Islamophobia - Yes, It's Real

 
By Nida Khan

When Republican Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson uttered the following disparaging remarks: "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation," he knew exactly what he was doing. According to the neurosurgeon himself, money has been “pouring in” ever since he shared his views on Muslims and the requirement for them to “reject the tenets of Islam” in order to run for the highest office in the land. This sort of Islamophobia and fear-mongering is sadly nothing new, but it is increasingly being utilized by anyone and everyone looking to either raise money, increase their TV ratings, sell books and yes - win campaigns. It is a clear, definitive sign that anti-Muslim hysteria in the U.S. is not only on the rise, but it is undeniably quite lucrative and successful. So what if some innocent people get hurt in the process?

A troubling set of rallies took place at mosques and Islamic Centers across the U.S. (and possibly elsewhere around the world) on October 9th and 10th. Calling on ‘fellow patriots, veterans, bikers, rednecks and good ol’ boys’ in some online posts, organizers encouraged people to protest outside of mosques and even show up armed to many of these gatherings. The level of concern was so real that the FBI, DHS and DOJ hosted a community safety call with American Muslim leaders to discuss the potentially dangerous protests. Unsurprisingly, these attempts at intimidation and outright bigotry are nothing new.

Hate crimes against Muslims, and those perceived to be Muslim, jumped 50% in 2010 alone according to the FBI’s own stats – a full 9 years after the tragic 9/11 attacks. It’s no coincidence that 2010 was the year that a heightened level of Islamophobia was a clear weapon of choice for the mid-term elections. As candidates (pretty much on the Republican side of things), spewed their anti-Muslim vitriol, so too did many cable news hosts and pundits. To think that there’s no correlation between such despicable rhetoric and a rise in hate crimes against Muslims is simply delusional.

Islamophobic verbiage is not only acceptable today, but somehow fashionable and cool. Bill Maher, host of HBO’s ‘Real Time’ and a self-proclaimed liberal, has made anti-Islam statements a staple on his weekly show. On a recent broadcast, Maher was joined by writer and noted atheist Richard Dawkins for a segment that might as well have been termed the Muslim bashing segment. The two discussed the ridiculously concocted notion that Islam and Muslims are somehow a ‘protected species’, and that Islamophobia is a “silly word that means nothing”. Perhaps when your white male privilege exempts you from experiencing bias, hatred, violence or discrimination on the basis of race, religion or ethnicity, it’s easy to sit around and dismiss a very real concern as a ‘silly word’. They concluded pontificating about Muslims by discussing women forced to “wear a bee-keeper’s suit in the hot sun all day”, and by stating “the hell with their culture”.

When the so-called left openly and freely spews such misinformation and venom about Muslims and Islam, normalizing and mainstreaming Islamophobia happens with ease. Contrary to what Maher suggests, Muslims are the one group that it is perfectly ok to demonize across the board. Whether it’s on his show, or the many cable newscasts on various networks, the discussion about Muslims and the proverbial Muslim world often fail to have a Muslim voice as part of the conversation. If a group of people who are severely underrepresented in media, pop culture and elsewhere are continually juxtaposed with extremism, is it any surprise that we see a spike in hate crimes and rallies like the ones that were scheduled for this weekend?

Back in June, Gallup published a survey indicating that 38% of Americans polled said they would not support a Muslim candidate for President. Considering the fact that most Americans don’t know a Muslim personally, that is a tragic figure. What’s even more unfortunate is the impact of both subliminal and overt anti-Muslim propaganda. The evil Muslim boogeyman is the reason why so many blindly supported the Iraq War when there was no proof of WMDs and no connection to the 9/11 attacks. It’s the same reason why many continue to look the other way when it comes to our ongoing actions throughout the region. And it’s the reason why sadly many feel no sympathy for the massive refugee crisis overseas because those poor souls are rarely, if ever, humanized.

I distinctly remember the vibe of New York City in the days right after 9/11, and the two completely polar opposite sentiments I observed. On the one hand, more strangers randomly smiled and said hello to me and to one another than I’ve ever observed on the streets of this great City. But on the flip side, a man on the 6 train going uptown told me to ‘go back to where I came from’, and another spit on the ground towards me later that same day. With so much animosity in our discourse today from all ends of the spectrum, I’m hoping that the former attitude prevails, and we witness more shows of solidarity as opposed to hate-filled speech and rallies. Because, after all, Islamophobia is very real and very dangerous. Just ask a Muslim.

Nida Khan is a journalist and producer based in New York City. She tweets on @NidaKhanNY