Concerns about Islam is not "Islamophobia"

Australia’s Envoy of Islamophobia has released a report with 54 recommendations on how to combat Islamophobia.[1]

Islamophobia is defined as the fear, prejudice, or hatred of Muslims and Islam, often leading to discrimination and hostility. This prejudice can result in verbal and physical attacks, social marginalisation, and bias, affecting Muslims.

The report highlights examples of Islamophobia and asserts that it is now widespread in Australian society. In this article I want to present a Christian perspective on responding to Islamophobia.

The Islamophobia Report

The report by the special envoy is, in my opinion, disturbing. James McPherson has given an excellent review of it and I report that here:

Special envoy Aftab Malik wants the Australian Government to formally recognise International Day to Combat Islamophobia. Government departments are asked to hold workshops addressing unconscious bias against Islam. The Home Affairs Department is instructed to review how anti-terror laws might have unintended consequences for Muslim communities. If the envoy gets his way, schoolteachers will undergo training on Islamophobia as well as on Islamic theology. Universities would be required to incorporate modules on Islamophobia as essential components of their courses. And all Parliamentarians, and their advisers, would be made to undergo compulsory training on Islamophobia, every year. But there was one recommendation I found particularly curious. And to me, it demonstrated perfectly just how unserious this entire report was. The Albanese government’s Islamophobia envoy wants an inquiry into “anti-Palestinian racism”. Because, of course, when Australians get cranky about their CBD being shut down every weekend by marchers chanting “From the river to the sea,” it could not possibly be about the Hamas flags, the intifada slogans, or the calls to wipe out the world’s only Jewish state. No, no — Australians just woke up one morning and thought: You know what we need today? A new minority to irrationally hate. Aftab Malik says Palestinians feel unsafe expressing their identity. Possibly because their public “identity” — has, for the past two years, almost been expressed by blocking traffic, shouting for the death of Jewish soldiers, and waving banners that make ASIO twitch. But instead of telling activists to tone it down, Aftab Malik wants taxpayers to fund a Commission of Inquiry into why Australians are not applauding. It is the progressive playbook in a nutshell: do not change the behaviour — criminalise the criticism. So sure, let us have a national investigation into why Australians are not thrilled about weekly traffic jams and chants for the destruction of Israel.

A sober response to this report would be that it is an attempt to subjugate all criticism of Islam.

Possible Concerns about Islam

Why is there a concern about Islam in the wider community?

Are there valid reasons to view Islam with suspicion?

I think there are:

Muslims tend not to assimilate in the same manner that other migrant groups have.

Muslims are often in the news for protesting issues that do not concern mainstream Australia.

There are Muslim majority countries where Islam is dominant and the perception is that there is intolerance of other religions. An horrific example of Muslim aggression against Christians is seen in Nigeria where thousands of Christians have been killed by Muslim jihadists.

One voice that raises these concerns is that of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She gained international attention following the murder of Theo van Gogh by an Islamist who threatened that she would be next.

Her book Infidel tells her story.[2] Raised in a strict Muslim family, Hirsi Ali survived civil war, female mutilation, brutal beatings, adolescence as a devout believer during the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and life in four troubled, unstable countries ruled largely by despots. She escaped from a forced marriage and sought asylum in the Netherlands, where she earned a college degree in political science, tried to help her tragically depressed sister adjust to the West, and fought for the rights of Muslim women and the reform of Islam as a member of Parliament. Under constant threat, demonised by reactionary Islamists and politicians, disowned by her father, and expelled from family and clan, she refuses to be silenced. She has become a Christian and warns of the dangers of fundamentalist Islam to those who hold to Western values.

Another area of concern is the teachings expounded in the Quran. The Quran is held by Muslims to be the infallible word of God. Therefore, its teachings are important for the sincere Muslim.

Here is a simple outline of what the Quran has to say about the treatment of infidels or the unbeliever in three different surahs (chapters):

Surah 2:191 – “slay the unbelievers.”

Surah 3:28 — “Muslims must not take infidels as their friends.”

Surah 47:4 — “Do not seek peace with the infidels, behead them when you catch them.”

There are many references in the Quran that echo the same sentiments.

Disagreement is Not Hate

It is important that we understand that disagreeing with a religious view or an ideology does not mean that we are embarking on hate speech. To put it simply, disagreement is not hate. If we are restricted in the ability to criticise a differing point of view, a religion, or an ideology then we are removing a fundamental human right of free speech. I do not trust our current government to act wisely in this situation. Recently $27 million has been given to an Islamic group where the Mufti associated with it has called for jihad. This is an irresponsible act on the part of our government. It seems to me that the current federal Labor government is keen to appease Muslims but not so keen to address other vital issues of discrimination. Christians are discriminated against. I hear nothing from them expressing a concern about this. They have aired some concerns about antisemitism but actions speak louder than words. They have done nothing to combat antisemitism. Rather, in my opinion they are subtly promoting it. That may be contentious but that is how I perceive their actions.

I do not condone attacks on Muslim women because they wear a particular garment that identifies them as Muslim. But there are laws to prevent this and there is no need for any other laws to be implemented. If we are going to have a socially cohesive society, then we must not allow an intolerant, totalitarian ideology to determine what we are allowed to say and what we are allowed to do.

Christianity and Islam are not Compatible

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins, and on the third day rose again from the dead. He lives now and is fulfilling the kingdom purposes of God bringing history to an end when he returns. This is witnessed to in the Holy Scriptures and in our ancient creeds. This is in stark contrast to Islamic beliefs about Jesus. The Quran has several references to Jesus, and here I note two important ones. First, the crucifixion of Jesus is denied.[3] Second, the Quran strongly asserts that “God” does not have a son and that he is one and so denies the Trinity.[4] To question what Muslims believe and express our viewpoint is not Islamophobia. In a free society we have the right to defend our beliefs and challenge those who disagree with us.

The Way Ahead

The way ahead is not to allow a totalitarian, intolerant, ideology to have the final say in all areas of our society. This is what the 54 recommendations in the report would permit. The recommendations should be rejected.

Therefore, there should be an encouragement to respect people, to respect our differences and allow sensible dialogue where appropriate. The acceptance of the report on Islamophobia as a basis for a policy in responding to Muslims’ beliefs and practices in our country would be a serious restriction on free speech in Australia. I point out that one of the recommendations is that the issue of religion should be removed from anything to do with terrorism. However, most terrorist incidents are perpetrated by radical Muslims.[5] We cannot stand against evil if we do not recognise what evil is.

Conclusion

The narrative associated with Islamophobia is being used to restrict sensible debate. Islamophobia is being used to identify problems that can be dealt with by laws already legislated. To cry Islamophobia when an injustice occurs and hence prescribe special treatment for Muslims is to disrupt social cohesion and it discriminates against non-Muslims.