Pamela Geller Watch: Islamophobia Is Not A Crime Against Humanity

Pamela Geller, is up to her usual game, objecting to Turkish Prime Minsiter Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement that Islamophobia is indeed a crime against humanity.

Fear of Islamic Terrorism and Jihad is a Crime Against Humanity

According to the ummah, islamophobia is a crime against humanity. Hmmmmm. Well, perhaps because humanity has become inhumane and good is evil and evil is good. So fear of jihad is a crime against humanity.

Not surprisingly, Pamela illogically argues that anti-Islamophobia means pro-jihad and pro-terrorism. And so being pro-“Islamophobia”  means you’re against those things and it is therefore the common sense approach to Islam. Of course, being against Islamophobia means you’re against intolerance, irrationality, and hatred. But in Pamela’s alternate reality, it means you’re for evil. Islamophobia indisputably exists. In its worst form, it can manifest into a violent movement. What was motivating the murderer of Marwa Sherbini if it was not Islamophobia?

The Runnymede Trust defined eight components of Islamophobia which are widely accepted by racism and xenophobia monitoring organizations. These are:

1.) Islam is seen as a monolithic bloc, static and unresponsive to change.
2.) Islam is seen as separate and ‘other’. It does not have values in common with other cultures, is not affected by them and does not influence them.
3.) Islam is seen as inferior to the West. It is seen as barbaric, irrational, primitive and sexist.
4.) Islam is seen as violent, aggressive, threatening, supportive of terrorism and engaged in a ‘clash of civilisations’.
5.) Islam is seen as a political ideology and is used for political or military advantage.
6.) Criticisms made of the West by Islam are rejected out of hand.
7.) Hostility towards Islam is used to justify discriminatory practices towards Muslims and exclusion of Muslims from mainstream society.
8.) Anti-Muslim hostility is seen as natural or normal.

Consider that this accurate definition of Islamophobia was developed in 1997. Public perceptions of Muslims have only worsened since 9/11 and these eight components are resonating stronger among the public. I used to think that the anti-Muslim/anti-Islam sentiment would have lessened over time when people were able to examine the situation with a clear and open mind. To my surprise, the opposite is true: Islamophobia is on the rise.

Antisemitism and Islamophobia are on the rise across Europe, according to a survey of global opinion released yesterday.

In contrast to the US and Britain where unfavourable opinion of Jews has been stable and low for several years at between 7 and 9%, the Pew Survey of Global Attitudes found that hostile attitudes to Jews were rising all across continental Europe from Russia and Poland in the east to Spain and France in the west.

The survey found that suspicion of Muslims in Europe was considerably higher than hostility to Jews, but that the increase in antisemitism had taken place much more rapidly.

Islamophobes like to explain the rising antisemitism in Europe as being a product of rising Muslim immigration. This however does not explain, as an example, the rising antisemitism in Hungary, a country with virtually no Muslim population. It also does not explain, as the Guardian article pointed out, that antisemites also tend to be Islamophobes as well.

Pamela then quotes Robert Spencer, who asks (notice the quotes around Islamophobia):

Is “Islamophobia” really like anti-Semitism? Let’s see. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a forgery. Jews really don’t have a secret plan to control the world. Is concern about Islamic supremacism similarly trumped up? Or does Islam include a political manifestation that teaches world domination?

Yes, it is. The Islamophobes, whether they know it or not, mimic the tactics of classical anti-Semites. Antisemitic conspiracy theorists believe that Jews control the world through banking, by secretly taking over governments around the world, and by causing wars for their own self-interest. Similarly, Islamophobic conspiracy theorists believe that Muslims, through a combination of violent jihad and stealth Shari’ah, are out to “Islamize” world civilization and issue a dhimmi status on those who do not comply.  Both are loony toon theories, however, only one at the moment is socially acceptable to espouse.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was making the humane point that, like antisemitism, Islamophobia must also be socially unacceptable for those who want to live in a tolerant society. Denying the fact that Islamophobia exists, believing it’s only a politically correct fantasy, is not only factually inaccurate, but a dangerous view that is meant to continue tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims. After all, correcting the misconceptions and lies against Muslims will put people like Geller and Spencer out of the polemical anti-Muslim business.

I end by sharing an excellent take on Islamophobia by a German cabaret artist (English subs).