A phobia is an exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. In recent years, a specific phobia has gripped Western societies – Islamophobia.
Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, aversion to, and/or discrimination against Islam or individuals who practice Islam.
Islamophobia started with political and military power dominance in the Middle East and Europe from the 6th Century to 16th Century. Misinterpretation of Islam by a group of Muslim rulers and clergy, and in recent times in Anti-Muslim media of the west. Anti-Muslim media has created fear amongst the Non-Muslims which consequently gave rise to Islamophobia.
The word Islam means peace and submission. Muslims greet each other by saying ‘Asalam’u’alaykum’ meaning ‘peace be upon you’. Like the majority of followers of other faiths, the majority of Muslims believe in seeking a just and peaceful world. Another key element in the Islamic religion is peaceful coexistence amongst one another. Unfortunately, establishing peaceful coexistence has now become a challenge in the world. We as Muslims would like to share our knowledge about the misconceptions of Islam and the views of Islam towards the peaceful coexistence of various religious groups and assure to Non-Muslims that Islam is not a religion to fear. We live in a diverse world & need to engage with each other. We need to act on teachings of Quran & Prophet (PBUH) in order to bridge the gap due to lack of knowledge regarding Islam and different theological beliefs.