The roots of Islamophobia | Ali Sarraf | AW – The Arab Weekly

Islamophobia is a malicious tree whose branches are in the West. But its trunk and roots are in the East with Muslims themselves watering it and caring for it.

Islamophobia, as Nusrat Ghani, the former British Conservative cabinet member, has reminded us again, is not without a racist basis. It is absolutely inseparable from its Crusader origins. It is also a favourite tool with which the Western populist right-wing seeks to differentiate itself electorally from the left, which is preoccupied with social issues. However, all this would not have gained momentum had it not been for the terrorism industry which Muslims have bred, not only with their schools of jurisprudence, but in their public life as well.

Islams battle after liberation from the yoke of colonialism should have been directed towards reconstruction, both of the souls of Muslims and of their nations. However, the sheikhs of jurisprudence in Muslim countries managed only to provoke sedition as they were preoccupied with trivial matters instead of major issues. They acted out of a proclivity for tyranny or out of fear of it.

Islam, which should have been promoted, at least in its own societies before the rest of the world, as a religion of justice, equality and civil rights, should not have ignored the issues of poverty, corruption, social injustice and other manifestations of political and economic failure. Before worrying about the West, it should have treated its own social and economic ailments, which continued to display themselves under a succession of failed rulers.

The flaws that have spread poverty, corruption and unemployment are also the fault lines that paved the way for the emergence of terrorism as a lure for the desperate.

One can ask how much of true Islam remains in place when justice is absent from society? And when sectarianism turns into an alternative identity, how much of Islam is left? And how much of Islam remains on the ground when cities turn into ruins with their demolished homes falling on the heads of their inhabitants, all so that some Islamist militias can impose their will on the rest? How much of Islam is left to flourish when armed factions kidnap entire societies and countries in the name of the faith?

Islam is a religion of love and compassion. But should we not ask if the relations of Muslims in their own communities are better than their relations with others? Have Muslims managed to live next to each other safely and in peace? One cannot forget that in wars against Muslims, Muslims themselves were at the vanguard of non-Muslim invaders.

What was initially a revolution against ignorance, became a cover for the spread of illiteracy. What was a catalyst for seeking knowledge and erudition, discouraged any form of education. What was an argument for the abolition of slavery, oppression and the violation of rights, became an excuse for new forms of slavery, oppression and abuse.

Terrorism is not a satanic seed planted by colonialism. It is a satanic plant of our own cultivation. We watered it ourselves. When it became a threat to the stability and the security of our countries and that of others, it was no surprise that it was feared and perceived negatively. When that fear was mixed with racism, "Islamophobia" became an acceptable form of behaviour especially when it complied with the prerequisites of "political correctness" which Western governments use as a cover.

Other societies and cultures are not required to understand Islam in a manner commensurate with its foundations and values, if Muslims themselves do not understand it.

Nusrat Ghani lost her job in the Conservative government because of "Islamophobia", but found support within the parameters of "political correctness" which have compelled Boris Johnson's government to conduct an investigation and perhaps eventually deliver justice to Ghani.

Many others are exposed to manifestations of racism and hatred of Muslims and may even pay for it with their lives. But the truth of the matter is that the tree trunk is within us. It produces some kind of counter-hatred or counter-Western racism, for which it finds justifications in Islamic jurisprudence itself.

I do not want to list a host of verses from the Noble Quran that forbid the killing of others unjustly and which encourage coexistence between religions. This is very much well known. However, extremist narratives have continued to thrive on widespread poverty, a decline in education levels, the preoccupation of the Muslim sheikhs of religion with trivialities and petty things as they condoned social abuse against women and children, the decline of scientific knowledge and the spread of ignorance and illiteracy.

Structural flaws in the economy, culture and education, as well as the disrespect for justice and rule of law, are what created the fertile ground for terrorism. How can Islamophobia be far behind?

Islamophobia is in the roots and trunk of the tree. The West can work to block its influence but can do nothing about the roots of the tree.

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The roots of Islamophobia | Ali Sarraf | AW - The Arab Weekly