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acceptance of Islamophobia


conscious_soul

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Hey everyone! I've finally gotten around to deciding what my EE topic will be about. It's basically researching how "Islamophobia" has become socially accepted in Western [i.e. in the States] society (or if it hasn't; more research to come).

The reason I started this thread was to see what you guys felt. I'm not necessarily asking what your view is on the religion, but what your view is on society's view of the religion. I understand how some people fear their safety, which is rather understandable, but to what extent? I live in a pretty conservative area of the United States (West Texas, to be exact) and most (not all) of the opinions are pretty biased and one-sided. Tell me how you guys feel!

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Hey everyone! I've finally gotten around to deciding what my EE topic will be about. It's basically researching how "Islamophobia" has become socially accepted in Western [i.e. in the States] society (or if it hasn't; more research to come).

The reason I started this thread was to see what you guys felt. I'm not necessarily asking what your view is on the religion, but what your view is on society's view of the religion. I understand how some people fear their safety, which is rather understandable, but to what extent? I live in a pretty conservative area of the United States (West Texas, to be exact) and most (not all) of the opinions are pretty biased and one-sided. Tell me how you guys feel!

Well, this may not be what you're looking for but I am giving my opinion.

Seeing as I am a muslim myself, I find it really bad and offensive. I totally understand that people fear their safety, I am with you on that. However I personally think these people should realize that the people they are fearing aren't the normal muslims, I mean it, we as muslims fear those people just like everyone in the west does, because they are extreme muslims and take things in the religion in the totally wrong way, which gives the "should be feared" impression on all muslims. They should realize that suicide bombs..murdering random people, kids, women..etc..etc just because they're american ..is not what Islam tells us. This is really difficult to accomplish, but if they gave themselves a chance to look into what normal muslims do and think, the Islamophobia would be felt much less amongst these people. I am not going to start talking about terrorism, because that's a different topic, but really...if I fear my safety from these kind of things, then as an educated person, I would not fear 'muslims' only ( 'muslims' because I am so close to not calling them muslims anymore). They're not the only people who should be feared.

So instead of fearing all muslims, how about fearing the people everyone fears, including muslims? Because seriously, this islamophobia is making life so tough for so many muslims in America..and I have experienced that myself..it's just not right. I am not saying all muslims in America are facing this problem..but many did and still are.

Many people will strongly disagree with me, but that's my opinion. :P

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Islamophobia definitely should not be accepted no matter where you live. I live in what is technically the South, but not really so, so it's not too bad here. Muslims are people too, after all. Sure, the religion they follow is different than that of many westerners, but that's no reason to dismiss all of them as anti-American suicide bombers because of the actions of a few nut-case extremists. You have crazies in all cultures; it's just sad that because of the crazies from this culture the entire Muslim population is penalized. And actually, if you research Islam, you can find some similarities between Islam and Christianity.

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Mahuta ♥ -- As am I! I feel like I'm going to get really emotional while doing my research, but I do agree! I also feel as though being muslim ourselves, we're scared of doing something. Because, most of the time, that something is suicide bombing. There are extremists in every religion, sadly...

emilynev -- You're absolutely right! I really wish more people would realize that both religions aren't all that different. But, how much can you teach a person that's unwilling to learn? :/

Edited by conscious_soul
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Mahuta ♥ -- As am I! I feel like I'm going to get really emotional while doing my research, but I do agree! I also feel as though being muslim ourselves, we're scared of doing something. Because, most of the time, that something is suicide bombing. There are extremists in every religion, sadly...

emilynev -- You're absolutely right! I really wish more people would realize that both religions aren't all that different. But, how much can you teach a person that's unwilling to learn? :/

Yes, I totally agree with that as well. To add something, this Islamophobia has gotten to a point where someone is watching every movement they make and every word they say when in public because they're afraid they'll be mistaken for some extremist..and that in turn makes them seem suspicious, and so everyone fears them. They just cannot act normal anymore.

