The concept of Islamophobia dates as far as the inception of the religion itself. The Prophet (PBUH) had to undergo the most inhumane treatment; physically and psychologically. From being heckled by the Quraish to being called names, all indecencies were termed fair, and the Prophet (PBUH) bore it with the utmost patience until he triumphed over the same people who disowned him. The threat perception of Islam, therefore, is not a novel phenomenon and dates back 14 centuries.
The advent of information technology coupled with globalization gave people a newer, far-reaching voice. One which was not bound by the laws of physics and proximity but one which could be heard thousands of miles away. Communication, as it was perceived, had become easier and much more widespread. Unfortunately, all advancement in technology has a downside. In this case the downside was the dissemination of offensive ideas, notions, and actions.
Europe has, since the past 30 years, gradually turned into a hotspot for Islamophobes. The European man, or woman for that matter, have allowed their minds to be poisoned by the constant Anti-Islamic propaganda championed by the Western media. But to be fair and honest, Muslims too have not lived up to the precepts of the founder of Islam and in the meanwhile, given others ample opportunities to point their fingers on us.
For starters, our extremely ignorant clerical lot, have misinterpreted much of the Quran and Hadith and incited the young and old to see through the eyes and think with the brain of an extremist. All militant organizations claim to hinge on the Quran and justify their terror through Hadith, most of which are fabricated. Second, our own narrative builders have been unable to counter the rising wave of Islamophobia. There are 57 Muslim countries in the world, and none have nurtured a film industry that could churn out Pro-Islam narrative to counter the ascending narrative against Islam for which Hollywood must be given full credit. Third, emigrant Muslims who have settled in the West have been carrying themselves shamefully and have been, often, acting in the stereotypical savage fashion.
Thus, the Western governments should make the effort to stop such incidents from happening. The Muslims account for more than 2 billion souls or a quarter of the entire world population, and every heart that beats in those chests carrie zero tolerance for blasphemy. Allowing the burning of the Quran or publishing irresponsible caricatures of the Prophet (PBUH) is not as much allowing freedom of speech as it is being accomplice in provoking the Muslim World.
Given these conditions, the recipe for increasing Islamophobia is rife and readily available for anyone to mix and concoct such narratives.
Sweden has been in the spotlight in the past few weeks for its perceived light-handedness towards Islamophobic extremists. Last month, a Swedish national burnt the Quran in front of the Stockholm Central Mosque, prompting swift outcry by Muslims around the world. The most striking protest happened in Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad, where the followers of Shia Cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr stormed the Swedish Embassy and damaged is infrastructure.
Yet, such reactionary measures only provide a short-lived respite and just help the disgruntled an opportunity to vent their anger. Not only is this not a good strategy to counter Islamophobia but to the contrary undermines the diplomatic image of the Muslim world; making the Western world feel more insecure and counterproductively feeds the anti-Islam narrative which the Muslim world direly needs to address.
What the Muslim world should rather do, through a collective and concerted effort, is to lobby the governments of Europe and America and convince them of the need to introduce legislations that draw a line between freedom of speech and outright racism and bigotry. The West must also be cautioned about the differing notions about religious personalities and scriptures among the Muslims and Non-Muslims. For the secular world of the West, Jesus Christ or Muhammad (PBUH) may be ordinary people who can be subject to the harshest criticism without expecting any reprisal but here in the Muslim world, the Prophets, Messengers and the Scriptures they brought are held in utmost regard and the slightest disrespect towards them is not tolerated.
Thus, the Western governments should make the effort to stop such incidents from happening. The Muslims account for more than 2 billion souls or a quarter of the entire world population, and every heart that beats in those chests carrie zero tolerance for blasphemy. Allowing the burning of the Quran or publishing irresponsible caricatures of the Prophet (PBUH) is not as much allowing freedom of speech as it is being accomplice in provoking the Muslim World.
