Catalysing the roots of Islamophobia Meera V

Islamophobia: Catalysing its roots in accordance with surrounding factors

Meera V
Grade 10, Good Shepherd International School, Ootacamund, Palada, The Nilgiris,
Tamil Nadu, India

____________________________________________________________

Author E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract
This research paper will discuss the reasons for Islamophobia and how the factors of
culture/religion, geographical location (society), education, and beliefs can affect a
person to develop negative feelings towards Islam. The hypothesis is that there will be
chief factors that are interconnected with each other that ultimately influence
Islamophobia. It will display data collected from secondary sources that are all cited in
the References section present at the end of this paper. Some have also been quoted
directly in the research paper among the information. The method of research that has
been followed in this paper along with the participants from whom data has been
obtained and the approach of data collection has also been mentioned. Primary data
collected from people of different levels during the month of June 2024 through an
online survey from society in India on the factors of judgement based will also be
presented. Survey results sent out to 40 people have also been analysed and
mentioned. This investigation showed that the reasons for Islamophobia are connected
factors which helps people fabricate opinions independently where they connect their
personal existing experiences and beliefs. This has been detailed further in the
conclusion section towards the end.

Keywords: Culture/religion; Society; Education; Beliefs

_________

1. Introduction

Islamophobia is the “fear, hatred, and discrimination against the practitioners of Islam or
the Islamic religion as a whole.” Although it cannot be pointedly said that it is the most
disliked religion in the world as Christianity and Judaism also rank as one of the disliked
religions today. However, most people do tend to deem that it is the most disliked due to
the distaste adopted by Western societies. Many historians today trace its existence
back to the medieval Europe and the anti-Muslim behaviours pointing towards both the
Crusades of the Middle Ages when Christian emperors sought to rule over Muslim
territories. In addition, many modern scholars believe that a prime cause is the Spanish
law of limpieza de sangre (purity of blood) where discrimination against the Jew and

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Catalysing the roots of Islamophobia Meera V

Islam ton was promoted. The Ottoman Empire expansion also had a great influence on
the European people to develop negativity against Islam (Kulik, 2024). This
phenomenon did not begin abruptly in the past few years, it has developed over
centuries and aeons where negativity about Islam sparked.

In this study, the main reasons why Islam is fomented (Islamophobia) has been
investigated and described through texts and visual aids. There are six sections in this
research paper. It begins with society which has two sub-topics (surrounding community
and social media) under it. Then, education and then religion and culture. Next, the
method the investigation has followed has been displayed which has four sub-topics
(research question, participants, data collection, and results) after which the discussion
is presented three sub-topics (religion, education level, and reason) containing the
conclusion which draws up all the findings together coherently with which the research
paper ends.

2. Society

3.1. Surrounding community

When investigating the deep roots of the problem of Islamophobia, society contributes
greatly in various ways. Understanding the role society has to play is important in
discovering and studying the reason for this phobia.

Mr. Justin, holding the prestigious degree of Master of Social Work (MSW) under
Sociology, in an interview I held recently, gave an insight, stating, “Society can influence
Islamophobia for sure. For example, in the newspaper, one can see information about
recent terrorism events that may involve Muslims and that influences people to form an
opinion that Muslims are terrorists and label them as “bad people”. Sometimes, opinions
given by other people who may exaggerate the circumstances or miscommunicate
information as a result of misinformation that has been acquired can also influence
Islamophobic people. At the same time, Islam is not seen as a negative approach in all
societies. In fact, people in the lower and middle classes of society often welcome Islam
warmly and are optimistic about the religion. However, the higher classes of society,
particularly when politics gets involved, Islam can be manipulated to be perceived with
negativity.”

Societies have a significant impact on the influence of an Islamophobic individual.

According to a study conducted by Gallup, key Western societies have negative
perspectives, “prejudices, and discriminations” against Islam. People see Muslims as
disloyal people while expressing hatred towards them and even omitting Muslim
neighbours. A great deal of hatred has been shared online for Muslims to be affected
mentally significantly (Woolley, 2019). Societal interactions can pave the way for
misinterpretation and misconception along with a strong reinforcement of stereotypes
and racism as a result along the way. Moreover, hate speech can also be expressed

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offline through symbols, taunts or gestures negatively directed towards Islam or

Muslims.

In an interview with Ms. Aanya Juvvadi, a 15 year old student, expressed how she had
seen a white lady at Dubai shout at a Pakistani taxi driver and violently refused to get in
the taxi solely because he was Muslim. She made a huge ruckus in the streets that had
attracted not just Ms. Juvvadi’s attention, but a lot of people who had to step in to bring
the riot to a halt.

