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islamophobia part 2
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follow up to my earlier question...does anyone here actually have islamophobia or know someone who does?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I don't fear Islam but I do fear extremist Islam (as I do extremism in most other religions). But I do know people who fear that Islam is 'taking over' and that freedom of other religions may eventually be under attack - I'm not entirely convinced - I suspect the pendulum will swing back as it did with crusading Christianity.
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Sorry, but this is being pedantic and playing with semantics. It isn't helped that the word isn't well defined, but we should at least attempt to use the word as it is commonly employed rather than sticking to a totally literal interpretation.
While "phobia" may literally mean that someone has an irrational fear of something, to claim that one is not phobic of Islam because one's dislike is rational just reminds me of when you see Christians saying, "I don't fear them, therefore I can't be a homophobe. Now, excuse me while I go and deny someone the right to marry someone of the same sex".
It's not very convincing, is it? You just think, "Er, yes you are."
Islamophobia has a wider definition than the irrational fear, encompassing a more general prejudice against Muslims. It
This is not to suggest anyone on here is islamophobic, but I do think the defence being offered is weak.
One can object to multiple specific practices of a religion without being Islamophobic. One can object to aspects of Islam without being prejudiced against Muslims. If this is the case, then we should be happy to explain what it is that we do believe without hiding behind the weasel defence that we're not afraid or irrational, otherwise we just look like those homophobic Christians.
While "phobia" may literally mean that someone has an irrational fear of something, to claim that one is not phobic of Islam because one's dislike is rational just reminds me of when you see Christians saying, "I don't fear them, therefore I can't be a homophobe. Now, excuse me while I go and deny someone the right to marry someone of the same sex".
It's not very convincing, is it? You just think, "Er, yes you are."
Islamophobia has a wider definition than the irrational fear, encompassing a more general prejudice against Muslims. It
This is not to suggest anyone on here is islamophobic, but I do think the defence being offered is weak.
One can object to multiple specific practices of a religion without being Islamophobic. One can object to aspects of Islam without being prejudiced against Muslims. If this is the case, then we should be happy to explain what it is that we do believe without hiding behind the weasel defence that we're not afraid or irrational, otherwise we just look like those homophobic Christians.
According to this, the term 'Homophobia' was coined in the 1960s by George Weinberg, a psychologist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophobia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophobia