The Story of Islamophobia





(Summary: This article discusses the origins and evolution of Islamophobia. It firstly


explains the context in which the seeds of the problem were planted. That is followed by the


reasons for which Islam and Muslims historically became easy targets. After that, three


critical evolutionary phases, as well as illustrations, of Islamophobia were presented: the


First Crusade and Pope Urban II; “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri; and


“Mahomet” by Voltaire. The article is concluded with thoughts on Islamophobia at the


present time.)


When Heraclius, the Byzantine Emperor (d. 641), met in Jerusalem Abu Sufyan, who was the


leader of Makkah at the time and was yet to accept Islam, he enquired a great deal of


information about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). In doing so, he insisted that he wanted


nothing but the truth, regardless of Abu Sufyan’s personal perception of, and relationship


with, the Prophet (pbuh) (Sahih Muslim).


This Heraclius’ position of curiosity, fervour and affability represented a pattern, which was


similarly shared by the sizeable Christian community of Najran, a southwestern region in the


Arabian Peninsula.


When the reputation and role of Negus, the King of Christian Abyssinia – who eventually


became a Muslim himself - are added to the mix, one can easily understand why especially


early Muslims had a positive perception about Christians. They were favoured above pagans


and nonbelievers. They were regarded as the People of the Book.


The feeling was reciprocal. The Qur’an affirms: “You will surely find the most intense of the


people in animosity toward the believers (to be) the Jews and those who associate others with


Allah; and you will find the nearest of them in affection to the believers those who say: ‘We


are Christians’. That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not


arrogant” (al-Ma’idah, 82).


The context


However, as the contacts between Islam and Christendom (Western and Eastern Christianity)


intensified, the former was increasingly seen as a serious threat to the territorial and


ideological integrity of the latter. The relationships mainly from the side of Christianity were


becoming more and more political, dogmatic and duplicitous, and less and less pure religious,


reverential and humane.


This was coupled with the endless troubles that were besetting the Roman Empire and


Christianity as its state religion. Firstly, there was a permanent fallout from the collapse of


the Western Roman Empire in 476. Then there were the First (726-787) and Second (814-


842) Byzantine Iconoclasm, the Great Schism in 1054, the Protestant Reformation in the 16th


and 17th century (1517-1648), the Counter-Reformation (1545-1648), the European wars of


religion or Christian religious wars in the 16th, 17th and 18th century.


The processes culminated in the Age of Enlightenment (the Age of Reason) in the 17th and


18th century when the authority of absolute monarchies and the rigid and irrational dogmas of


the Catholic Church were greatly undermined. The sovereignty of reason and liberty were


exalted instead.


The new developments paved the way for the emergence of political revolutions. The French


Revolution in 1789-1799 was the epitome of the changes. In many ways it altered the course


of human history, causing a chain reaction of nationalism and freedom movements, as well as


revolutions, which were either inspired by it or were reactions against it.


As the incubator of ideas, ingenuity and nonconformity, the Age of Enlightenment was


followed roughly by the “mature” ages of modernity and post-modernity. Such were the


times when liberalism, freedom, secularism, democracy, nationalism, material progress,


agnosticism and relativism, in various forms and degrees, commenced to reign supreme.


Religion, both as an idea and actual reality, was at its deathbed. “God is dead”, Friedrich


Nietzsche (d. 1900) declared, implying that the latest phases of human social and intellectual


development have done away with the possibility of the existence and God. People were no


longer in need of Him. The myths of religion were destroyed once and for all.


In the midst of all this, the extraordinary rise and spread of Islam and its culture and


civilization worldwide, including the advances into the heart of Europe and the fall and


complete takeover of the Byzantine Empire, were always to be misconstrued.


Christianity represented all religions (to most people, nonetheless, it was the only religion).


With its virtual death, all systems of thought and practice that operated under the standard of


religion, were dead too. Islam, in the West either as a sect of an established religion or a


pseudo-religion, was no exception.


