Why 'Islamophobia' is a brilliant term

Why 'Islamophobia' is a brilliant term

By Dennis Prager

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | What do anti-Semitism, racism and
Islamophobia have in common?


In fact, nothing.


But according to Islamist groups, Western media and the United
Nations, they have everything in common. Anti-Semites hate all Jews,
racists hate all members of another race, and Islamophobes hates all
Muslims.


Whoever coined the term "Islamophobia" was quite shrewd. Notice the
intellectual sleight of hand here. The term is not "Muslim-phobia" or
"anti-Muslimist," it is Islam-ophobia - fear of Islam - yet fear of
Islam is in no way the same as hatred of all Muslims. One can rightly
or wrongly fear Islam, or more usually, aspects of Islam, and have
absolutely no bias against all Muslims, let alone be a racist.


The equation of Islamophobia with racism is particularly dishonest.
Muslims come in every racial group, and Islam has nothing to do with
race. Nevertheless, mainstream Western media, Islamist groups calling
themselves Muslim civil liberties groups and various Western
organizations repeatedly declare that Islamophobia is racism.


To cite three of innumerable examples: The Guardian published an
opinion piece titled, "Islamophobia should be as unacceptable as
racism"; the European Union has established the European Monitoring
Center for Racism and Xenophobia; and the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation
Commission of Australia notes that "Muslims have also been the target
of racism in Australia, often referred to as Islamophobia."


Even granting that there are people who fear Islam, how does that in
any way correlate with racism? If fear of an ideology rendered one
racist, all those who fear conservatism or liberalism should be
considered racist.


Of course, some may argue that whereas conservatism and liberalism are
ideas, Islam is a religion, and while one can attack ideas, one must
not attack religions. It is, however, quite insulting to religions to
deny that they are ideas. Religions are certainly more than ideas -
they are theological belief systems - but they are also ideas about
how society should be run just as much as liberalism and conservatism
are. Therefore, Islam, or Christianity, or Judaism, or Buddhism should
be just as subject to criticism as conservatism or liberalism.


However, the only religion the West permits criticism of is
Christianity. People write books, give lectures and conduct seminars
on the falsity of Christian claims, or on the immoral record of
Christianity, and no one attacks them for racism or bigotry, let alone
attacks them physically. The head of the Anti-Defamation League
announces that conservative Christians are the greatest threat to
America today, and no one charges him with racism or
Christianophobia.


The statement may be an expression of hysteria and of ignorance, but
not of racism. But if one says that Islam does not appear compatible
with democracy or that the Islamic treatment of women is inferior to
the West's, he or she is labeled a racist Islamophobe.


One might counter that maligning people for criticism is not only true
of those who criticize Islam, it is also true of critics of Israel and
of America - the former, it is said, are immediately labeled "anti-
Semitic" and the latter are immediately labeled "unpatriotic." Neither
is true at all. Both are, and I use this word rarely, lies.


No one is labeled anti-Semitic for merely criticizing Israel. People
are labeled anti-Semitic for denying Israel's right to exist, for
siding with those who wish to exterminate it or for singling out the
Jewish state alone among all the nations of the world for attacks that
most other countries deserve far more.


And no one in any responsible capacity has called anyone "unpatriotic"
just for criticizing America. Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed during the
last Democratic presidential debate that the Defense Department called
her "unpatriotic" for asking whether the Defense Department has a plan
to withdraw American troops from Iraq. Yet the term "unpatriotic" was
not only not used in the response to the senator, it was not even
hinted at.


The fact remains that the term "Islamophobia" has one purpose - to
suppress any criticism, legitimate or not, of Islam. And given the
cowardice of the Western media, and the collusion of the left in
banning any such criticism (while piling it on Christianity and
Christians), it is working.


Latest proof: This past week a man in New York was charged with two
felonies for what is being labeled the hate crime of putting a Koran
in a toilet at Pace College. Not misdemeanors, mind you, felonies.
Meanwhile, the man who put a crucifix in a jar of urine continues to
have his artwork - "Piss Christ" - displayed at galleries and museums.
A Koran in a toilet is a hate crime; a crucifix in pee is a work of
art. Thanks in part to that brilliant term, "Islamophobia."

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