‘Islamophobia’ – Well, isn’t this word a wonderful little weapon for Islamists the world over?
Whoever thought of it must be laughing all the way to the Mosque. Go on. Try it. Next time you’re in any social situation, with any group of people, try challenging the violent ideology at the heart of Islam.
Chances are, faster than you can say ‘fatwah’ someone will give you a reproachful look and state: ‘You’re the one with the problem. You’re Islamophobic‘.
It shuts down all debate and leaves many decent folk feeling like racists – even when they’re not.
So let’s just deconstruct the word ‘Islamophobia’ shall we?
Phobia = an extreme, irrational fear that interferes with everyday life. It is a psychological, clinical term, and this is the correct definition.
We all know what a phobia looks like; most of us have seen grown adults collapse into quivering wrecks at the mere sight of a spider/wasp/snake. Above all, a phobia sufferer will go to great lengths to avoid the object of fear.
Now I don’t know about you, but I’m not aware of a single soul who is huddled at home, frozen with fear, refusing to leave their house because of the existence of Islam…
Nor have I seen a single person jerking to a halt in the middle of a street, shrieking in terror ‘There’s a Muslim! There’s a Muslim! Save me! Save me! Aaaaghhhh!’ before sprinting across the road and into oncoming traffic, just to avoid said member of Islam.
Indeed, often the very people accused of ‘Islamophobia’ are those who are extremely interested in Islam! They talk about it, read about it, blog about it, and study it – in a bid to better understand it.
Hardly ‘phobic’ behaviour, is it…?
So let’s be blunt. The term ‘Islamophobia’ is meaningless. It’s foolish. In short – it’s nothing more than a linguistic sham.
Because nobody has an ‘irrational fear’ of Islam.
What many of us do have is a rational fear of what Muslim terrorists do in the name of Islam. We also fear the hatred that Islam inculcates in many of its followers. And who the hell can blame us?
If people with red hair continually sauntered onto buses and trains, into restaurants and schools the world over, with bombs strapped around their waists, before cheerfully blowing both themselves and any living soul around them into tiny bits, then I submit that many of us would develop a rational fear of red heads!
But ‘islamophobia’?
Oh, purleease.
It’s just a device used by *some* Muslims – and the PC-at-all-costs, liberal brigade – to shut down vital debate.
And if we let them get away with it? Then shame on US.
While we’re on the topic, let’s just clarify what does and does not constitute ‘racism’:
I could, if I wanted, criticise and challenge and yes, condemn Islam all day long – and it would not be ‘racism’.
Islam is a faith and an ideology. And no ideology is exempt from scrutiny. Nor does anyone have the right to stop me from assessing an ideology – not as long as I live in a democratic society.
But, if I then begin making unfair, negative, nasty generalisations about ‘all muslims’ then this would be racism.
See the difference?
Critiquing and challenging and condemning an ideology = not ‘racism’!
Condemning any group of people purely on the basis OF their religion = racism
Or to state it even more simply:
‘All Muslims are terrorists’ = racism
Clearly there are millions of peaceful Muslims.
‘Most terrorists are Muslim’ = not racism
Most terrorism is Islamic terrorism.
So just as I am free to condemn the beliefs of, say, the vile British National Party(BNP), or Scientologists, or the KKK, without anyone branding me a ‘racist’, so too am I free to condemn Islam.
Words do have objective meanings. It’s time we remembered that, and worked to wipe out this lunacy which even now, is pushing for Islam to be legally ‘protected’ from criticism.
So next time anyone tries to insist you are an ‘islamophobe’, shut them down. And fast.
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I agree with every one of your arguments—in fact, for the exact same reasons as you and I both object to the term “Islamophobia”, I object to the term “anti-Semite”.
So for the sake of being consistent, could you please state for all to hear that you are against the use of the term “anti-Semite” to shut down debate and discourse?
Thank you.
G LIRA:
Both anti semitism (hatred of Jews) and genuine hatred of Muslims DO EXIST.