Islam and Muslims as easy targets


Islam and Muslims were expectedly vilified at all levels of their religious and national


presence. They were unwelcome disturbances and evil, which simply refused to go away.


Thus, pursuing the ideological and historical truths was not on the agenda of the


predominantly Christian West. Other interests prevailed, and revenge was never off the table.


Consequently, Islam was seen as a form of heresy and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a false


prophet inspired by the devil. The Prophet (pbuh) was labelled with all the antitheses of Jesus


and his message of peace, love and tolerance.


The views gradually morphed from mere categorizations to elaborate polemics. The Prophet


(pbuh) became less of an impostor and heretic, and more of a servant of Satan and the


Antichrist who is Hell-bound. He was the evil leader of the evil ideology which was after all


other ideologies (religions). His teachings produced generations of blinded fanatics who


could not spread the bigoted ideas of theirs except with the sword.


Like so a licence was granted to whoever was inclined to preach anything against Islam and


its Prophet, or to do anything against the interests of Muslims. Literally everything was


acceptable and encouraged. No wrong could have been committed because Satan and the 


Antichrist, and their devotees, were difficult to handle. Doing so furthermore was a sign of


piety and a holy struggle, and was fast becoming fashionable. An entire body of literature


was produced in the process.


Needless to say that the sentiment was most vigorously promoted during the times of corrupt


religious and political leaders. The more fraudulent they were, the more severe their


campaigns were. Maligning Islam, Muslims and the Prophet (pbuh) was used as a


smokescreen behind which the real stories unfolded.


The First Crusade and Pope Urban II


For example, the First Crusade (1096-1099), aimed to wrest the Holy Land from the Islamic


rule and to liberate the eastern churches, was initiated by Pope Urban II (d. 1099). The Pope


promised forgiveness of all sins for those who would participate in his divine call. Valour and


ruthlessness were the requirements.


The results were widespread massacres and bloodbaths. They involved men, women and


children. The figures were staggering. Generally during the tenure of his papacy (1088-1099),


the Pope was responsible for sanctioning, directly or indirectly, so many slaughters in the


name of religion - not just as part of the First Crusade in the Holy Land, but also elsewhere as


part of other undertakings - that the number of victims run into millions of persons.


For some, therefore, Pope Urban II was “the benchmark for where the wrongdoings against


mankind and God got to be genocidal”. He is also described as one of the worst popes who


inscribed the pages of history for all the wrong reasons (www.infotainworld.com).


The massacres connected with the First Crusade were not insanity, nor the acts of


bloodthirstiness, but were the results of a clear policy. “They (Christian Crusaders) desired


that this place (Jerusalem), so long contaminated by the superstition of the pagan inhabitants


(Muslims and Jews), should be cleansed from their contagion” (Michael Hull).


Pope Urban II’s banner was the all-out holy war against Islam. That the war was a


premeditated long-term strategy, testifies the fact that there were afterwards at least seven


more major Crusade expeditions. They lasted until 1291. It is estimated that in total between


three and nine million people lost their lives in those wars (www.apholt.com).


Crusades as a paradigm


In actual fact, the wars never ended. They only fluctuated in terms of form, intensity and


scope. Hence, centuries-old colonization and westernization signified an extension, as well as


an adaptation, of the trend. As delicately do today’s Western efforts of modernization,


democratization, globalization, acculturation and integration, both in the Muslim world and


back home in the West.


Accordingly, when Field Marshall Allenby (re)captured Jerusalem in 1918 in the name of the


Allies, while standing on the steps of the Dome of the Rock, he made a proclamation: “Today


the Crusades have come to an end.” In the same vein, Peterson Smith, in his book on the life


of Jesus, wrote: “This capture of Jerusalem was indeed an eighth (or ninth) Crusade in which


Christianity had finally achieved its purpose” (Husayn Haykal).


The recent wars in the Middle East furthermore reinforce the point. They were never seen


legitimate in the eyes of the Muslim mainstream. Rather, they were perceived – and rightly so 


- as the latest crusade drives against Islam and Muslims globally. The term “crusade”, with a


variety of tinges, regularly reverberated from both sides of the spectrum.


