Islamophobia Dismantled

I was only a kid when 9/11 happened. Fortunately, I was living in a safe enough environment that I didn't personally experience the societal reverberation of of 9/11, namely Islamophobia. In fact, I only found out about 9/11 many years later in my teenage years. But I knew the relatively sheltered environment I was living in was not to be taken for granted, especially as Islamophobic sentiment spread across the globe, in parallel with the growth of 'Islamic' terrorism. Terrorism the likes of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the many groups that had 'Islamic' or Arabic names. To be honest I understand why people developed a negative impression of Islam. Every horrific act of terrorism that came out in the news coupled with the propaganda machine cemented the idea in the minds of the masses that Islam was terrorism. Unsurprisingly, this 'link' between Islam and terrorism shook my faith, as I'm sure it did to countless others. This stayed with me throughout my tender years growing up, and it was only by educating myself was I able to be relieved of that anxiety.

In terms of religion, mainstream Muslim dawah did not really help me, to be honest. In an attempt to dissociate Islam from violence, many Muslim leaders go to the extreme opposite end and try to water down or sugarcoat Islam. I never really liked that as I thought it was disingenuous. I mean anybody who wants to seriously learn Islam cannot be satisfied with phrases like "jihad mainly means an internal spiritual struggle" and "the largest Muslim country in the world (ie. Indonesia) was spread through trade, not war". Islamic history dating all the way back to our Prophet's time is rich with battles used in close association with the term 'jihad'. I was only able to come to terms with the issue of jihad only after having an honest look at Islam. I felt the need to ask myself the hard questions as I believe that only through knowledge and wisdom can we truly understand the reality of things, and I wanted to know the reality of something as important to me as my religion.

Secondly, after going through the myriad of 'terror groups' I learned that many of them were actually politically driven. Whether a group were freedom fighters, rebels, or just plain outright power-hungry is a story for another day. I realised that it wasn't fair to paint every one of them as "the bad guys" just because they were participating in armed conflict. Not everything is black-and-white; they each had their own reasons for fighting. I'm not saying I agree or disagree, but world peace doesn't exist anyway. So why is it when it comes to Muslims, they are put in the spotlight and framed as evil for engaging in their own struggles? The fact is that many merely used Islam to theologically and morally justify their actions. Coming to that conclusion eased the many doubts that I had and reinstilled confidence in my faith.

Realising that my religion was not necessarily the root of the problem, I wanted to ask myself: "Why? Why is this happening to us?". And then I started to put the pieces together. 1) Modern, global Islamic terrorism only started after major (catastrophic) events in the Islamic world in the 20th century, 2) the ease at which Muslim countries could be exploited and destabilised and 3) in conjunction with recent hardline teachings, I learned what the true goals of certain terrorist groups were (hint: not really to help the ummah at large). I came to the conclusion that it was manipulation of the highest proportions, creating a perfect storm to orchestrate Islamophobia - at the benefit of those who would stand to gain from our demonization. It seemed to only downhill from there, as the cycle of hatred and revenge began...

Yet, it has been decades since the so-called "war on terror", and with the advent of social media, the tune of "Muslims are terrorists" becomes harder to sing. The world has started to wake up to the truth: fear-mongering subdues the world from reality, while it line the wallets of the elite. Mistrust of governments has risen as many come to realise the strings behind Islamophobia (like I did). The official narrative of 9/11 is riddled with suspicion due to compelling "conspiracy theories", the horrendous crimes committed against Muslims have been exposed, and support for the oppressed (such as the Palestine issue) has risen. Adventurous souls who travel to "West-hating terrorist lands" has given positive testimony for the good treatment they receive by Muslims in such countries. To top it off, converts to Islam are rising despite being the religion being associated with evil. There is obviously a disparity with what the media and certain governments want to label Islam as, and the general perception of actual Muslims. It is becoming an adage in the irony that only the two polar opposites (Muslim terrorists themselves and the Muslim-hating far-right) agree on the same thing (that Muslims are violent).

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True practicing Muslims that uphold the Law are contributing members of society. Just like how Muslims brought advances in science and technology in the Islamic Golden Age, Islam has much that we can still bring to the table. Living in a time of moral ambiguity, spiritual decadence and dysfunctional families, Islam is anchored in values that can be appreciated by all. Muslims deeply respect their tradition. The Qur'an, hadith and scholarly positions - rich in wisdom and moral guidance - are always taken with priority in the many issues of a Muslim's life. Similarly, the sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, lives on in every Muslim when he or she practices them. Yes, I won't deny that Muslims have fundamental differences with many cultures and traditions. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoin on our similarities.

All that being said, I believe that Muslims should move away from labelling anyone that has concerning views on Islam to be an 'Islamophobe'. Self-victimisation is a dangerous mentality as it is unconducive for important conversations that bridge the gap - creating an "us-versus-them" situation. We must acknowledge that it is understandable for people to have concerns when for example they learn about Islam through wrong sources, or when they see how Islam is portrayed in the media, or when there is an influx of Muslim immigrants, or when they realise Islam is on the rise (either through birth rate or conversions), or when they come across Islamic literature they might not understand or have context of. It is understandable for people to see Muslims as a potential threat to their livelihood and an attack on their values. But I believe most of that uneasiness can be relieved by knowledge. People are more likely to hate or be scared of what they don't know. Yes, true Islamophobes exist. They are the ones who continue to imprudently spew hatred whilst avoiding meaningful interactions with Muslims. But, whatever... people are subject to their own opinions. It's not our place to force others to be agreeable with Islam anyway. All I'm just trying to say is that there is a lot of work for us Muslims to educate others on Islam, to calm anti-Muslim sentiment that was especially born out of ignorance. Every Muslim has a role to play in dawah. For those of us who live in 'Islamophobic' places, we should strive in our dawah all the more. Being knowledgeable isn't necessary for dawah; good character is of the best forms of dawah too.

Lastly, I must clarify that having sympathy for Muslims does not mean we sympathise with the so-called "Muslim terrorists". I am just opting for adopting a nuanced, objective view as it helps us to develop a better understanding of world events. Despite how strong conspiracy theories such as the Western world's role in Islamic terrorism, or despite the plight of Muslims, or how realising not every masked brown/Muslim man with an AK-47 should be feared as a terrorist, every Muslim is responsible for their own actions. Terrorism should be called out and condemned by everyone as such. Despite calling themselves Muslims and claiming to fight for an Islamic cause, terrorists largely target innocent civilian life, of which they have no valid excuse for. They certainly fall (way, way too) short of meeting the high moral standards of actual Islamic warfare.

In Islam, our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has warned us about groups that lack proper knowledge of Islam yet use it for their personal gain, causing much rebellion and bloodshed throughout the land. They are known as the khawarij.

Yusair bin 'Amr reported that he inquired Sahl bin Hunaif:

"Did you hear the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, making a mention of the Khawarij? He said: I heard him say (and he pointed with his hand towards the east): that these would be a people who would recite the Qur'an with their tongues and it would not go beyond their collar bones. They would pass clean through their religion just as the arrow passes through the prey."

Sahih Muslim 1068a

Such groups can be said to describe the Muslim terrorists of today, as it could be said for the terrorists of all of Islam's history. The first known individual was singled out by our Prophet as he dared to accuse the Prophet of being unjust! But the first time it was organised into a group was during the time of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, when they fought against him (ie. Ali, the Prophet's beloved cousin and son-in-law!) over a matter that did not justify for them to do so. The khawarij are described as being tireless in their ibadah, but we can see how the hardness of their hearts has caused them to fall into misguidance and extremism.

May Allah help the oppressed and guide the oppressors, amin.

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