Exploring the impacts of compulsory islamophobia

Islamophobia is a contemporary social issue that is alive and well in the 2018. I wrote this piece based on an experience I conducted in attempt to put myself in the shoes of Muslims in the U.S. and those who are perceived to be Muslim.

According to a Pew Research Center Survey, nearly seven-in-ten adults in the general public say that there is “a lot” of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. (Kishi, “Assaults Against Muslims in the U.S. surpass 2001 level”). Given that there are about 3.45 million Muslims residing in the United States today, islamophobia is more prevalent than ever. Islamophobia is a rejection of Islam, Muslim groups and Muslim individuals on the basis of prejudice and stereotypes. American Muslims in 2018 face civil rights violations of all sorts: from misrepresentation in the media of the Muslim culture, to hate crimes including murder, property destruction, rape, and more. To explore the topic further and immerse myself as much as possible for academic purposes, I chose to cover my hair using a hijab in a variety of public spheres. In the time I wore the hijab, I experienced a very small portion of what people who are perceived to be Muslim experience everyday. Through research and experience, I have concluded that islamophobia is the result of a lack of proper understanding of Islam itself and the people who follow it; islamophobia is an acquired behavior, it is not inherited. I also learned that the experience of islamophobia can often be subtle and indirect, in addition to the larger scale acts of hatred.

People who identify with the religion of Islam are subject to discrimination as a result of how uneducated media corporations as well as politicians depict them on TV and in films. The media which portrays Muslims to be barbaric, less than human beings, with savage values that are completely contrary to those of the western values that we claim, fosters xenophobia and encourages negative stereotyping. For instance, the popular children’s movie, Aladdin, refers to Aladdin’s homeland as barbaric. It can also be noted that the film gives the “good Arabs” such as Aladdin, American accents while the rest of the characters are given exaggerated Arab accents. The effects of these inaccurate representations impact non-Muslims as well, as “Arabs, Sikhs, and South Asians are some of the groups that are often targets of anti-Muslim discrimination” (“Islamophobia in Classrooms, Media, and Politics” 3). Dr. Amer Ahmed identifies as a practicing American Muslim, he is a professor at the University of Massachusetts and leader of several interfaith and islamophobia discussions throughout the country. Dr. Ahmed says, “I think that even people who are not of my religion are subject to racism and islamophobia because often times it has something to do with how you appear” (Ahmed, “Interview with Dr. Ahmed”). Because so many non-Muslim Americans are being fed misinformation about the diversity in appearance and origin of American Muslims, anti-Muslim hostility has become a widely accepted ideology here in the states. Shirley Steinberg, author of “Islamophobia: The Viewed and the Viewers,” compares the portrayal of the German Nazis and the portrayals of Arabs and Muslims as seen in the mass media when she states, “The Nazis are anal, obsessive, cruel—but clean and human” (10). This comparison is the horrifying reality of what people are witnessing in the media as their only source of education regarding the religion of Islam. Steinberg implies that even a group of anti-semitic mass murderers are more humanized than Muslims and Arabs.

As for the political aspects of Islam in the media, American politicians have set the standard for a certain accepted islamophobic behavior “as an ideological and political framework, [that] remains deeply ingrained in the psyche of most Americans, islamophobia manifests both consciously, as a result of the effects of ongoing political campaigns against Islam as a religion” (“How Islamophobia is Creating a Second-Class Citizenry in America” 9). We have seen a pattern of American politicians adopting islamophobic values as a part of their campaigning. This has become a common method to attract the “silent majority” of Americans. In my experience posing as muslim woman, this “silent majority” tends to also be the backbone of silent islamophobia.

The Trump administration is a prime, modern example of the governmental stance on Islam. The president stated in an interview with CNN, “We can’t allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States and of people that are not Muslim,” (Trump, “Battle for the White House”) Trump suggests that the entire religion of Islam has a collective hatred for the United States and those who are not Muslim. This assumption seems to be far from the truth according to Dr. Ghada Al Abbadi, a practicing Muslim woman. Responding to what she wishes non-Muslim people knew about Islam, Dr. Al Abbadi stated, “I also wish that non-Muslims would know that the Quran tells its readers and especially the people who identify as Muslims, that Heaven is a place for all people and not just Muslims. As such, there is no sense of us vs. you and if you are not like us then you are going to hell” (Al Abbadi “Interview with Dr. G”). The holy book of Islam (The Quran) is written in Arabic and there are many inaccurate translations of the Quran which lack context and close reading. Politicians like President Trump, who is not a native Arabic speaker, are lacking the correct information about the religion and, in turn, are not in a place to make educated judgements about the religion of Islam. The misrepresentation of Islam in politics comes from uninformed comments and conversations like these. Noticeably, the comments and conversations being held rarely include a person who actually identifies with the religion of Islam and/ or has done close reading of the sacred text and the values it promotes.