Following the end of physical colonization, Muslims were gaining a significant foothold in


regional and global socio-economic arenas. That was neither expected nor desired in the eyes


of the former colonizers, calling for the tide to be stemmed. The rampant and globalized


Islamophobia phenomenon is a product of such efforts. Extremely fluid, lethal and subtle, it


in itself is a crusade.


“The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri


Another example that must be mentioned is the poem “The Divine Comedy” by Dante


Alighieri (d. 1321), a renowned Italian poet. In it, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is depicted as


the greatest falsifier and a Christian schismatic, “a sower of scandal and schism”. His


punishment – as presented in the poem - literally embodies the sin of discord by having his


body torn apart from chin to buttocks.


The Prophet (pbuh) is not only doomed to Hell, but also placed near its very bottom where


Satan himself resides. There is as well reference to Ali b. Abi Talib – “cleft in the face from


forelock unto chin” - Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd and Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, as inhabitants of Hell.


According to Edward Said, “the discriminations and refinements of Dante’s poetic grasp of


Islam are an instance of the schematic, almost cosmological inevitability with which Islam


and its designated representatives are creatures of Western geographical, historical, and


above all, moral apprehension. Empirical data about the Orient or about any of its parts count


for very little; what matters and is decisive is what I have been calling the Orientalist vision.”


The perceptions are “fixed in a visionary cosmology - fixed, laid out, boxed in and imprisoned,


without much regard for anything except their ‘function’ and the patterns they realize on the stage


on which they appear”.


Dante’s work is an evidence of how strongly articulated the representations of the Orient (Islam


and Muslims) were, how inordinately careful their schematization was, and how dramatically


effective their placing in Western imaginative geography was (Edward Said).


In spite of everything, Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” is still regarded as one of the greatest


works of world literature; however, it is obvious by whom, in what academic circles, and for


which precast consciousness. At any rate, the “Comedy” becomes a tragedy when certain


Muslims and certain Muslim educational institutions, in the name of modernization and


progress, start to follow suit and extol this devilish work.


In Egypt, as an example, there is a Dante Alighieri Institute. It was established in 1896, seven


years after it was first established in Rome, with the objective of preserving and spreading the


Italian language and culture in the world. It has offices in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. For the


seventh centenary of the birth of Dante Alighieri, the Institute has published in Cairo in 1965


the Arabic edition of the poet’s life and works.


“Mahomet” by Voltaire


“Mahomet” (“Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet”) is a five-act tragedy, or drama,


composed by French author, historian and philosopher Voltaire (d. 1778). The subject of the


work is religious fanaticism.


Voltaire was “inspired” by his “love of mankind and the hatred of fanaticism”. Those virtues


which adorned the King of Prussia Frederick the Great (d. 1786) – as a symbol of European


secular dynamism and progress – but were non-existent elsewhere, guided the pen of


Voltaire.


The Prophet (pbuh), his mission and his followers were chosen to be satirized and denigrated


because they epitomized superstition, evil and fanaticism. They were a poison that still


subsisted. They were a plague that still broke out from time to time, enough to infect the


earth.


The Prophet (pbuh) likewise was a founder of superstition and extremism. He was a ruffian


who first carried the sword to the altar to sacrifice all those who refused to embrace his


doctrines.


In the said drama, he is explicitly depicted as a deceitful impostor, merciless tyrant, cunning


manipulator, indoctrinator, and as suffering from obsessive love disorder.


The drama, essentially, oozes the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment and Reason, which


Voltaire very much exemplified, with France being one of its European epicentres. The


essence of Christianity is neither present nor endorsed, which is understandable, in that


Voltaire was known for his criticism of Christianity in general and of the Roman Catholic


Church in particular.


More accurately, one can read between the lines the endorsement of the fundamental


principles of the Enlightenment, such as free will, liberty, equality, honour, justice, curiosity


and humanity. Such was done against the backdrop of religious sentiments - albeit


specifically the Islamic ones - which in no way were compatible with the ideals of the


Enlightenment.