Like you said, there are extremists everywhere, but it's so difficult to get people to accept that! They will either not agree to talk to you about it, because they think you're trying to convince them of some BS, or they will listen but they'll just keep saying "yes but it's not the same...", "yeah but this is different"..etc..etc.

What I realized is, some people are so convinced that all muslims are like that to a point that they're not willing to listen to anyone who has another opinion, in extreme cases this other person will be seen as someone who support 'these people' and so should be feared!

A question that comes to mind, with all the things Israel is doing in palestine, why don't we have the Jewish phobia here? Sure we don't like them that much..but talking to a jewish person is something very normal to us. 'That's not the same?' okay...how about Americans and what they did in Iraq? I mean seriously, that is something we should fear! But do we generalize that on all americans? Do we fear Americans? Do we hate Americans? No..we absolutely don't, because we realize that the people have got nothing to do with what a group of people do. "Yes but that's politics?", okay fine, how about the Americans who try to convince people that muslims are terrorists and should be feared and kicked out even...etc..etc. Do we fear all Americans for that? Do we call Americans "anti-muslim"? No we don't.

It should be like this everywhere.

P.S. I am not living in the US anymore so there's nothing about "I have to like them in order to live with them..etc..etc". I don't hate them because I truly believe that not all Americans are like and that it's absolutely wrong to generalize something like that.

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Islamophobia is irrational, as far as in the States go. The nature of Islamophobia in Europe is a whole 'nother ball game.

Not that I condone it anywhere, in whatever continent. I disagree with it completely. But the difference between Europe and the US on this one is that the arguments of the European Right are rooted in logical reasoning, rather than simple paranoia in my neighbour to the South.

This whole Americentric viewpoint that most Americans have is understandable given the nation's history, but is an annoyance at the best of times, and destructive at the worst. It's all very archaeic and 19th century; can't say I understand it.

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I'm curious, Proletariat, what do you mean by being a different ball game? Not as in what the phrase means, but as in what you would say the differences are. I'm quite intrigued because I know what I feel the difference is personally -- but then I am European and feel particularly 'exposed' in the UK, especially living in London, so I don't know whether it's just me being paranoid.

It may interest you to know this was on national news within the last week -- Baroness Warsi (who is I think the UK's only Muslim Member of Parliament, possibly there are others) said that she felt it had passed the 'dinner table test' to be anti-muslim to some extent. As in people find it socially acceptable to discuss at dinner parties etc. without worrying about how they're going to come across, so it's become an acceptable topic of conversation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12235237

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12240433

Both of those links may interest you :D

So anyway, after making it clear that I'm not in the US and have a British perspective on Islamophobia, I would say that it is a big issue and that in my personal opinion it IS massively accepted. Not in the sense that people will spit at people or call them names or anything like that (there're no 'hate' crimes, as it were, at least not to my knowledge!), but in the sense that it says in the 1st article I posted:

"[baroness Warsi] told the 2009 Conservative Party conference that anti-Muslim hatred had become Britain's last socially acceptable form of bigotry, and claimed in a magazine article last October that taking a pop at the Muslim community in the media sold papers and didn't really matter."

In her speech, she is expected to say the description of Muslims as either moderate or extremist encourages false assumptions.

"It's not a big leap of imagination to predict where the talk of 'moderate' Muslims leads; in the factory, where they've just hired a Muslim worker, the boss says to his employees: 'Not to worry, he's only fairly Muslim'," she will say.

"In the school, the kids say: 'The family next door are Muslim but they're not too bad'.

"And in the road, as a woman walks past wearing a burka, the passers-by think: 'That woman's either oppressed or is making a political statement'."

By 'fairly Muslim' or 'not too bad' I know a lot of people mean that whoever it is has passed the "okay so they're not an extremist" test! I think people do realise that not all Muslims are extremists, but my observation would be that that's the way round it works: people are inherently suspicious and wait for it to be proved wrong, rather than starting out open-minded and becoming suspicious (as you might expect for somebody without prejudice).

