This post is the third in a series about the Turkish definition of the word “Islamophobia” presented at the OSCE meeting in Vienna on July 12, 2013. Previously: Part 1, Part 2.
An Examination of Terms: 1 Through 7
Here once again is the definition of Islamophobia provided by Umut Topcuoglu in July 2013. Emphasis has been added to thirteen words or phrases that deserve further attention:
Islamophobia is a contemporary form of racism and xenophobia motivated by unfounded fear, mistrust, and hatred of Muslims and Islam. Islamophobia is also manifested through intolerance, discrimination, unequal treatment, prejudice, stereotyping, hostility, and adverse public discourse. Differentiating from classical racism and xenophobia [sic], Islamophobia is mainly based on stigmatization of a religion and its followers, and as such, Islamophobia is an affront to the human rights and dignity of Muslims.
Six of the terms highlighted above are “loaded”, in the sense that they are either of recent coinage or have recently acquired new meanings, and are commonly used to demonize, intimidate, and marginalize people who hold certain political opinions. These words are controversial, and thus should not be used in any official definition without themselves being defined:
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Racism |
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Xenophobia |
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Intolerance |
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Discrimination |
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Prejudice |
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Stereotyping
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The other seven words and phrases are problematic in various ways, even when the words themselves are well-defined and uncontroversial in their common usage.
Any terms whose contextual meaning might be unclear are defined. The definitions used below are all taken from the online version of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
1. Contemporary
The adjective “contemporary” is a perplexing qualifier for the conditions identified as the components of Islamophobia. The relevant definition of contemporary in Merriam-Webster:
2b: marked by characteristics of the present period : modern, current
Is “contemporary” racism different from that displayed by, say, the garrison manning the walls of Vienna during the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683? If so, what is the difference?
If there is no inherent distinction between the racism practiced centuries ago and that which exists today, then the use of the term “contemporary” is functionally meaningless, and should be abandoned.
2. Racism
“Racism” is a loaded word of relatively recent coinage (1933), and is as much a tool of political manipulation as “Islamophobia”. The definitions of the term that are relevant to this discussion are as follows:
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a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race |
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racial prejudice or discrimination
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Let us imagine that a white European or North American expressed an opinion implying a prejudice against the following men, or a belief in their inferiority:
All three of these men are white Caucasians. As a result, any “prejudice or discrimination” against them cannot be termed “racism”. Therefore it does not constitute “Islamophobia”.
The obvious conclusion is that any feeling or opinion about Islam or Muslims cannot depend on “racism”.
3. Xenophobia
“Xenophobia” is another modern word (1903), and is also loaded. Like “Islamophobia” and “racism”, it was arguably invented as a means to intimidate opponents of a dominant political ideology. Merriam-Webster assigns it the following definition:
: fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign
Given this definition, how might “xenophobia” be applicable to “Islamophobia”?
Consider the Egyptian city of Minya, which recently experienced extensive violence at the hands of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. During August 2013, over the space of a few days, Islamic fundamentalists attacked and burned churches, orphanages, and homes belonging to Christians. The attackers chose their targets on the basis of religion; that is, buildings were set on fire because they were owned or occupied by Christians.
If those Christians are now afraid of Muslims or hate them, their feelings are not directed towards “strangers, foreigners or anything that is strange or foreign”. Those who attacked them were their neighbors, and were in some cases personally know to them. Local Muslims were very familiar to Coptic Christians in Minya; they lived in the same community and spoke the same dialect.
The fear and hatred of Muslims by Christians in Minya therefore cannot be described as “xenophobia”.
4. Unfounded Fear, Mistrust, and Hatred
The words “fear”, “mistrust”, and “hatred” are clear in their commonly-used meanings, and so do not need to be defined. “Unfounded” is also well-understood, but since it is problematic in this context, its definition is instructive:
: lacking a sound basis : groundless, unwarranted {an unfounded accusation}
Does a fear of Islam ever have a “sound basis”? Or is it always “groundless” and “unwarranted”?
Relevant examples might be drawn from a number of countries. In order to avoid excessive length, for the purposes of this examination we will consider only a series incidents that took place in Pakistan in the spring of 2013.
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Russia and the United States have agreed on a plan that will avert a war in Syria. The Russian plan includes a timetable for Syria to turn over its chemical weapons, and if the deadline is not met, the matter will be referred to the UN.
