Is Islamophobia a Myth?
Kenan Malik (Prospect, 2005) claimed that the Muslim Council of Britain and other groups were overplaying the extent of anti-Islamic feeling in Britain and inflating statistics to suit their own agenda. Here, Hizb ut-Tahri, Britain respond to Malik’s charges.
The provocative use of the title “Islamophobia myth” in February’s Prospect has done little to further an understanding of the extent of Islamophobia in society or its possible causes. We Muslims may sometimes be clumsy with our arguments when discussing the issue. Kenan Malik accuses some people of “inflating” minor incidents. A few may do this, but most are just using the same criteria that other communities have adopted to define an “attack,” which includes verbal abuse. It is also likely to be true that the many social problems affecting the Muslim community have complex and varied causes and are not always related to Islamophobia.
However, Malik’s article has three main weaknesses and two of these open him to the same accusations he levels at others. Firstly, he makes a highly partial analysis of the anecdotes he has heard in the course of his researches. Secondly, he puts his own interpretation to statistics which he himself points out are non-specific. The third weakness is that he makes an erroneous comparison with the race hatred that existed in the 1970s. It is erroneous because we have no idea whether the current phenomenon of Islamophobia has peaked or is in its earliest stages.
Malik prefers to view reports of police harassment and physical violence as perceptions of Muslims stemming from a “culture of victimhood.” He implies that they are at best examples of age-old racism, only re-labelled as Islamophobia. My own experience amongst Muslims, in my role as a GP and as an active member of the community, is that hostility towards Muslims because of their religion has dramatically increased since 11th September 2001 (Of the dozens of incidents about which I have personally heard, which include physical assaults upon women in hijab, none have been reported for official statistics. Most Muslims see no point in reporting these incidents, and certainly have not caught on to the political importance of doing so.)
Additionally, the current statistical data is neither large nor specific enough to prove or disprove the phenomenon of Islamophobia. Malik is critical of those who draw firm conclusions from such statistics, yet does the same. It is ridiculously simplistic to say that the 300 per cent increase in stop and search incidents “among Asians” is a consequence of their living near Heathrow, or that only about half of these are Muslims because only about half of all Asians are Muslim.
Neither seeking “victim status” nor new legislation is likely to curtail what I see as the most prominent causes of the hostile atmosphere to Islam in society: a climate of fear of political Islam deliberately inspired as part of the “war on terror.” In the long run robust expression and explanation of Islamic thoughts and practises will do more to address these root causes of Islamophobia.
Many of us are actively engaging in this but have met with mixed responses. The chattering classes, it seems, prefer a genteel chat with those who differ very little with their own views. The real challenge would be to embrace an “intelligent conversation” with those who honestly admit there are differences with the mainstream of society.
Dr Abdul Wahid
Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain
Prospect
7th February 2005