I see people on the Underground (subway train system in London) moving down the carriage or getting off if a young Muslim guy with traditional clothes and haircut and any form of large rucksack or bag gets on. To be fair I've only seen it happen maybe 2 times in 2 years, but there are some people who are still really scared by what happened on 7/7 who are clearly still freaked out enough to take action. I don't move based on who I see on the tube trains, but I know I prefer to walk and avoid the busiest stations at peak times because I feel slightly unnerved by public transport.

Speaking personally, now, I have quite a few Muslim friends (my part of the country is pretty ethnically diverse), but what I would say is that, thinking about it, all my 'best' friends who're Muslims are also very anglicised. By that I mean that they don't wear the burka or headscarves etc, they wear normal clothes except for on special occasions, and they just act kinda how anybody else would with obviously a few things they don't do, like drinking alcohol and so on. They all speak English, too! That sentence isn't meant to sound patronising or crazy, it's mostly to draw a contrast with what I've experienced since I moved from home to North London, where people don't speak English, at least not to my knowledge....

...Muslim men and especially the women are extremely, extremely traditional. Burkas, full-body headscarves, robes, little hats for the boys and huge beards for the men. I find not being able to see people's faces in the street really creepy -- it's like youths who wear hoodies, it's unsettling and you wonder why people are hiding from you. People here also speak their native languages to each other and their children and all stare at me as I walk past in a really creepy way -- all going silent and staring in unison! The whole sense that I get is unlike what I had at home where we were two groups of people with a shared nationality and upbringing, just different religious views -- it seems to me that round here, there's no real attempt to integrate, and actually it's quite a big deal to have integration. More than I used to think. I find it pretty hard to reconcile myself!

If anything, from a medical point of view, it makes sense to anglicise at least a little bit. Ridiculous vitamin deficiency % for strict Muslims living in the UK because their skin never sees sunlight, and even white people get slightly vitamin deficient in the winter (assuming they're not wearing full-body coverings -- if they were, it'd be worse), so there's no way just the light you might get when you're at home is going to keep you healthy if you're a Muslim with darker skin, as most people round here are! That's kinda irrelevant, but I always wonder why it doesn't occur to people. Osteomalacia is horrible.

It's definitely an issue I'd like to see addressed (Islamophobia I mean) because it's pervasive and really uncomfortable for society. Only I can't think what the answer would be.

One final note: what subject would this EE fit into? :P

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Sandwich, probably Islamic History I'm guessing

Why not focus on the media depiction? It's the whole reason why this argument exists in the first place.

The way the media depicts Islam it's absolutely wrong. First of all, it's not part of Islam to wear the burka. In fact, the religion is against it, and it's forbidden to wear it while praying. And although Hijab is necessary, it does come with a few conditions. It can't be forced, but rather encouraged, and it's a commitment. It's worse for a female to wear it then stop wearing it than to not wear it at all. It's tiny little details like these that have been terribly distorted by the media.

As for Islamophobia, I think whoever feels that way about Muslims is ignorant, I'm sorry lol. If they knew better, they would look into it rather than believe whatever is spoon-fed to them. There are extremes in every religion, culture, and society, and Islam just happens to have those, as well. If they knew better, they'd also learn that most rabbis in Israel practically have a ritual of molesting and beating Palestinian children. Many are unaware of that, along with many things, because the media only shows you what they want you to see.

Islam is a very tolerant religion. It doesn't ask for the abolishing of other religions, and it actually encourages marriages to people of different religions. And, the last thing it asks for is Muslim men confining their women, literally and figuratively. The entire religion has been misconceived even amongst its own followers...again, because of the media.

Lol I'm no islamophobe, and my area of expertise isn't islamic theology, but a lot of what you say here just doesn't make sense. The Hijab "can't be forced"? That's a nice assertion, maybe it has some foundation in the Koran - I'd be interested in a quote - but does it reflect reality? I see women dressed entirely black on the streets, and husband with rolexes and lacrosse shirts. I'm pretty sure they're not wearing the burqa because they're cold.