No surprise that Emanuel Kant (d. 1804) - in passing - designated the Enlightenment as


man’s emergence from his self-imposed nonage, which is the inability to use one’s own


understanding without another’s guidance. “Have the courage to use your own


understanding”, is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment. Kant reckoned that the public


use of one’s reason must be free at all times without religious interference and restrictions by


means of fixed doctrines, “and this alone can bring enlightenment to mankind”.


The case of the waning Christianity was targeted too in the drama, but the case of Islam and


the Prophet (pbuh) was the main focus. That was so because the days of their wickedness


never died; the flames of their fanatical religious wars were never totally extinguished; their


threat was real, even though they might not have functioned so openly; and the symptoms of


their scourge still managed to intermittently break out and trouble the world.


Voltaire concluded that those who underestimated the threat of Islam and its Prophet’s


zealous followers were paying “too high a compliment to human nature”. Therefore, he had


no choice but to project the action of his literary work as terrible as possible. “I do not know


whether horror was ever carried farther on any stage.” If allowed, though, the proponents of


such wickedness and fanaticism can perpetrate more horrible actions “than that which I have


invented”.


Voltaire was a defender of freedom and secularism as an emergent and most precious


windfall of European struggles. The ongoing battles were for the future, as a result of which 


the weakening Christianity was increasingly side-lined, whereas the immortality and innate


potency of Islam were the real cause for concern. And so, they had to be dealt with as such on


all fronts.


Need for political and religious support


Nonetheless, for Voltaire’s excessive ideas to gain currency and be widely accepted, he


needed both political and religious support. His poem was set to divide opinion. Napoleon for


one is said to have somewhat disapproved of the author’s portrayal of the Prophet (pbuh),


accusing him of departing “both from nature and history”.


As a consequence, Voltaire wrote a letter to the powerful King of Prussia Frederick the Great


(d. 1786), turning his eyes towards his court “like the pilgrims of Makkah turning their eyes


perpetually towards that city after leaving it.” He did so while sending the King a fresh copy


of “Mahomet”, having earlier sent him the sketch of the same.


Voltaire warned the King and, at the same time, sought his support, together with a possible


intervention, against the existent enemy that was putting at risk everything the secular Europe


was building for ages.


He described the problem as follows: “In vain does human reason advance towards


perfection, by means of that philosophy which of late has made so great a progress in Europe;


in vain do you most noble prince, both inspire and practise this humane philosophy; whilst in


the same age wherein reason raises her throne on one side, the most absurd fanaticism adorns


her altars on the other.”


Voltaire hoped that some “weak mortals who are ever ready to receive the impressions of a


madness foreign to their culture” will benefit from his work by guarding themselves against


the explained fatal delusions, and against blindly following the blind who cry out to them and


who hate and persecute all who are rash enough not to be of the same opinion even in matters


people do not understand.


Voltaire concluded his letter to King Frederick the Great by declaring that it would be an


infinite service to mankind (not merely to Europe) to eradicate such false sentiments (and


their sources). He then professed that what he had written he knew was his majesty’s opinion


as well, on account of him being an agnostic and a great patron of the arts, education and


generally all the standards and values of the Enlightenment.


Parenthetically, the King is reported to have been homosexual. He was also a religious


sceptic, tolerating all religions and faiths in his kingdom. However, Islam and Muslims


belonged to the sphere of the “other” and hence were part of the “us versus them” dialectics.


The King once commented that he was fortunate to have lived in the age of Voltaire, to have


known him and have corresponded with him.


Moreover, Voltaire wrote to Pope Benedict XIV (d. 1758), greatly flattering him. He


described him as the head of the true religion and the vicar as well as representative of a God


of truth and mercy. He informed him of his satire against the founder of a false and barbarous


sect, who in reality was a false prophet propagating cruelty and errors.


He asked for the Pope’s permission to lay at his feet both a specimen of the satire and the


author of it, humbly requesting his protection of the former and his benediction (approval and


blessing) upon the latter.


