Lessons from Islamophobia: mutual responsibility

Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals_115
Publication date: 05/2017
Author:
Stéphane Lathion, investigador asociado, Departamento de Sociología de la Religión y Psicología, Western Sydney University
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 Since the start of the 21st century, the excessive media coverage of Islam and Muslims in Europe has harmed the perception of these communities and relationships with them. The media have stigmatised these communities because of the inappropriate behaviour that may be attributed to many actors. This fear of Islam (Islamophobia) has increasingly become an attitude of rejection of this “other” – paradoxically both close and distant – who has been made into a kind of “enemy”. Islam is essentially perceived through the demands made by a fairly visible minority that believes it can question “European values” in the name of its faith, which is considered by some to be aggressive and seeking to conquer. This article proposes a change of focus towards greater creativity when speaking about Muslims in order to encourage a more civic approach.

Keywords: Islam, Muslims, Islamophobia, citizenship, Europe 

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DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2017.115.1.61