Have you guys ever seen Islamophobia in real life? I know we've seen it in the news, like the Chapel Hill shooting, but I'm emphasizing if you've seen it in real life. I don't think I've ever seen Islamophobia, mostly because the Muslim population in my neighborhood and the cities surrounding it is quite miniscule. The only Muslim population in my neighborhood are usually from Western China and Indonesia Funny story: I was running errands with my mom at a store and a women was wearing a niqab walked in. In case if you don't know, a niqab is a veil that covers the face, hair, and body and leaves a slit for the eyes. As soon as she walked in, half of the store literally began to turn around and stare, although not at the same time. By the time I noticed who people were staring at, I was like "Well, that explains it." At that point, I felt pretty bad for that woman because she instantly became such a spectacle in the neighborhood store. Also, is it true that in the Western Europe, Islamophobia is growing? I know that most of it is coming from the far-right groups, but is society in Western Europe becoming a bit more intolerant of Muslims? Also, quick questions, why are there laws prohibiting the wearing of the burqa and niqab in public, but motorcycle helmets are exempt (some countries) and sunglasses aren't banned too? I'm asking because most arguments I've heard were "We need to see your entire face for identification
I haven't seen a lot of Islamophobia exactly where I live. There are Muslims who live around here, and no one seems to treat them differently, at least from what I can observe. Although granted, I've never seen a Muslim woman wear a niqab, only a hijab, which no one seems to bat an eye at. But people look and stare at things that are unusual to them--it doesn't necessarily mean they were all racists inside. There are definitely parts of Western Europe that are becoming more Islamophobic; things like the Charlie Hebdo incident don't help. Many areas of Europe see the Muslim population increasing, see terrorist incidents, and blame diversity for the problem. They think Sharia Law is going to be enacted in certain areas of Europe and right-wing Americans love to talk about "no-go zones" in England and France, which I have found to be completely false. Secondly, the part of France that my family is from and that I regularly visit is a very diverse area and there are many Algerians and Muslims there. When you live in an area that diverse, you can't really afford to be too prejudiced, and Muslims don't seem to have much issue there.
Is Islamophobia growing? Well, possibly. The Muslim population in Western Europe is much higher than in the US. Muslims make up 5% of the UK population, compared to less than 1% in the US. Most Americans have very little exposure to Muslims or Islam in general away from the news. And it's true - incidents like Charlie Hebdo don't help, or when a soldier was beheaded in broad daylight in London. I have nothing against Muslims themselves, but I don't like Islam, nor do I like any religion - at all. As for burkas - France introduced a law that banned people from covering their faces in public- whether it's a burka or a balaclava, so it's not targeting Muslims specifically.
Western Europe inhabitant here. I've never seen anything as brutal as a shooting, but islamophobia, like homophobia, goes deeper than just actual physical violence. So yes, I'd definitely say I've been a witniss to islamophobia in the sense that I've heard islamophobic comments directed at no one in particular ("Islam is a religion of hatred and revenge, not forgiveness"), but not insults aimed at someone who comes across as Muslim. My campus is actually very close to a social housing area, and it's a fact that most of the inhabitants are originally from North Africa (but French), and most are Muslim. There are also Muslim students on campus -- 3/25 in my class that I know of, even though religion really isn't something we discuss (it's mostly visible because they eat halal). So we're pretty exposed to Muslim people, a significant portion of our population is Muslim, and sometimes when going through Marseille, one of our Southern cities, my parents like to joke that we're driving through Algeria. Everyone I know knows someone who's Muslim and doesn't have a problem with it because someone's religion doesn't affect your day-to-day life. However, some are islamophobic in the sense that they dislike and fear Islam, not Muslims themselves. (I realize this may not seem to make sense.) For example, after the Charlie Hebdo shootings in January, people were afraid and blamed Islam -- but IIRC, a Muslim cop died during the CH shootings, and there was a lot of support for him. So again, it's not Muslims, but Islam. (Which does not make it any better, obviously; I'm just trying to describe what I've observed.) There's islamophobia in the sense that when the Charlie Hebdo suspects were identified, my parents said, "Well, that figures" as soon as they heard the names. That's part racism and part islamophobia, actually. To be honest, I don't mind Islam or Muslims -- the only guy I've been in love with so far is Muslim, and amazing -- but I do feel uncomfortable with full facial convering like niqab. I wouldn't stare, but viscerally, it makes me uncomfortable not to be able to see someone's face. Reminds me too much of bank robbers in ski masks. It's illegal in public here in France (like motorcycle helmets (unless you're on your motorcycle, obviously), balaclavas, etc -- not just niqab, but anything that hides your whole face and prevents identification). Most French people thought the ban was okay when it passed and saw no problem with it, but women who wore niqab felt targeted and claimed it was islamophobic. To be honest, they were probably right, but the law itself doesn't explicitly target only religious facial coverings. It is true that islamophobia is, well, here. Maybe not on the rise, but present. At least, personally, I feel it, particularly after the Charlie Hebdo shootings. I'm not sure why. Probably for the same reasons racism and xenophobia exist. It's worth noting that France is very secular, and women in niqab or men with a kippa is pretty much the only time you see an ostentatious mark of religion in someone who isn't a nun. Likewise, the only people in my class whose religion I know are the Muslims, because of what they eat. Otherwise, we just don't talk about it, it doesn't come up, and frankly, no one cares.