The term ‘anti semitism’ was coined by a Gentile, the writer Wilhelm Marr. He came up with it precisely to try and make his own anti semitic writings seem more ’scientific’.
So it’s not a term that was created by Jews.
‘Islamophobia’, in contrast, is a term devised BY **some** Muslims to shut down all debate regarding Islam.
Now, to take on board your point, of course I am utterly opposed to anyone, ever, using the term ‘anti semitism’ to shut down debate.
But it would be foolish to deny that anti semitism exists – we only have to look back to WW2 to see that it clearly *does* exist.
In contrast, there are no huge outbreaks of ‘islamophobia’ that we can find that are even remotely comparable. Rather, it is NON MUSLIMS that are being tortured and imprisoned and yes, KILLED in many Muslim nations.
I’m confused—you are opposed to the term “Islamophobia” because you claim there are “no huge outbreaks of ‘Islamophobia’”. Yet you yourself on your blog seem to hate everything related to Islam—and make no bones about reproaching and reproving every Muslim belief as “primitive” and “backward” and “hateful”.
For instance, you berate Muslims for having Mecca and Medina be off-limits to non-Muslims. Then you say that being unable to get married in Israel—even if you were born in Israel and are a law-abiding citizen of Israel—is something that you, as you so mildly put it, “don’t agree with”. As if denying a basic human right to marry whomsoever you please is a minor point.
I would venture to say that being unable to marry in my own country because I do not tow a particular religious line is much, much worse than not being allowed to visit a couple of obscure towns in the middle of nowhere, that have no interest to anyone other than practitioners of a particular religion.
So you claim that “Islamophobia” is exagerated—then use every chance you get to berate Islam. But when the shoe is on the other foot, when someone states the facts about Israel . . . you call them “anti-Semites”.
Does seem to be a contradiction: You can call others anti-Semites—but no-one can ever dare call you an Islamophobe.
Heads you win, tails everyone else loses.
G LIRA:
I’m going to take your points one by one. Please note that after this, if you’d like to post comments, the blog is at http://ajewwithaview.wordpress.com
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OK, your points: you said:
‘Yet you yourself on your blog seem to hate everything related to Islam—and make no bones about reproaching and reproving every Muslim belief as “primitive” and “backward” and “hateful”.’
Perhaps you’d like to show me precisely where I ever said I ‘hated’ Islam…?
I do criticise Islam. I dislike the sexism and racism that is intrinsic TO Islam. Anyone who hates these things will take issue with Islam. If you haven’t already, I recommend that you read the Quran.
You’ll find absolute hatred towards both Jews and Christians throughout the Quran.
I also hate the way women are treated in Islam and in Islamic countries. Do you know any other religion whereby women are regularly murdered simply for marrying outside the faith…? Where women have ACID thrown on their faces for leaving the religion?
Damn straight I have a problem with that!
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You mentioned Mecca. Yes, I do feel it’s very hypocritical that there are actually specific ROADS for NON MUSLIMS in Mecca, and that no non Muslims are allowed in – at the same time that many Muslims throughout Europe constantly push for more and more concessions. If you don’t find that hypocritical, so be it. We’ll have to agree to disagree.
To continue with the comments by G LIRA:
You said:
‘But when the shoe is on the other foot, when someone states the facts about Israel . . . you call them “anti-Semites”.’
Let’s be clear:
When the ‘facts’ that SOME people offer are nothing more than propaganda that is easily DISproven, then yes – it IS unfair, it IS deceitful and yes, sometimes it IS anti semitism.
When people state the accurate facts, I don’t have any problem. But don’t sit there and MISrepresent Israel and THEN demand that I agree!
G LIRA:
I have already stated that there DOES EXIST anti Muslim bigotry.
I have also stated, categorically, that it is WRONG.
Where I disagree with you, is that the term ‘islamophobia’ is being used by entire Muslim NATIONS in a bid to BAN any discussion OF Islam.