And anyways, you're confusing phobia with dislike. Many people have a distaste for islam -- many people have a distaste for organized religion in general. Apostasy is punished by death in many Muslim nations; in some, so is adultery. I lived in Malaysia, and I didn't need the media to tell me that apostasy was illegal, and that to marry a Muslim you have to convert yourself there. I was told that by a Muslim, one who had no interest in ramadan, or praying five times a day, or wearing a hijab, and was forced into all these things and more by her family and teachers in her school. That won't happen in a Christian or Jewish society.

The "practically have a ritual of molesting and beating Palestinian children" bit is utter nonsense.

Now I'm not saying that Islam necessitates repression and authoritarianism and misogyny and terrorism. But there is a correlation, and that, in turn, can't be denied either.

Edited by Daedalus
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Lol I'm no islamophobe, and my area of expertise isn't islamic theology, but a lot of what you say here just doesn't make sense. The Hijab "can't be forced"? That's a nice assertion, maybe it has some foundation in the Koran - I'd be interested in a quote - but does it reflect reality? I see women dressed entirely black on the streets, and husband with rolexes and lacrosse shirts. I'm pretty sure they're not wearing the burqa because they're cold.

And anyways, you're confusing phobia with dislike. Many people have a distaste for islam -- many people have a distaste for organized religion in general. Apostasy is punished by death in many Muslim nations; in some, so is adultery. I lived in Malaysia, and I didn't need the media to tell me that apostasy was illegal, and that to marry a Muslim you have to convert yourself there. I was told that by a Muslim, one who had no interest in ramadan, or praying five times a day, or wearing a hijab, and was forced into all these things and more by her family and teachers in her school. That won't happen in a Christian or Jewish society.

The "practically have a ritual of molesting and beating Palestinian children" bit is utter nonsense.

Now I'm not saying that Islam necessitates repression and authoritarianism and misogyny and terrorism. But there is a correlation, and that, in turn, can't be denied either.

In reality No one can force the girl to wear Hijab. You can give advice, but you cannot force. If any one force her, this is his mistake, not Islam’s mistake. Islam say nothing about forcing people to do anything. There is many ways, like discussion, in which you can show him your opinion. I am with the point that many people are forced to do things that they do not want to do. But you should know that when a muslim do thing that he do not want, he is doing a greater mistake which is lying . I am totally against that , because I think that by forcing them to do any thing, they will hate it more. We should find ways to convince them.

I am with Minuet, Burqu’ is not a part of Muslim women’s cloth. There is no Muslim’s type of cloth, you only have some parts that you should cover, by any type. When saying a type of cloth, we should relate it to traditions. Some stupid traditions is still affecting us. There is also no definite color, it can be black, white, yellow, etc…

Arabs that you see in Britain or America are the rich Arabs, who have the ability to buy Rolexes and lacrosse, but in reality many Arabs have no bread to eat.

The punishment of Apostasy is debatable. As you said in many countries it is killing, but in other is not. They are debating now, about whether an individual should be killed or not. Many think that because he will not show any risks for the society, he should not be killed .

The term “Islamophobe” for me is totally wrong, because terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) gave muslims, there morals of war, in one of his speeches, he stated that in war muslim’s army should not:

1) Kill a kid.

2) Kill A women

3) Kill an old man.

4) Kill a man, that is not fighting.

5) Cut a tree .

Muslims in war should fight who is fighting them only. I think if islam had protected trees and animals, then it will not be a terrorist religion.

Anyway I don’t want to show you images, about what Israel’s army is doing with kids. Our problems is not with jewish, is with isreal as a government. Koran force people to know each other. Koran says:

““O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” (English translation).

Ironically, we are living in a globalized world, and till now we are not able to understand each other. I think many people need to search and read befor making assertion that has no relation with Islam.

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The difference between Islamophobia in Europe and Islamophobia in the United States is that the former is introverted, while the latter is extroverted.

