The Racialization of Islam
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Islamophobia is a form of racism because it racializes religious identity by associating Muslims with certain “othering” characteristics, as Junaid Rana explains. This can include visible markers like wearing the hijab or even just having a “Muslim” last name. These markers are often tied to negative stereotypes like terrorism, fundamentalism, patriarchy, sexism, and labor migration. Unlike most forms of racism, where skin color serves as the primary indicator, Islamophobia targets people based on cultural and religious signifiers. It affects a wide range of people, including Arabs, South Asians, Africans, and even non-Muslims like Sikhs, who are often mistaken for being Muslim. All of these groups face a broader system of discrimination and exclusion rooted in a racialized view of Islam.
This kind of racism plays out in everyday situations. For instance, when I was in high school and I wore the hijab for the first time, my teacher held me back after class to ask if I was okay at home. He seemed to think that my decision might be because of some kind of pressure rather than my own choice. It was pretty clear his questions weren’t coming from an irrational fear of Islam but rather from a racist assumption that Muslim women are oppressed or forced to wear the hijab. Under this racist view of Islam, many Muslim women are often seen as victims in need of saving (typical savior complex stuff - and yes, he was a white cis man). Going from relatively white passing, to then wearing the hijab, I easily noticed when people treated me differently because I was now “visibly” Muslim, and with that visibility came a whole set of negative stereotypes and assumptions. These assumptions either made people more hostile around me, or made them give me unnecessary pity. Salman Hussain touches on this issue as well, pointing out that these attitudes go beyond just fear or dislike of Islam. They are part of a much larger system of bias and exclusion.
I also attended Jasmine Zine’s talk at Concordia, where she also made a similar point by saying that Islamophobia isn’t just about an “irrational” fear of Islam. It’s about a deep-seated hatred and discrimination directed at anyone perceived to be Muslim, no matter their actual beliefs or whether they are Muslim or not. This kind of hatred shows up in all sorts of ways, from verbal harassment to physical violence, affecting many communities regardless of racial background. The negative representation of Islam pushes the idea that Muslims are perpetual outsiders; a whole different species if not a whole different race. Muslims are seen as if they want to “convert” the whole world, and that they are not just foreign, but fundamentally at odds with Western values and norms. It makes it so that anyone who is seemingly Muslim can be discriminated against. One thing I’d like to explore is how the racialization of Muslim can intersect with other identities. For instance, gender - as women who are wearing the hijab are very clearly perceived a certain way. But I also wonder about sexuality/ability/and socio-economic status - how can that influence the way you look to others, and then how can that influence how Islamophobia is experienced?