Islamophobia is only unclear to those who seek to obfuscate its meaning. It is the tendency to reify Islam - that is to assume the behaviour of given individuals (typically extremists) reflects an accurate concretisation of the principles of the faith itself, and it is the tendency to view its practitioners, Muslims, as a monolithic block, whose every behaviour is a consequence of that essentialised identity.
Rather than investigating and investing in countering rape culture, we claim the 'muslimhood' of particular rapists is to blame, absolving popular culture when the men themselves refer to the victims using the popular playground put down "slags". We regularly see 'Islam' used as a catch-all phrase to explain complex phenomena, distracting us from the real issues.
[A COMMENT] Perhaps "Islamophobia" will disappear when what some call "Moderate" Muslims start protesting at atrocities committed in the name of their religion? I saw no protests after the 7/7 attacks in London; there was LOTS of comment when the "Mohammed" cartoons were published. Priorities? [The Huffington Post] Read more