Well, the reason why I'm not much of a fan of the Burqa Ban is because it unintentionally (or maybe it was intentional, who knows) infringes on a Muslim woman's right to free expression of religion, as long as it doesn't cause harm, obviously. I understand that France wants to have a secular rule, I understand that. However, they're confusing secular government with a secular country, they're different.
I can tell you from personal experience that "Islamophobia" is very prevalent at least here, in Sydney. It seems to be voiced more from the uneducated and uninformed however, intelligence is not a remedy for prejudice and discrimination. Islamophobia takes many forms here, particularly as a rally or blatant face-to-face verbal abuse captured on camera on public transport.
Not so much here, but when I was working in Birmingham I saw it everyday, whether it be the likes of the EDL campaigning to Islamophobic graffiti it was rather prevalent.
I live in quite a multicultural city and iv noticed quite a bit of Islamophobia which doesnt just stem from Westerners. Iv known Indians (Hindu's and Sikh's) who have sometimes shown levels of Islamophobia. As for the Burka, I hope the UK follows France by banning the covering of the face in public places. Security should come first as like with helmets or masks, you just dont know who is wearing them.
Yes, very, very often. You don't need a sizable Muslim population for it either, I assure you (in fact, probably quite the opposite).
Where I live, Islamophobia is definitely a real thing. There was a Muslim family that moved here a couple years after the September 11th attack, and they eventually ended up leaving because of all of the mean, hateful things people said to them. This family didn't even have their wife and female child wear hijabs. They just had prayer mats in their house so that they could pray. They were probably a bit more than "lips" Muslims, but people called them so many horrible names, just because of what they believed. The ironic twist? I actually heard one of them say they don't believe in jihad when a person tried berating them. This same person berating them was a person who supported the "sovereign citizens movement", which is the largest terrorist group in the United States. Now, there are a few people of the Muslim faith that I consider friends, and we all get along perfectly. There is definitely a difference between a rational critique of Islam and being an Islamophobe, but many people, theist and atheist alike, tend to really like to flirt with that line, a lot of times calling all Muslims names such as "savages". That definitely crosses the line.
I never experienced it directly here but I may have just been lucky. At my previous school, there was a Malaysian girl who was a Muslim and wore a hijab and everything that I used to always sit with, do projects with, etc, and became pretty good friends with. She was awesome. Anyways, I never saw anyone do or say anything bad about her being Muslim. I am somewhat oblivious so I'm not sure if people may have "stared" or anything rude like, but not that I noticed. And there's some muslim people (not a lot by any means) at my current school that I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about or do anything mean to. The people who tended to get the most racism were/are the Persian students. Even this Persian guy who was pretty Americanized would say bad things about them... ---------- Post added 13th Jun 2015 at 02:42 PM ---------- Speaking of niqabs (had to look it up...), I actually saw a lady wearing a niqab at a clothing store once and nobody did anything blatantly rude. The only thing I saw was this (really) extroverted and friendly-seeming Asian lady who said she was really interested in other cultures and talked to them (the lady in the niqab and her daughter who wasn't wearing one) about where they were from (think they were visiting) etc and then wished them well.
LOL That's so relatable in my experience. I think people who do that are just doing it out of curiosity.
since i'm living in predominantly moslem country, i see almost no Islamophobia. So i cant really give my opinion about it. But i see some kind islamophobia towards certain Islamic subgroup. Since the existence of such subgroup quite a lot therefore i saw more and more hatred. About the Niqab thingy. I think it should be illegal to use it in public. Don't get me wrong, i'm a former moslem myself, i was born and raised in a religious family. There are a lot of cases of criminal activity that happens, even here in moslem predominant country. For example Female sexual harassment and Pickpockets happens in public places, upon further investigation, the harasser turns out to be a perverted criminal-minded male disguised using Niqab. Another thing that shocking is a life sentenced prisoner able to escape using a Niqab after his wives visited him in prison. I think every authority should make it illegal at least for identification and public safety purposes but that's just my opinion
Yup. I live in the Netherlands. We have Geert Wilders. And a bunch of people who actually agree with him. Yikes.
I know right? It's so strange that he is part of the Party for Freedom, but he wants to take away a Muslim woman's freedom to choose whether or not to wear a burqa.
