#socialunity

March 15, 2017                                                                Mariam Yousouf

                                              A R T I C L E

If you ask the general public about Islamophobia, the majority of people would define it as a fear of Muslims and Islam as a whole. Over time, this ideology has spread and has become grounds for a substantial amount of prejudice directed towards Muslims.

Islamophobia, when it was first introduced, was a term used to define prejudice and aggressive behavior to followers of Islam. Many people have been swayed by this ideology and thus have adopted this hostility to their fellow citizens and cohabitants. Nowadays, Islamophobia would be better described as a "fear of Islam" due to terrorist organizations that affiliate themselves with the religion such as ISIS or Al-Qaeda. They've hijacked and sullied the reputation of a religion which over 1.7 billion people practice in our world. 

I've found a quote by Harris Aslan that was quite fascinating: "As with any kind of bigotry, anti-Muslim sentiment is not based on a rational response but an emotional one. Bigotry is a result of fear. Speaking about it as a phobia makes sense." Aslan criticizes those who harbor Islamophobia and states that this form of "bigotry" actually lies in the heart and has no fundamental or logical reason to be upheld.

We have seen many cases of violence, vandalism and hate crimes aimed at the Muslim community and it is time we acknowledge its presence, not only in America but also in Canada. An example of this is the Quebec shooting at a local mosque on January 29, 2017. 6 men were murdered in a holy sanctuary where they would never imagine to be attacked. ISIS and the fear-mongering the United States and new president elect Donald Trump are some of the causes of the rise in attacks against Muslims in many western countries. There's a study that shows that since 9/11, six Americans have died per year from a "Islam-associated" terror attack. You are actually 260 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be killed by a lightning strike than a terror attack in America. 

"I once asked a guy at [the National Institutes of Health] how much we should spend on preventing a disease that kills 6 per year, and he looked at me like I was crazy," John Mueller, a foreign policy expert at the Ohio State University.

That a woman be fined and forced to take off her headscarf is ISLAMOPHOBIA.

That 3 young and bright Muslim Americans be shot execution style is ISLAMOPHOBIA.

To call for a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States is

ISLAMOPHOBIA.

That numerous mosques be set on fire and vandalized is ISLAMOPHOBIA.

That a young 15 year old boy be killed by a hit-and-run is

ISLAMOPHOBIA.