The Pope replied to Voltaire that he was favoured with his excellent tragedy of Mahomet,


which he had read with great pleasure.


The Pope next wrote: “Many are the obligations which you have conferred on me, for which I


am greatly indebted to you, for all and every one of them; and I assure you that I have the


highest esteem for your merit, which is so universally acknowledged.”


At last, the Pope promised that he will defend the work “against your opposers and mine, and


here (I) give you my apostolical benediction”.


The Pope mentioned “your opposers and mine” most probably because he too was often a


target. He was a polymath that was somewhat inclined to streamlining and even reforming


the Catholic Church. He promoted scientific learning and the baroque arts, was conciliatory


in his relations with the secular powers making vast concessions to the kings, and was


moderate but committed to the Counter-Reformation (authentic Catholic teachings)


(Britannica).


“Mahomet” is therefore said to have been dedicated by the author to the Pope.


It stands to reason that Voltaire’s “Mahomet” marked a transition point from religious to


secular Islamophobia. The satire represented the diminishing power and scope of the former,


and the fast rising proclivity and compass of the latter. The transition from one style to


another was as much systematic as spontaneous.


Islamophobia today


Indeed, every subsequent Islamophobe owes a great deal of gratitude to Voltaire and his


“Mahomet”. Unfortunately, the author’s global reputation made his Islamophobic views


globally appealing too. He is sometimes regarded as the most outstanding literary figure of


modern times, and possibly of all times.


All but particularly secular Islamophobes are Voltaire’s “descendants”, including a great


many contemporary leaders in his native France. Some thus wonder if he actually spread the


Enlightenment or darkness, colonization and enslavement.


The factors that cause and sustain Islamophobia are ignorance, hatred, enmity and religious


(ideological) bigotry. In any case, to advocate Islamophobia nowadays, in the age of


globalization, democracy, internet and the information age, means that those factors have


been elevated to some unprecedented levels, bordering on paranoia, irrationality, madness


and fantasy.


Islamophobia is as incomprehensible as the deeds of Islamophobes. It stops at nothing in


order to achieve a result, commanding no fixed patterns, nor strategies. It persistently strives


to enrich and embolden itself by bringing whoever and whatever it can to its fold - in part or


completely, actually or virtually. It preys on the “vulnerable”, doubtful and embittered ones,


recognizing no value, respect or consequence whatsoever in the process. It is shameless.


This explains, for instance, why Pope Benedict XVI – who was not an Islamophobe by any


stretch of the imagination, but was not an angel either, as his relations with Muslims were


tense at times - in a lecture of his in 2006 controversially said, quoting a 14th century


Christian emperor Manuel II: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and


there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the


sword the faith he preached.”


As pessimistic as it may seem, but the ongoing Muhammad cartoon controversy in France,


plus a long list of ideologically and politically motivated tensions globally, do not bode well


for the future. However, that is what life exactly is: a perennial confrontation between the


truth and falsehood. Only misguided ones expect it to be different

5 Tips for New Muslims Facing Islamophobic Bullying & Intimidation

You have likely dealt with Islamophobic behavior, knowing full well how much it can hurt and even be frightening. For new Muslims, this is another layer of new challenges to face. It will be shocking to receive this kind of treatment the first time. And then again and again. Here are some tips to cope with Islamophobic bullying and intimidation.

You know the Scenario


Sarah was walking home after a great day at work. She’d presented her new project to the directors and was feeling on top of the world due to their positive response and encouragement.

A car driving past her slowed down. A passenger rolled down his window. He raised his fist in the shape of a gun and pretended to shoot her, shouting: “Raghead! Go home you terrorist!” Sarah’s heart skipped, fearing if they were going to stop. But they just sped off laughing at her.

Are We Giving New Muslims Their Rights?

This wasn’t the first time; it had happened to her before. It seemed that ever since she had become a Muslim, she had become an acceptable target for any small-minded person who wanted to vent his or her prejudice.