European nations are all more or less homogenous populations, and Islamic populations now form "significant" minority groups within some, if not most. These nations (and I'm talking about nationality, not political borders) have existed for hundreds of years, and each have mountains of history, tradition, and culture behind them. Therefore, I can understand the arguments of European Rightist groups when they argue that elements of their culture are under threat. I don't believe it, but I can understand the rational justifications for it.

The US differs from Europe in two important ways: it is a relatively young country, and it does not have a homogenous population (even though it likes to think it does sometimes.) Therefore, the domestic Muslim community doesn't pose a cultural threat as one would argue for Europe. In fact, two of the most recent examples of Islamophobia in the US - a small-town pastor attempting to organize a mass-burning of the Koran, and the backlash against a proposed Muslim community centre near Ground Zero - resulted with relatively tolerant overtones. The pastor was universally derided from all-across the spectrum, and he ultimately backed down from the event, and even the Right organized their arguments against the Muslim community centre not around straight-up Islamophobia, but around an American sentimentality for the place; in other words, they passed it through in undertones. Where Americans are Islamophobic is in their foreign policy. Because of the country's foundations in revolution, and its relative youthfulness, Americans have a very deeply rooted sense of, well what they would call patriotism, and others might point out as ultra-nationalism. Therefore, 9/11 shook that very deeply rooted ideology and essentially woke a raging beast. How else would someone like Bush achieve 90% approval ratings the week after? The actions of the US differed from that of Europe in two ways: it formulated foreign policies against the Islamic world rather than passing domestic policies (Patriot Act and Homeland Security aren't explicitly anti-Islamic; France banning burka is), and the actions were based on national security and defense reasons, rather than to protect the "American culture."

Self-defense isn't irrational. So it would have been fine if the United States had sticked to just that. But they still can't find bin Laden, they conjured up imaginary WMDs in Iraq, and now they're going to be stuck with their hand deep into Middle Eastern politics for decades. It's this idea that just because of 9/11, the US has to keep the entire Muslim world on watch and on a leash, this Manifest Destiny projected on a global scale, that I find completely nonsensical.

Plus, although domestic reaction pales in comparison, there were still backlash. I found the Koran-burning pastor completely insane, and the media attention (Fox) given to the Muslim community centre rather distasteful. But what I found most irrational in American society is this: a recent poll showed that 22% of Americans believe Obama is Muslim.

Two things: 1) That's completely ridiculous; Beck and Limbaugh are not credible sources of information America; and 2) Why should his religion even matter?

GAH

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I don't really see what pointing out bad things about Jewish people has to do with this thread. It's not about the bad things people do -- everybody can do them whether secular, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or whatever. It's about specifically Islamophobia in the West, and I don't think you can relativise it by pointing out terrible people from other religions because no other religion has used their religion to excuse indiscriminate mass-murders. What I'm trying to say is that it's not about pointing fingers at certain individuals because every religion or non-religion is going to have some sick twisted bastards lurking around somewhere.

What really confuses me is that all 'normal' followers of Islam seem to say that the Qu'ran talks about peace and isn't in favour of religious wars, but then where does the idea come from that it's some kind of holy war/Jihad?

Is it like the christian Bible where you have a blood-thirsty "kill all those who oppose us" Old Testament and then a happy clappy New Testament? I don't really understand where such a vast chasm in interpretation can come from.

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I don't think European Islamophobia is going to become extroverted though. Look at England; they've had a mini-9/11 and yet the anti-war sentiment there is huge.

There's one last facet of American society that I forgot to mention, and its their close affinity to Christianity. You can't become President of the United States without being Christian. That's likely why that 22% exist; there's probably some spinoff with discontent at the President himself, since it was polled around mid-terms, and before his approval ratings rose again. But even the repulsive idea that being Christian is more important than being Muslim for a President aside, I find this whole intertwined idea of Religion and Politics in the United States really worrying. I wouldn't even call the US totally secular.