The graph shown above, the “Process Model of Islamophobia," (“Islamophobia or Islamophobias: Towards Developing A Process Model” 21) is a visual representation of the process of the formation of islamophobia as an attitude. The small boxes on the far right represent the assumptions that the general public makes about the religion of Islam based on what they have gathered from the media. The examples provided as these assumptions are precisely the opposite of what Americans would deem to be “American” values. In turn, fostering an “us-versus-them” mindset. These inaccurate depictions of Islam are then separated into categories representing the ways in which these assumptions would potentially affect the U.S. in terms of culture, politics, and security. We are then posed with the question which is represented by the oval in the middle: are these particular threat perceptions rational or irrational? It can be determined by exploring the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of Islamophobia. It is understood that these three aspects serve as the three parts of the mind. The cognitive part being the knowledge on a particular topic, the affective refers to the emotional relationship with the topic, and the conative determines how one acts on the knowledge and feelings. An example of determining rational or irrational is stated in the academic article as, “The less the cognitive structures on Islamophobia, the more the irrational fears towards Muslims and Islam” (22).

If the cognitive structure increased, it would be clear that the initial assumptions made about Islam are in fact, wrong. So much so, that Dr. Ghada Al Abbadi as well as Dr. Amer Ahmed both responded to the question “what do you wish non-Muslims knew about Islam?” by, in one way or another, strongly suggesting that Islam is not as different from other monotheistic religions as it is perceived to be.

While I could not possibly understand or experience the full impact that islamophobia has on American Muslims or people perceived to be Muslim, I was able to see the world through a completely different lens when I wore the hijab. My very first impression of wearing the hijab in public was genuine fear. I sat in my car for what seemed like a long moment, wrestling with this feeling I was having. I go into this coffee shop most mornings before school, why was my stomach starting to feel this uneasy tension now? When I walked into the coffee shop, I felt an unusual amount of eyes following me and a trembling tone to the barista’s voice when she spoke to me. It’s difficult enough worrying about going out alone in public as a woman, and now I was portraying a Muslim woman. The feeling of uncomfort was heightened tremendously.

After the conversation I shared with Dr. Ahmed, the feeling I was having became more clear. Referring to the contributions of appearance on islamophobia, Ahmed stated that, “a major challenge for Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab and many who are afraid to wear the hijab because they are afraid of being targeted. For men there is a consideration of whether or not to keep a beard, whether or not they feel comfortable keeping a beard in this climate all of that connects to, in general wearing cultural dress clothing (Ahmed, “Interview with Dr. Ahmed”). Islamophobia forces Muslim people to live in fear of what they will face if they openly practice their religion. In regards to the first amendment, the idea that many Americans are subject to this type of xenophobia for practicing their religion does not seem very American. I was able to experience this first hand, the uneasiness I felt that first morning before I entered the coffee shop, and the anxiety I got when I stepped into the airport alone was a symptom of the fear of being targeted simply for covering my hair with a headscarf that is generally perceived to originate mainly from Islamic traditions.

While wearing the hijab, I was also subject to experiencing a portion of the more subtle islamophobia that Dr. Ahmed referred to when he said that, “it immediately creates a skepticism amongst others to be brown and to wear a certain clothing it immediately causes people to pay attention and focus on what you are doing and your movements” (Ahmed, “Interview with Dr. Ahmed”). This idea of others paying attention to my movements more was something that I heavily experienced, making me realize that subtle islamophobia is far more present than I anticipated. Walking around the Dayton International Airport alone, resembling a Muslim woman was a very frightening experience for me. I could feel all eyes follow me and my movements, but never actually making direct eye contact with me. It was almost dehumanizing to some point in the sense that these gazes were not being received by anyone who did not look like I did. This experience helped me to understand and empathize with the devastating reality of why some Muslim women choose not to express their modesty by wearing a hijab. I learned that islamophobia is much more than just the heart breaking headlines we see in the news. It is a series of uncomfortable moments that are difficult to understand entirely without experiencing first hand; it is recurring gestures and actions that bring a feeling unwelcomeness.

Xenophobia, of any kind, is a factor of the divisiveness occurring in the U.S. and if we, as a country with many cultures, do not make efforts to develop a sense of cognitive accuracy, the very dangerous “us-versus-them” mentality will remain intact. I have found that the vilification of Muslim people in the media and in American politics plays a very large part in the culture of compulsory islamophobia and supports a foundation of xenophobia in people of all ages. As a result of my experience, I was able to build a more empathetic relationship with my Muslim peers. It also allowed me to more easily navigate my academic findings about islamophobia and make connections between my experience and other’s experiences on the basis of academia pertaining to islamophobia.

Works Cited

Al Abbadi, Ghada. Interview with Dr. G. 25 September 2018.

Ali, Yaser. “Shariah and Citizenship—How Islamophobia Is Creating a Second-Class Citizenry In America.” California Law Review, vol. 100, no. 4, 2012, pp. 1027–1068. JSTOR,

JSTOR, web.

Amer, Ahmed. Interview with Dr. Ahmed. 2 October 2018.

IQBAL, ZAFAR. “Islamophobia or Islamophobias: Towards Developing A Process Model.” Islamic Studies, vol. 49, no. 1, 2010, pp. 81–101. JSTOR, JSTOR, web.

Kishi, Katayoun. “Assaults against Muslims in U.S. Surpass 2001 Level.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 15 Nov. 2017, web.

Steinberg, Shirley R. “Islamophobia: The Viewed and the Viewers.” Counterpoints, vol. 346, 2010, pp. 79–97. JSTOR, JSTOR, web.

Trump, Donald. “Battle for the White House.” CNN.

Zaal, Mayida. “Islamophobia in Classrooms, Media, and Politics.” Journal of Adolescent & & Adult Literacy, vol. 55, no. 6, 2012, pp. 555–558. JSTOR, JSTOR, web.