In a world where Islam and Muslims are constantly the subject of public discourse and discussion, the Islamophobia subject is hardly one that can be ignored. Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg News
In a world where Islam and Muslims are constantly the subject of public discourse and discussion, the Islamophobia subject is hardly one that can be ignored. Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg News

With dialogue, Islamophobia can be beaten



A few weeks ago, there was an interesting debate in New York City between six individuals on the subject of Islamophobia. Three arguing that the phenomenon that the term represents is real and evident, and three arguing it is basically a red herring or excuse designed to shield Muslims and Islam from legitimate critique. In a world where Islam and Muslims are constantly the subject of public discourse and discussion, the subject is hardly one that can be ignored. On the contrary – it has to be engaged with.

The term Islamophobia has never been used without a certain amount of healthy disagreement in the academic arena. Some prefer not to use it as a term, as it sometimes is used beyond the narrow definition of fear of Islam. But the essential phenomenon, which is bigotry towards Muslims, exists — and is very serious.

That kind of sentiment can be seen on a regular basis. I’ve worked on discrimination towards Muslims within the West since 9/11, and have seen it take different forms over time. In Europe, the most virulent form recently was the claimed “EurArabia” project – the notion that Muslims were trying to destroy Western civilisation from within. That was the very narrative of Anders Behring Breivik, who killed dozens of Norwegians a few years ago in the belief that by so doing, he would halt that EurArabia project. Of course, it bears no basis in fact – Muslim Europeans are simply trying to build lives on that continent, rather than engage in some sort of civilisational Armageddon.

In the US, that kind of EurArabia frenzy didn’t exist as a real and genuine phenomenon – Muslim Americans, even after 9/11, were seldom viewed as fifth columnists, who were trying to destroy America from within. But that has changed. An increasing number of Americans have bought into the “civilisational destruction from within” argument. The repercussions are real.

The most recent example of that kind of bigotry leading to violent confrontation within western societies, from among westerners, was brought to light a few days ago.

A former candidate for the US Congress, Robert Doggart, planned to attack a group of Muslims and their homes in upstate New York, armed with an assault rifle, explosives and other weaponry. His case is now in the process of being settled through a plea bargain. Had the plot not been uncovered, the United States would have seen another type of terrorism on its own soil – this time, against Muslim Americans.

The court case should have attracted wide American and international attention. One can only imagine that if the reverse were true – if a Muslim planned to attack an Amish community, for example, with this kind of weaponry – the level of international media attention would be considerable. Mr Doggart’s story, however, has received paltry amounts of consideration. That lack of notice is concerning – not simply out of a sense of fairness in reporting, but to combat the problem before it actually leads to violence.

The same notion that drove Breivik and Mr Doggart – that Muslims are out to destroy western civilisation from within – is not an isolated one that is restricted to merely violent extremists. It goes far beyond that. As a commentator, I’ve critiqued various regimes, governments and non-state bodies on different continents over many years.

By far, the most aggrieved amount of hate mail that I’ve ever received was an article that satirically suggested that the Yoda character from Star Wars might owe something to Islam. That sort of “threat from within” narrative touches a particular nerve – and more people are feeling it as the years go on.

It is important to more fully understand how those narratives get spread – and more effort should be expended in that regard. That includes reports such as the Fear Inc work that has already been done at the Centre for American Progress in the US, including research by the likes of Wajahat Ali, a Muslim playwright and lawyer. It also includes potentially the work of the Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University, which aims to properly highlight anti-Muslim sentiment as an increasingly problematic issue in American life. But these are not enough.

A common retort is that looking at anti-Muslim sentiment then clouds our judgement when trying to cover or understand radical Islamist ideology – because it then provides a way to excuse that extremist tendency. But that is a red herring argument. When done properly, researching and understanding bigotry towards Muslim populations interrupts the narrative of radical extremists altogether – because it shows how intrinsically the bigotry is factually flawed. Radical extremists and anti-Muslim bigots, ironically, share something in common – the notion that Muslim populations in the West just cannot exist and thrive. We owe it to our societies to prove them both wrong. We’re lucky in that the facts happen to be on our side.

Dr HA Hellyer is an associate fellow in International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute in London, and the Centre for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC

On Twitter: @hahellyer

The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
Panipat

Director Ashutosh Gowariker

Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment

Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman

Rating 3 /stars

The Energy Research Centre

Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Company profile

Company: Eighty6 

Date started: October 2021 

Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh 

Based: Dubai, UAE 

Sector: Hospitality 

Size: 25 employees 

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investment: $1 million 

Investors: Seed funding, angel investors  

Match info

Costa Rica 0

Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

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Top goalscorers in Europe

34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)

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*29 - Erling Haaland (50)

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Established: 2008

Prize money:  $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
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RESULT

Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: 
Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)    

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