Islamophobia?

I’ve just  written about whether we dared to talk about Islam.  The context was a comment someone made on social media about whether you might dare to speak about Islam in (places like) Bradford.

However, it got me thinking about the question of Islamophobia.  This is a term that has grown in currency in recent years.  It’s pertinent because the fear of being accused of (and if legislators get their way,  potentially arrested for) Islamophobia may be a perceived reason for some to be nervous about talking about Islam.

Now, I’ve been quite sceptical about the term Islamophobia for two reasons.  First, there was a tendency to use it as a bit of what-aboutery in response to attempts to address antisemitism.  Secondly, especially when you look at some definitions, it can come across as an attempt to close off discussion and critique of Islam. 

However, whether Islamophobia is the best term for it,  I do think that there are real issues to consider here. You see, the point about Islamophobia is that it is an attempt to define a form of racism and of course Islam is not a race, hence the difference with antisemitism.

The thing is though (and this is the point that those raising the issue are trying to make), we can on one level seem to be critiquing a religion but in fact when you look closer, you realise that the religion is being conflated with ethnicity and culture. 

Examples of such conflation might include

1. Talking about Islam creating no go areas then describing those no go areas as places where not a white face is to be seen.
2. Conflating discussions about Islam with anti immigration rhetoric.
3. Treating Muslims as an ethnically and culturally homogenous group.
4. Assuming that all people from an ethnic background are Muslim.
5. Attacking Islamist ideology but treating this as representative of the whole of Islam and the individual thinking of each and every Muslim.  This can be linked to racial stereotyping if we are able to differentiate an ideology which some white people might hold from what individual Europeans might hold to. 

It is worth noting that a mirror issue may exist in terms of some apparent critiques of Christianity and the West. 

I remain unconvinced about the benefits of new laws. However, there is a need for accountability, self awareness, humility and wisdom for Christians as we engage with Islam and Muslims.