Contrast to Canada; about half the population is Christian, yet that tie between Religion and the State doesn't exist here. In the US, you can't get away with not mentioning God when you're campaigning for President. In Canada, there's no better way to lose an election than by bringing up the G-word in a political context. Islamophobia hardly ever exists here either, due to the multicultural aspect of Canadian society. In Toronto, Canada's largest city, 43% of the population was born outside the country. In all my years growing up in Canada, the only thing I've ever seen that could even be interpreted as anti-Islamic was an article in the National Post (centre-right publication) that criticized members of the Muslim community for over-playing the victim card. It was a rational argument and defended position - and I was shocked by it at the time.

Hearing the personal stories about England and the States, I'm extremely glad to be living in the country that I am. A few months ago, Calgary (which is basically the heart of Conservatism in this country) elected the first Muslim mayor in North American. Not only that, but he was young, Harvard-educated, articulate, and left-of-centre. The last thing you would expect from Calgary; victory on all fronts as far as I'm concerned.

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I find the situation in many European countries of today rather paradoxical, and very so the country I'm living in, Sweden, Country after country in Europe get either islamophobic, racialist, or xenophobic (etc.) parties into their parliaments or other important assemblies; BNP in Great Britain, FN in France, Progress Party in Norway, Danish People's Party in Denmark, and so finally, Sweden Democrats in Sweden last year, just to give some examples. I can't be sure about the situation in the rest of Europe, but the situation in Sweden is what I find paradoxical:

All MP:s of Sweden, except the Sweden Democrats, are terrified to state anything that could be seen as islamophobic. Medias are constantly watching them, and if they state anything close to islamophobic, they say the Sweden Democrats have influenced them. The MP:s are constantly calling Sweden Democrats islamophobic, whereas they say they are only reasoning logically and are doing what is best for Sweden. The rest of the Swedish politics say in return they are unserious and can't do politics.

The situation is that the question is so infected here you can't almost talk about it, and if you do, you have to carefully watch every single word you say. Otherwise, you may be seen as a Sweden Democrat.

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There is nothing called holy war, it is only a term that was used by western media

Jihad is not a holy war. it is any good effort that a muslim do. Studying to enhance your country is a jihad. To be poor and not steal is also Jihad. when you fight to protect your country and rights is a jihad. Nothing called a holy war.

Islamophobia all started because a group of people that call themselves muslims did 9/11. I think that people before giving arguments, should read and understand, not from one side, but from more than one side. This is the only way in which we can create a peaceful world, in which we can understand each other.

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There is nothing called holy war, it is only a term that was used by western media

Jihad is not a holy war. it is any good effort that a muslim do. Studying to enhance your country is a jihad. To be poor and not steal is also Jihad. when you fight to protect your country and rights is a jihad. Nothing called a holy war.

Islamophobia all started because a group of people that call themselves muslims did 9/11. I think that people before giving arguments, should read and understand, not from one side, but from more than one side. This is the only way in which we can create a peaceful world, in which we can understand each other.

I don't think 9/11 started Islamophobia. It certainly catalyzed it in North America, but people have been immigrating to Europe from the Middle East long before 2001, so whether bin Laden attacked America or not Europe would still find itself asking the same questions that it is right now. Similarly, American patriotism wasn't born out of 9/11; it's always been there. Terrorism just gave it an outlet.

I find the misinterpretation of Jihad very interesting though. I only wish more people in the West understood this, because I don't believe the true definition of Jihad has ever been stated in Western media. The sad thing is that I don't think anyone has ever tried to state the true definition, and it's come to a point where you can't even try in the States. The level of media infiltration and venomous rhetoric is such that truth is something that changes on the 24-hour news cycle. Perhaps further networking will elevate these issues and concerns, but I'm doubtful. What's the use of mass information if it's corrupted by a polarizing media?

Edited for spelling.

Edited by Proletariat
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There is nothing called holy war, it is only a term that was used by western media

Jihad is not a holy war. it is any good effort that a muslim do. Studying to enhance your country is a jihad. To be poor and not steal is also Jihad. when you fight to protect your country and rights is a jihad. Nothing called a holy war.

Islamophobia all started because a group of people that call themselves muslims did 9/11. I think that people before giving arguments, should read and understand, not from one side, but from more than one side. This is the only way in which we can create a peaceful world, in which we can understand each other.