Coping Strategies


The challenge of dealing with the bullying and intimidation that Islamophobic prejudice fuels is one faced by all Muslims. Born into the faith or new to it. But the challenge faced by New Muslims is different.

They are sometimes facing it from their own families, from people they feel they relate to in terms of culture or in some cases, for people in the past who had already faced prejudice due to their ethnicity, this can be an additional challenge for them to bear.

So what can or should new Muslims do when they are facing bullying or intimidation?


There is obviously not a one-answer-fits-all solution, but there are many answers that we can get both from Islam and contemporary sources to shed light on possible responses.

1 – Patience


The aim of a bully is to make the other person feel inferior and themselves superior. Bullies feel they have succeeded if their victim’s emotions are triggered, and this may be shown by tears, frustration, fear, defensiveness or changing what they are doing in response to the bullying.

The best way to defeat a bully is to show strength and patience in the face of their aggression; avoiding putting yourself in danger as far as possible:

And be patient over what they say and avoid them with gracious avoidance.

Quran 73:10


Although Sarah’s heart stopped when she was confronted by the man in the car, she was now aware enough to act as if it hadn’t affected her.

So she carried on walking home holding her head high. To help her, she tried to recall the memory of her successful presentation to bolster her self confidence. She remined herself that there were plenty of people who showed her respect. The man in the car was part of the ignorant minority.

2 – Kindness


One of the most difficult strategies to use against a bully is kindness. The usual instinctive reaction is either to hit out and repel the hurt by hurting the one who has hurt you or to run away and avoid them. This is classic “fight or flight” reaction. But Allah has advised a disarming strategy, and this is the last thing that a bully will expect:

And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.

Quran 31 34-35


3 – Speak Out


“Whoever amongst you sees anything objectionable let him change it with his hand, if he is not able, then with his tongue, and if he is not even able to do so, then with his heart, and the latter is the weakest form of faith.”

Muslim


Sometimes to stop bullying and intimidation, it is necessary to speak out, but only if it is felt that saying something will be effective and not inflame the situation. It should be done with wisdom and brevity.

A good model to follow is avoiding ‘JADE’ (Justifying, Arguing, Defending, Explaining). There are some situations when it is beneficial to get into a discussion about your values, but when faced by a bully, it’s better to be short and to the point about what you want or don’t want.

So statements such as: “That’s not true; although you can believe what you like”, “I’m not going to drink, because I choose not to” or “I wear my scarf, because I believe it is the right thing for me to do” are useful.

It’s also best to avoid being drawn into saying more, so if you use the Broken Record Technique and just repeat what you have said, maybe using slightly different words, most people will stop putting pressure on you after three repetitions.

4 – Seek Support


If you feel that you could be danger from bullies, you should protect yourself as much as you can. Your first line of support should be Allah; turn to Him often in supplications. You can find appropriate ones for most situations in Fortress of the Muslim.

Next, you should try to avoid being alone with a bully as far as possible. Make sure that you are often in the company of others and seek support and advice from those you can trust. Whatever you do, don’t let a bully isolate you. Make sure that you always have other people you can contact if you need to, preferably family, friends or even the authorities.

Your next line of contact, if you face aggression should be the police, as Sarah did when she and her son were attacked by the teenagers. Angela also contacted them when her intimidation started, but they said they couldn’t do anything without proof. So she installed a CCTV camera, which caught the bullies in action, so the police were able to act.

For those living in the UK, there is now an organization that has been set up to support people who have suffered Islamophobic intimidation: Tell MAMA.

Although it is initially a public service for measuring and monitoring anti-Muslim attacks, it has helped many people to contact the police and gain redress. CAIR is a civil liberties organization in America that also supports victims of Islamophobia. There is also an organization called Beat Bullying that has an excellent Safety Plan that you can adapt to your own circumstances.

5 –Do Hijrah


In some circumstances, if you can’t avoid or distance yourself from the bullying, it is necessary to leave a situation that is extreme. This could mean leaving home, leaving a job, leaving a marriage or in some cases, as the companions did, leaving a city or country.

