Islamophobia And Stereotypes Of Muslims

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Islamophobia, an irrational hatred or fear of Islam and prejudice against Muslims, has been manifesting itself in several parts of the world especially in Europe. This phenomenon dates back to the 1980s, but has been more commonly used after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Recently, Islamophobes has a perception that Islam has no common values with other cultures, so they have a belief that they are only protecting their values and cultures. The main problem of this perception is that most Europeans lack knowledge of Islam; as a result, Muslims feel that they are unfairly treated. I am intending to discuss the roots of the misunderstandings and stereotypes of Muslims through European eyes; most of these misconceptions stemmed from the 9/11 attacks …show more content…
Although there are deeper roots of Islamophobia in European history, the tragedy of 9/11 made everything worse. On 9/11 , 19 suicide bombers linked with the allegedly Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda and Taliban attacked the United States; hijacking four airliners and engaging in suicide attacks.These terrorists flew two of the planes into the World Trade Center skyscrapers causing the buildings to catch fire and collapse. Furthermore, a third plane destroyed part of the Pentagon in Virginia and the fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Since the 9/11 catastrophe, the West has completely changed its public opinion towards Muslims; viewing them as terrorists. The use of the religion of Islam by Al-Qaeda to justify their terrorist acts has made many Europeans regard Islam as a major threat and they started to view Muslims as their primary enemy. The mindset of Muslim as a terrorist group makes people fear and feel insecure around them. They have a common misconception that Muslims are dangerous and that the religion of Islam is a violent,and unpeaceful religion. Without knowing the truth about Islam, they obediently follow what had been told to them. The 9/11 attacks made the anti-Islamic term become more extreme and widely

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