Accepting the other

Islamophobia is a relatively new term, perhaps first coined in the report of the commission established by the British Runnymede Trust in 1996, chaired by the then vice-chancellor of the University of Sussex, on “British Muslims and Islamophobia”.

The Oxford English dictionary defines the term as an “intense dislike and/or fear of Islam and Muslims”.

It is now general viewed as a strong prejudice, coupled with hatred and fear, of Muslims and Islam.

The root cause of this disturbing phenomenon cannot be clearly established. No doubt its genesis dates back to ancient history when Islam and Muslim empires rose to power and became locked in a bitter conflict with Christian empires at the time in control of lands in Europe and the Middle East.

The Crusades, or as they were commonly called then, the “holy wars”, against Muslims began in the late 11th century and lasted several hundred years. These early conflicts no doubt left deep scars in the psyche of both sides that persist till now.

This clash and animosity between the two monotheistic religions took a turn to the worse in recent times, not only in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, but also due to an increased number of Muslims living in Western countries. 

There are increasing number of people in some Western countries expressing anxieties and fears about the rise in the number of Muslim populations amongst them, with some describing this as the creeping “Islamisation” of their countries due to the impact of the culture, traditions and way of life of the emigrants on their own traditions and mainstream culture.

The rising power of Daesh and the atrocities committed by its followers in the name of Islam inflamed Western sentiment against Muslims.

Muslims who immigrated to the West in search of a better life for themselves and their families, free of persecution and tyranny, must also have felt the pain and agony of having to adjust to living in an “alien and hostile” environment, where their cultural and religious values were under constant challenge if not an outright hostility and rejection from the mainstream culture of host nations.

The big question is why so many Muslims choose to live in such an environment and put themselves and their families under the immense pressure of having to either integrate or remain isolated from the mainstream population.

The number of the so-called honour crimes has increased in many Western countries where sizeable numbers of Muslims live, because they could not adjust to Western ways of living or allow their children to integrate into the culture of their new homelands.

The bigger question is why these Western countries promoted and encouraged the immigration of peoples from countries which have diametrical opposed cultures, religion and traditions.

Did they not expect or project clashes between the newcomers and the mainstream population at some point in the future?

The clash was bound to happen sooner or later and the blame could be put on both sides.

It is too late to reverse the tide of Muslim emigration to the West or limit their influence, since their numbers have grown in such way as to empower them to introduce and even impose their values on the West.

Now the two sides have to find ways to manage their differences and accommodate each other, but this is not going to be easy.