I don't think 9/11 started Islamophobia. It certainly catalyzed it in North America, but people have been immigrating to Europe from the Middle East long before 2001, so whether bin Laden attacked America or not Europe would still find itself asking the same questions that it is right now. Similarly, American patriotism wasn't born out of 9/11; it's always been there. Terrorism just gave it an outlet.

I find the misinterpretation of Jihad very interesting though. I only wish more people in the West understood this, because I don't believe the true definition of Jihad has ever been stated in Western media. The sad thing is that I don't think anyone has ever tried to state the true definition, and it's come to a point where you can't even try in the States. The level of media infiltration and venomous rhetoric is such that truth is something that changes on the 24-hour news cycle. Perhaps further networking will elevate these issues and concerns, but I'm doubtful. What's the use of mass information if it's corrupted by a polarizing media?

Edited for spelling.

Thank you for your wishes.

The tem jihad was there before 1400 years, when prophet Muhammed (PBUH) came. But the way that western media define it is a wrong way. As i said it is not a holy war. i also wish that internet and media give us all the sources, from which we can make our decisions. This may seem immpossible , but to have a better world, we should be able to look to each culture or religion from many sides, not only from one side.

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You guys are fantastic. An intellectual discussion is exactly what I was looking for! I'm just going to group all of my replies up into one simple message.

My teacher and I have been discussing where exactly this would fit. She wants it to be under Social Anthropology, Sociology or Psychology, depending which route I take. She'll dwell on that for a while. Media is a huge portion of it though. I'm not discussing the people who have a distaste for organized religion, either. That's a different thing. Those that do, dislike Islam for some different reasons.

Hijaab isn't technically necessary. That's where the culture part would tie in. My parents are Indian Muslims and things there work a little differently. But yes, the burqa is actually forbidden to wear while praying. Modesty is the biggest thing in Islam (it's Arabic for peace, for crying out loud) but the line for modesty is blurred sometimes.

The "American Culture" is so messed up, I'm not quite sure there is one anymore. I think the problem was when Bush was reelected, people were scared, and wanted him to stay in office (much like FDR and his 3 terms). But, some American mentality is: War on Terror --> Terrorism --> Muslim. Hmm. Indeed, 9/11 was a catalyst for this, it had a huge impact. History repeats itself, and that's what people were going off of. Being born and raised here, and studying the history for years, one tends to pick up all of these things.

Although Fox has the highest rating in America, it's not the most reliable news source. That's where the problem with the Obama-religion thing came up. But, he drinks and eats pork, and I'm not quite sure that goes through people's mind. Again, we need to look at regions, political parties, etc. in the States. Church and State were supposed to be separate in our government, but that's obviously not been possible.

Remember it's the extremists who view this as a holy war. Suicide in Islam is forbidden!

Another question I have is: Have any of you ever lived in the States? That too is a huge factor to how this plays out.

edited for grammar

Edited by conscious_soul
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Another question I have is: Have any of you ever lived in the States? That too is a huge factor to how this plays out.

Thankfully not for any length of time (no offense.)

Haha, well, I think I do actually take offense to that (just a tad). I have both an American and Canadian citizenship, but I do consider myself more American. A very liberal, open-minded American, at that. I think you may be grouping Americans in one huge group. There are good ones here too!

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Another question I have is: Have any of you ever lived in the States? That too is a huge factor to how this plays out.

Thankfully not for any length of time (no offense.)

Haha, well, I think I do actually take offense to that (just a tad). I have both an American and Canadian citizenship, but I do consider myself more American. A very liberal, open-minded American, at that. I think you may be grouping Americans in one huge group. There are good ones here too!

lol sorry >< When I said no offense, I meant that I didn't mean my particular viewpoint as a personal indictment against you. I hardly know you! My opinion is more of the US in general, so it is very much an over-generalization as well as over-simplification. I'm sure I could write a book on differences in Islamophobia between the US and Europe if I had the time and willpower.

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