Of late, Islamophobia has emerged as a term that we get to hear everyday. It is used to define prejudice against, hatred towards, or irrational fear of, the religion of Islam and Muslims.
Although the term “Islamophobia” is fairly recent, prejudice and hatred towards Islam is nothing new. After all, was it not Islamophobia that caused people to ignore the words of Prophet Noah (AS)? Similarly, when people chose their idols and did not pay attention to the message that Prophet Abraham, or Ibrahim (AS), was trying to convey, it was Islamophobia.
As such, Islamophobia is not just prejudice against Muslims. Instead, it refers to the state of denial and hatred that some people exhibit when it comes to truth. An Islamophobe is not just a hater; instead, he/she is someone who chooses ignorance over facts.
Even more so, Islamophobes dislike Islam not because of the religion itself, but simply because Islam has no room for bigotry and unjust behavior. This is why Islamophobia became more pronounced when Allah’s prophets, as per Allah’s instructions, started challenging established notions and corrupt empires, and spoke in favor of the weak and oppressed sections of the society. When Prophet Moses, or Musa (AS), with Allah’s Mercy, succeeded in saving the tribe of Jews from the clutches of the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Zionists among the Jews of that period rebelled against Musa (AS) as well as his brother Hz Aaron, or Aharoun (AS). It was the hidden Islamophobia of the Zionists that made them reject the Message of Allah, and this trend continues even today.
Similarly, when Prophet Jesus, or Isa (AS), challenged the corrupt Roman Empire, the Islamophobes of that age tried to murder Prophet Jesus (AS). Of course, they failed in their evil plans, and to quell the resulting outpour of grief and rebellion, the corrupt ruling class, altered the true teachings of Prophet Jesus (AS) and declared him to be son of God, claiming that his blood was spilled to save mankind. As such, the Islamophobes, who feared the truth, invented a new religion and named it Christianity. This new religion replaced God of Jupiter with “Son of God” Christ. Yet, though corrupted, this so-called new religion still retained many elements and aspects of Islam, and once again, out of their hatred, Islamophobes further distorted facts and blatantly made changes to Christianity in order to make it suited for their own selfish interests. Paul, who was initially an enemy of Prophet Jesus (AS), was in the fore-front of corrupting the true message of Islam, and inventing a new religion of Christianity that was acceptable to the corrupt elites of Rome.
Centuries later, Allah sent His final messenger, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and revealed the Quran for the benefit of mankind. Once again, the corrupt elites of Arabia, Persia and Rome could not swallow the truth. Islamophobia once again emerged, and this time, since the Quran was the Final and Ultimate Message of Allah, the Light of Islam, as well as the resultant Islamophobia, reached far-off lands – Arabia, Persia, Rome, India, Malay Archipelago, Africa, Europe, and even the Americas!
The corrupt Islamophobes, fearing that they might lose their privileged position, started fake propaganda against Islam with a new fervour. This very propaganda, having started during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself, continues even today. As such, today’s Islamophobia has roots in the toxic propaganda that was initially launched during the days of Prophet Noah (AS), Prophet Abraham (AS), Prophet Moses (AS) and Prophet Jesus (AS), and re-emerged in a new form during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Of course, the term “Islamophobia” has been coined fairly recently to provide an umbrella definition to the irrational hatred towards Islam. Since ordinary Muslims do not pay any heed to the materialistic way of life that is popular in the West, Western elites are unable to find standing ground in Muslim lands for their materialistic greed under the guise of a civilized society. As such, corrupt leaders of the West have started heinous campaign of defaming Islam and Muslims, in order to justify their military presence in Muslim lands. Modern Islamophobia results on account of such defamatory campaigns, when ignorant masses of today fall prey to Western propaganda, much like the ignorant masses of earlier centuries used to fall prey to Islamophobic propaganda of their times.
What should our response be? Well, it is obvious that a true Muslim will turn to the Quran for guidance, and if we adhere to the peaceful message of the Quran, as well as the Sunnah and Hadith of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), any fake propaganda conducted against can do no harm.
New Islamicate 