Haja Mohideen & Shamimah Mohideen

Islamophobia, the hatred for and fear of Islam and Muslims, manifests itself in physical, political, cultural, linguistic and other forms. From the linguistic perspective, many words have been coined to perpetuate prejudices against Muslims and their religion. Expressions are freely used to associate Islam, which means “peace” in Arabic, with concepts and actions which the religion and practising Muslims do not approve of, much less condone. Expressions such as Islamic terrorism, Islamic fanaticism, Muslim extremists, Islamist and political Islam have been used pejoratively. To strike fear and misgivings in the minds of many Europeans, the British capital has even been mischievously called “Londonistan” by anti-Muslim elements. Known Islamophobic items taken from Internet articles need to be analysed to respond objectively to linguistic Islamophobia.

Trust, an independent anti-racist think tank in the United Kingdom, in a 1997 report described Islamophobia as the view that Islam has no values in common with other cultures; is inferior to the West; has a violent political ideology; its criticisms of the West lack substance and that discriminatory practices carried out against Muslims are justifiable. Kopanski laments that there are influential academics “who are engaged in promoting the idea of ‘Islamic threat’ to Western civilization.”1

After assuming the papacy, Pope Benedict XVI, in his major address to Muslim leaders, said they had a duty to help defeat terrorism. It is not clear if the Pope made a similar appeal to people of other faiths or their leaders, political or religious. By asking Muslim leaders to help defeat terror, he was implying that it is Muslims who are spreading terror, and absolving a lot of others who are involved. The spiritual leader of the world’s Catholics cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who had characterised some of the teachings of the Prophet MuÍammad (SAW) as “evil and inhuman.” After worldwide protests he apologised saying that the quote “came from a text that didn’t reflect his personal opinion.”2

Pat Robertson, supposedly a Christian evangelist, and a television host on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s The 700 Club went so far as to insult Islam as “a bloody, brutal type of religion.” The Sunday Star included a news report which stated that Nick Griffith, leader of the British National Party had called Islam a “wicked, vicious faith.” Such people “have been joined by the forces of many secret societies like Freemasons and All Bonesmen, who fear Islam as an organised, institutionalised force.”3

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