Historical events and crimes have a role to play in the development of one’s
Islamophobia. A very major one includes the 9/11 incident which came into effect when
al-Qaida terrorists attacked the Twin Towers and the Pentagon through an aeroplane.
Many Muslims and Arab Americans soon became the targets of enraged people. Not
only were mosques burned or obliterated following the weeks of the attack, a number of
Muslims were harassed or threatened to death. Some victims were even hit, violated or
held at gunpoint just for the mere reason of being Muslim. Crime rates significantly rose
during this period. (Alfonseca, 2021) In some places, Muslims were charged with extra
screening for security purposes in the suspects of carrying any terrorism weapons.

The “Muslim Ban” that gained popularity in the United States of America a couple years
ago, under Donald Trump’s leadership, where Muslims were prevented Muslim entries
from 7 prime countries in the United States, also served as a prominent surge to
Islamophobia. (Bakali, 2019)

The ancient and historical origins of Islamophobia can be traced long back, indeed.
However, over 205 years ago, Muslims were legally stopped from being rightful
American citizens during the time period of 1790-1944. They were seen as enemies and
contradictions to citizenship in America lawfully. This had a profound impact on
American societies by affecting social values, as well. The implication that was made
within society is the fact that Muslims are threatening and insignificant to America. Only
white Christians were offered American citizenship while excluding non-white races
which even led some Arabs to practise Christianity so that they could be deemed as a
citizen if they were white, as well. Trump’s version of Muslim ban can be compared to
the exclusion that took place centuries ago. (Bakali, 2019)

The surrounding environment of a person can surely have an impact on the way one
approaches Islam with the comments that pass within the society. Manipulation through
brainwash is common, as well. It is significant that people are self-educated about the
circumstances globally to adopt an opinion on their own according to their thoughts
instead of adapting to that in the majority in the society.

3.2 Social Media

Social media is seen as a very important force, a controversial mode of communication

that has been driving people towards Islamophobia. Influencers and general people
online have spread across a wide range of anti-Islam hate speeches that has had an

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influence on quite a lot of people, gullible or not. This has not only been a matter of
ethics, but also politics. Political parties and leaders have acquired great benefit due to
the “inauthentic” words put forth by people on social media.

As Ahmanideen and Iner significantly observe from the results from the research
conducted by Müller and Schwarz in 2021, social media assists the spread of extremist
perceptions and triggers chaotic acts such as mosque attacks.

An example of influence on Islamophobia on social media are the #Stopislam and

#Stopislamisationineurope hashtags used in Instagram, one of the biggest social media
platforms worldwide, ranking third in Statista’s study following Facebook and YouTube,
and other social media platforms like TikTok or Whatsapp. In this hashtag, Islam is
excluded by chiefly baiting Muslims and labelling them and their beliefs (prophets and
the Quran) atrociously. Certain accounts have also been made to spread hate on Islam
and reels and posts have been shared where the Quran is also disrespected by burning
the holy text. They have also gained popularity and gone viral as a result of the
interactive features like commenting, sharing, saving, and liking. This facilitation of
spreading negativity towards Islam can influence the general public greatly by
manipulating them into believing that the religion is “evil” and as an enemy race through
expressing wrong ideas that have undergone exaggeration, as well. (Civilia, 2020)

Hate speech and racist opinions are laid out in social media. The freedom of speech
that is offered in social platforms are taken advantage of by expressing opinions in an
antagonistic context. This also paves the way for stigmatisation in communities and
societies by manipulating the opinion of an individual. Henceforth, societies begin to
perceive Muslims as a threat and commence minor negative feelings or perceptions,
too. For instance, Arabs are identified as Muslims and terrorists that occur due to the
misconception of societies which inevitably leads to a communal feeling that sparks
stigmas to be birthed in the first place. Moreover, many societies also fear Muslims as a
result of these misinterpretations. Undoubtedly, racism remarkably boosts in
communities as a result of the impact social media can have in relation to Islamophobia.
The resistance to initiate changes to be made against discrimination of races, in this
context, Islam, the fear of judgement or insignificance, and the threats that may be
posed towards the upstanders are obstacles in the way of people standing fierce
against this social issue. Companies like Coca-Cola and Honda have removed their
advertisements from Facebook, the biggest social network according to Buffer, from the
1st of July, 2020, showing their support for the trending hashtag #StopHateForProfit.
Handling hate speech and misinformation unfurled in the endless network of a social
medium is uncommon nowadays, leading to great influence on people by making them
develop Islamophobia intentionally. People hide behind hate accounts, invisible to the
world individually to discriminate Muslims and make them vulnerable. (Civilia, 2020)

Social media is used to spread hate on Islam to get personal or commercial benefit in
return. It builds an idea that Muslims are threats to the society, that they are bad people
in nature to eventually persuade people that Islam is a malicious religion and to go
against them in chaotic ways. People on social media that do this mostly target the

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uneducated people who are easier to brainwash than the educated ones as their
confidence in knowledge is meagre.

