https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/colu...solute-freedom-crucial-combating-islamophobia
THE world has once again witnessed an extreme act of Islamophobia when Rasmus Paludan, a right-wing politician, burnt Quran at a recent rally in Stockholm. Such an act has caused outrage, especially from the Muslim world, as it is an unacceptable act of dishonouring the Muslim holy book.
The provocative act, carried out in front of the Turkish Embassy, proves that hatred towards Islam, or Islamophobia, continues to run thick in Europe.
This is not the first time such a prejudicial act against Islam and Muslims in the West has happened under the guise of “absolute freedom”.
In reality, such crimes are manifestations of Islamophobia. Islamophobia is defined as an irrational fear and hostility towards Islam and Muslims that can lead to hate speech and social and political prejudice.
It can be used to justify policies such as mass surveillance of certain groups, imprisonment and loss of rights. Without correcting these negative perceptions, it can influence the domestic and foreign policies of Western countries.
Islamophobia began taking root in the Western discourse in The Middle Ages when negative stereotypes about Muslims helped build popular support during the Crusades. The false perception of Muslims as uncivilised and violent also contributed to justifying European colonial domination over Muslim countries.
The term “Orientalism”, coined by renowned American sociologist Edward Said, best describes the negative stereotyped attitudes toward Muslims and other colonised peoples.
On the other hand, the term “Islamophobia” was popularised in a 1997 report published by the Runnymede Trust, a British think tank concerned with racial and ethnic discrimination.
Islamophobia, like anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, and prejudice towards “outsiders”, is often rationalised in order to propagate discrimination driven by the interests of Western political actors. Islamophobia is deeply ingrained in the minds of Westerners. They believe that Islam and Muslims advocate violence….
Terrorism claims are exploited to legitimise the monitoring of Muslims and, under certain circumstances, they are used to justify acts of war against a group of Muslims and Muslim states….
In the effort to achieve religious and national harmony, the West must reassess the notion of absolute freedom of expression that is currently practised. Hate speech and behaviour towards any religion, especially towards Islam and Muslims, must be stopped by strengthening ant-hate speech laws.
Similarly, blasphemy laws should apply to all religions rather than only Christianity, as it does in the United Kingdom. The recent act of burning the Quran in Sweden clearly shows contempt for the religion of Islam and should be prosecuted as blasphemy.
Without equitable response by Western governments, Islamophobia will fester, leading to acts of violence by various parties. Let us all work together to prevent social unrest and extreme actions by a few Muslims against the law and humanity, as occurred in 2001 (9/11) and the 2005 London Bombings.
Western governments must campaign for and educate the masses through programmes and activities on various platforms, either formally or informally, by promoting Islam as a religion of peace and rejecting violence.
This effort was once made in a special Fulbright Award programme – Direct Access to the Muslim World after 9/11 – where many speakers from Muslim countries were invited to the United States to educate Americans who were still misled and had negative perceptions about Islam.
THE world has once again witnessed an extreme act of Islamophobia when Rasmus Paludan, a right-wing politician, burnt Quran at a recent rally in Stockholm. Such an act has caused outrage, especially from the Muslim world, as it is an unacceptable act of dishonouring the Muslim holy book.
The provocative act, carried out in front of the Turkish Embassy, proves that hatred towards Islam, or Islamophobia, continues to run thick in Europe.
This is not the first time such a prejudicial act against Islam and Muslims in the West has happened under the guise of “absolute freedom”.
In reality, such crimes are manifestations of Islamophobia. Islamophobia is defined as an irrational fear and hostility towards Islam and Muslims that can lead to hate speech and social and political prejudice.
It can be used to justify policies such as mass surveillance of certain groups, imprisonment and loss of rights. Without correcting these negative perceptions, it can influence the domestic and foreign policies of Western countries.
Islamophobia began taking root in the Western discourse in The Middle Ages when negative stereotypes about Muslims helped build popular support during the Crusades. The false perception of Muslims as uncivilised and violent also contributed to justifying European colonial domination over Muslim countries.
The term “Orientalism”, coined by renowned American sociologist Edward Said, best describes the negative stereotyped attitudes toward Muslims and other colonised peoples.
On the other hand, the term “Islamophobia” was popularised in a 1997 report published by the Runnymede Trust, a British think tank concerned with racial and ethnic discrimination.
Islamophobia, like anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, and prejudice towards “outsiders”, is often rationalised in order to propagate discrimination driven by the interests of Western political actors. Islamophobia is deeply ingrained in the minds of Westerners. They believe that Islam and Muslims advocate violence….
Terrorism claims are exploited to legitimise the monitoring of Muslims and, under certain circumstances, they are used to justify acts of war against a group of Muslims and Muslim states….
In the effort to achieve religious and national harmony, the West must reassess the notion of absolute freedom of expression that is currently practised. Hate speech and behaviour towards any religion, especially towards Islam and Muslims, must be stopped by strengthening ant-hate speech laws.
Similarly, blasphemy laws should apply to all religions rather than only Christianity, as it does in the United Kingdom. The recent act of burning the Quran in Sweden clearly shows contempt for the religion of Islam and should be prosecuted as blasphemy.
Without equitable response by Western governments, Islamophobia will fester, leading to acts of violence by various parties. Let us all work together to prevent social unrest and extreme actions by a few Muslims against the law and humanity, as occurred in 2001 (9/11) and the 2005 London Bombings.
Western governments must campaign for and educate the masses through programmes and activities on various platforms, either formally or informally, by promoting Islam as a religion of peace and rejecting violence.
This effort was once made in a special Fulbright Award programme – Direct Access to the Muslim World after 9/11 – where many speakers from Muslim countries were invited to the United States to educate Americans who were still misled and had negative perceptions about Islam.
