The Radicalization Of Islamophobia

Today, the radicalization of Islam has further instilled this distrust and dislike of all Muslims. Ironically, extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS are huge proponents of Islamophobia. These groups use the tactic of preying upon the frustrated and vulnerable minds of young Muslims who have experienced systematic and institutionalized oppression in both the United States and Europe for centuries. When your people are oppressed for hundreds of years, anger and resentment is obviously going to follow. Throughout history, Muslims have tried peaceful measures of obtaining equality such as attempting to educate others about Islam and its ideologies. However, Westerners typically have dismissed Islam as whole. Extremist movements are now using …show more content…
With the vast majority of Americans having access to current news, portraying Muslims in a positive light would have an immense influence on the public’s perception of Islam. Unfortunately, American media often overlooks important statistics and facts when informing the public about the Muslim religion. When turning on the television, it is common to hear stories about Muslim suicide bombers or Muslim oppression of women. However, if all Muslims acted in the same manner as the few portrayed in headlines, the United States would have been bombed into oblivion ages ago. Unsurprisingly, the media feeds off of creating controversy and conflict as this draws the most …show more content…
Already, we are seeing a significant increase in the feminization of Islam where women activists are taking controversial stances on Islamic law interpretations. For example, Pakistani women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai spoke out against accepted “honor violence” and the restriction of female access to education (Friedland). However, few male Muslims have taken public stances on liberalizing Islam and denoting that Islam is not defined by radical ideologists who make up a minority, but by the teachings and virtues on which Islam was founded. According to Tawfik Hamid, a Doctorate who focused on radicalized Islam, “Islamophobia could end when masses of Muslims demonstrate in the streets against videos displaying innocent people being beheaded” or “when Muslims unambiguously and publicly insist that Shariah law should have no binding legal status in free, democratic societies” (Hamid). Ultimately, a clear distinction between extremists who use the religion of Islam as a justification for senseless violence and oppression and liberal Muslims needs to be concretely established by Muslims themselves in order to eliminate