The Fear of Islam and Muslims

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A pregnant Muslim Egyptian woman was stabbed to death in a German courtroom in 2009. The twenty-eight year old German man repeatedly stabbed her sixteen times. She bled to death in front of her child and husband (“Islamophobia” Global n.p.). Islamophobia is a relatively new term that refers to the fear of Islam and Muslims Some sources also include discrimination and hostility towards Muslims in their definition. Therefore, Islamophobia can be defined as the irrational fear of and hostility towards Islam and Muslims (“Islamaphobia” Opposing n.p). In a U.S.A Today Poll done in 2007, thirty-nine percent of Americans admitted to feeling some sort of prejudice against Muslims. About the same percentage favored Muslims to carry some sort of ID in order to prevent terrorist attacks. About one in four people said that they would not want to have Muslims as their neighbors (Kumar n.p). However, majority of Americans have seemed to developed better attitudes towards Islam/Muslims. “According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll in 2010, 37 percent of Americans had favorable opinions of Islam and Muslims” (“Islamophobia” Opposing n.p). About sixty percent of Americans surveyed admitted that they weren’t that knowledgeable about Islam. “It seems that the foundation of Islamophobia, for many, may be a simple lack of information” (“Islamophobia” Global n.p). Islam has nothing to fear.
The media plays one of the major roles in fueling this fear. By portraying horrifying scenes from around the world, the media introduces fear into “large populations, especially in countries where the average household watches television eight hours a day” (Beuhler n.p). The media seems to excel when covering conflict, especially when it comes to the Islamic wor...

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...ed due to their lack of knowledge. What most people know comes from the media which is not entirely accurate. Their beliefs that Islam is monolithic, sexist, and violent are invalid. Although a monolithic, sexist religion should cause fear, it could cause hostility. Only a religion’s violence should, which Islam is not.

Works Cited

"Islamophobia." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
"Islamophobia." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Global Issues In Context. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
Kumar, Deepa. “Islam and Islamophobia.” Isreview. March 2007. ISR. Web. 05 Feb. 2014
“Islamophobia: A Challenge For Us All.” Runny Mede Trust. Runny Mede Trust. n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2014.
Kabani. “WHAT JIHAD IS.” Islamic Supreme Council. Islamic Supreme Council.n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

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