Faith as fate
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The racialisation of religion, particularly in Islam, resulted from historical processes that tied religious identities to larger social and political power systems. The racialisation of religious identities shows how communities define inclusion and exclusion, frequently using religion as a proxy for racial or ethnic distinction. This shift happened as religious identity, while not linked to biology, came to be regarded as an unchangeable sign of distinction.
In medieval and early modern Europe, religion was crucial in setting communal boundaries. Religious conflicts between Christian Europe and its non-Christian considered as "others," set the groundwork for these groups to be identified as distinct. During the Crusade, the Inquisition and the Reconquista in Spain, religious difference was increasingly viewed as an immutable characteristic. The forced conversion of Jews and Muslims to Christianity during Spanish control is a notable example. Even after conversion, they were regarded with mistrust since their religious backgrounds were recognised as biologically ingrained. This signified a change from religion as a collection of beliefs to something that could not be obliterated, similar to racial identity. During the growth of European colonization and the Enlightenment, the idea that religion is an unchanging feature became more formalized. As European empires spread into the Americas, Africa, and Asia, they faced people with drastically varied beliefs, cultures, and appearances. During this time, religion, particularly Islam, was racialised to legitimize their control over Muslim-majority territories in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia as a “civilizing mission”. In the post-9/11 world, Muslims are frequently perceived as a racialized group, linked to violence, fanaticism, and backwardness. In 2017, the Trump administration's travel ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries was a clear example of racialization based on religion. This process can be regarded as a sort of "cultural essentialism," in which religion is viewed as an integral element of a person's identity that cannot be divorced from their culture or race. This is seen by how anti-Muslim attitudes are frequently directed at those considered to be Muslim based on their looks, even if they do not practise the religion.