“Beware of the bearded man!”: Thus, begins Islamophobia

Abstract

The world today is maligned by the constant urge to differentiate between the “them” and “us.” This differentiation is particularly based on one’s cultural background which legitimizes the process of marginalization. It is the most unchallenging way of simplifying a deep-rooted prejudice. Talking about the “popular” in the global space, the burning issue of the day can be nothing but Islamophobia. The “othering” of Muslims and branding them as perpetrators of violence has become a norm of the masses who delve little into the broader spectrum of identity based on one’s religious practice. The frequent terrorist activities carried out in the name of Allah, has streamlined terrorism to only one rationale, that is, Islam. The result of which is that all Muslims are categorized as violent, destructive beings. This paper seeks to break this fallacy of Islam being the only reason behind terrorism. Incidents of terror attacks, suicide bombings and so on have clearly highlighted that the terrorists call upon the name of “Allah” for doing such disgraceful things. Little do we think that it’s a political ploy garbed under the veil of Islam. In this paper I will try to depict the misnomer of considering all Muslims as a threat against mankind. Emphasis will be laid on the fact that majority of the Muslim population are themselves victims of such terrorist activity and just like the rest, are strongly fighting against this global evil. Varied interpretations of the Qur’an by disparate individuals have led to such aberrant reading and notions like “Islamophobia.” Terrorism has no religion. Therefore, if indeed the concept of “othering” must be used then it should be for terrorism and not Muslims in general.