Allah doesn’t want you to suffer unnecessarily for your religion, so in some cases it may be that you will have to make some temporary compromises to protect yourself until you are in a position to leave.

50 Common Questions New Muslims Ask

If we really want to seek the best advice on how to cope with bullying and intimidation, the best examples we have are those of the Prophet and his companions from the early days of Islam.

They showed remarkable strength in the face of extreme torture at times, even sometimes to the point of death. No one is asking you to pay that high price, although your reward will be with Allah, insha Allah, if you do choose that path to preserve your religion.

Prophet Muhammad said:

“The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever direction the wind comes, it bends it, but when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but he remains patient till Allah removes his difficulties.” (Al-Bukhari)

May we all have the strength of that plant and the companions!

 

On the 27th December an ordinary US citizen (although his height was not of the ordinary type, he was six foot four and played basketball) decided to propose marriage to a woman. He went ahead and proposed and the young lady agreed immediately…  Within weeks they were wearing their best clothes and laughing as they left the wedding party, rushing to their happy marital home in California…

After precisely 45 days each of them had received a bullet in the back of their heads as they prepared breakfast in their kitchen.

People know that love motivates individuals… and politicians know that hate mobilizes crowds.

There is always a need for an enemy to stir up the hearts of the people with hatred. It doesn’t matter if this enemy is real or imaginary. And if this enemy goes away or if we make peace with them we need to find a new one, so that the people will remain frightened and inward looking, demanding the protection of Big Brother.

This is why after the red enemy with the hammer and sickle collapsed, there appeared the green enemy with the crescent … Islam.

Islamophobia is blinding…


It blinds humanity to the genocide of entire peoples in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, because those who we are annihilating are people with harsh and violent natures who deserve to die. Islamophobia blinds people to the fact that 113 of the 114 surahs of the Quran start with the names of God, “the Compassionate, the Ever-Merciful”

Islamophobia blinds the eyes… You see one or two crimes committed by Muslims and you don’t see FBI statistics which say that in one year hate crimes against Muslims increased by 67%, from 154 incidents in 2014 to 257 in 2015.

At a time when the cinema shows Muslims (or Arabs… it doesn’t matter, Islamophobia blinds you to the difference) as ignorant, violent savages, in movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, American Sniper, Iron Man, and Rules of Engagement, the peoples who have been blinded by Islamophobia forget that Muslims make up nearly one quarter of humanity – 1.7 billion people. That means that if we were to assume that an explosion in which innocent people were killed took place not once a year, but once every half hour, i.e. 18,000 explosions per year, all because of Muslims, that would mean that only one in a hundred thousand Muslims were responsible, even if we were to assume this illusory proposition were true. What about the other ninety-nine and nine hundred ninety-nine Muslims… But we have to ignore this.

In the latest statistical study of the two largest political publications in the world, Time and Newsweek we find that 94% of their news about Muslims were negative and only 6% positive. As for anti-Islamic organizations, they spent 46 million dollars between 2001 and 2009 to distort the image of Muslims.

In the midst of this madness, will anyone look at the tyranny and oppressions Muslims are suffering in most parts of the world, the shedding of their blood, and the violations of their homes and sanctity?

I don’t think so, because when Islamophobia blinds you to the truth, you can easily break into the home of two young newlyweds and empty your gun into their heads, feeling like you have carried out your national duty…

It was not only the newly married couple who were killed; the bride’s sister was there that day, congratulating the happy couple, and she also was shot dead.

The incident was not classified as terrorist. Have you guessed why? The killer was named Stephen Craig.

The victims were Dia Shadi, Razan Mohamed, and Yusr Mohammed, do you know why?

“Because of this did We ordain to the Children of Israel that if anyone slays a human being, for anything other than in punishment of murder or for spreading corruption on earth, it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; and that if anyone saves a human life, it shall be as though he had saved all mankind. Our messengers brought them clear evidence of the truth, but despite all this, many of them continue to commit all manner of excesses on earth”.

(5: 32)