacher in generations school, she is the basic factor in building society, she is firm strong hold for this religion, she is the righteous wife, advised sister, sympathetic mother, kind daughter, the springs or sympathetic, the security strong holds, lights of houses and she is the support of family.

Countering Islamophobia: Obligation of Scholars

10/02/201102/05/2011 Dr. Iqbal J. Unus

Let me begin by stating that although Islamophobia is relatively new in our consciousness, it dates back centuries. It has ancestral and intellectual roots, an investigation of which must find a place on the research agenda of Muslim scholars. The word “phobia” is derived from “phobos”, denoting “an exaggerated, unusually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular class, object or situation.” However, if the expressed fear is not inexplicable or illogical, but based on a clear understanding of circumstances and consequences, it may not be classified as a phobia. Hence…

Fear of Islam: Genuine or Made-up?

03/02/201121/11/2016 Salahaddin Özel

Since 9/11 the term Islamophobia has been one of the most discussed issues all around the world. Phobia is a psychological term and mostly caused by traumas particularly experienced in childhood. Despite the term Islamophobia has not yet involved into the literature of psychology, some human rights organizations use it to define the nonsensical fear of Islam and Muslims witnessed in Europe and USA.1 The debate over whether an Islamic centre should be built a few blocks from the World Trade Centre has reminded us the phobia that not only…

How to name it: Prejudice or Phobia?

03/02/201121/11/2016 Hamza Berat

An extreme fear of a particular thing or situation, especially one that cannot be reasonably explained is the description of what phobia is. Speaking of the word “phobia” as in arachnophobia or claustrophobia, it subconsciously implies, whether true or not, a negative association with the word used together. Similarly, using the word Islamophobia may not make people reflect on Islam as a positive term. Is it like spider or darkness? Muslims should not contribute to negative wording. What’s more, if one to claim that people are being Islamophobes, he has…

History of Islamophobia and Anti-Islamism

01/02/201121/11/2016 A. Said GUL

Islamophobia means an unnecessary and groundless culture of fear against Muslims and Islam. Namely, “Islamophobia term may be defined sociologically as the fear that the Western society has against Muslims”. Even though the roots of that pathology, which especially escalated after 11th of September 2001, terminologically came out in late 80s, that fear and conflict has deep roots in the history of the West. The confrontation of the West and Islam dates back to the emergence of Islam. In the course of time, the relationship between two civilizations which came…