3. Education
One’s education level undoubtedly contributes to the determination of the construction
of their personal opinion and views on Islam. It is the way of unveiling the truths of the
world, ugly or not. When one has thorough knowledge about a context, chances are
slim for them to be prone to the manipulation of information by the haters. It has also
been proposed several times for classrooms to educate the growing students about this
phenomenon to enlighten their bright minds for the benefit of the future as their
education determines the well-being of the future generations, considering that they are
the future faces.

Without doubt, the educational quality of an individual affects their perception towards
Islam. According to the results of a study conducted by Chapman University, it was
shown that the majority of the people did not trust Muslims whose education level was
lesser than grade 9 while the majority of the college graduates claimed to trust Muslims
which clearly shows the impact educational quality can have on the development of
Islamophobia. (Felix, 2023) Multiple movies portray Muslims as bad people. This is a
great influential factor considering that movies have a wide range of audience that may
get influenced by this portrayal. A study of around 1,000 movies showed that only 12
showed Muslim characters as good people while the others portrayed them as bad
people. (Virani, 2017) This marks the importance of unbiased information while
acknowledging the power of biassed information which makes a piece of information
misinformative. This further promotes miscommunication, boosting the presence of
misconceptions in people.

Mr. Justin, when asked about the educational factor that can affect Islamophobia,
answered, “Education is very important for one to understand different things the world
has to offer from their own lens. In this context, if one has rigorous information about
Islam and the events in the world relating to it from an unbiased point of view, he or she
can rarely get manipulated with misinformation. Take an example, if an Islamophobic
person is richly educated about Islam, she knows about the restrictions for women like
the mandatory use of parda which might be her reason for disliking Islamophobia.” Note
the importance of the term “unbiased” in this context–when acquiring information, it is a
vital factor to ensure its credibility and validity to make sure that the knowledge one is
gaining is not biassed which will automatically turn the source invalid.

From what Mr. Justin said, we can understand the powerful impact education has on an
individual’s opinion. The example he took is also helpful to understand this–one who
dislikes Islam due to its restrictions for women cannot be judged as he has a valid
reason for his distaste. At the same time, one’s opinion who simply claims that Islam is
a threatening or bad religion with no solid reason to back his opinion up is insignificant
and typically a result of external factors like influence.

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From the results acquired from the study carried out by Cintya Felix of the Political
Science Department in the Chapman University in the USA as mentioned earlier in this
paper as well, 61.91% of the people who mistrusted Islam practitioners had an
education level of less than grade 9 and 71.42% with no formal education at all. Only
32.21% with a professional and dependable educational background with a degree did
not trust Muslims. However, 28.57% with education less than grade 9 trusted Muslims
along with 44.92% who completed high school and 59.62% who attended college.
When inquired whether it is fine for Muslims to be screened extra in security stations at
the airport, 65.22% of those who agreed had an educational background of less than
9th grade while 53.58% had a college education. When asked for their beliefs of
whether it is likely for Muslims to engage in terrorist activities, 48% who agreed had
finished their grade 12 without any diploma and 33.33% were those who finished their
grade 11. The conclusions that were drawn by Felix were that lower the education level,
lesser their trustworthiness with Muslim and more the belief for Muslims engaging in
terrorist activities and receiving extra screening in airports. Education plays a profound
role in shaping peoples’ opinions by playing with their feelings, too.

In some interviews with a few teenagers, Meera (2024) observed that the majority of
them had the incorrect view or no knowledge at all on Islam and various factors related
to it. For example, a teenager was asked about her existing knowledge on the Islamic
practices for which she replied by saying that she had no idea about it. However, she
also stated that she had still seen Islamophobic acts take place around her before which
might have an impact on her stance in Islamophobia. This is where societal impact and
education come together to make an impact.

One of the main factors that is gained with quality education by people includes the
phenomena followed by Muslims like wearing hijabs for women and not eating pork. In
Islam, the biggest sin is Shirk where one worships another deity or god other than Allah,
which is polytheism. There are also Kafirs who are Muslims who do not believe in Allah
and must undergo punishment according to the Quran. These facts are often unfamiliar
for the uneducated.

From mature adults to immature children, majority Muslims have been through the
demonization of Islam by sheer exclusion in their surroundings. A 12-year-old Salik
said, ““People have called me a terrorist and other things. I think more should be done
to educate people that Islam is a peaceful religion. Extremists are only a tiny minority
and what they do is actually against everything Islam stands for.” Not only is it
disheartening to see that minors are forced to see the displeasing features of reality.
People have accused ordinary Muslims by calling them terrorists with plans to commit
arson in the town using bombs. These stigmas present in societies can only be tackled
with proper information through education. Spreading awareness about this
disappointing phobia occurring in several regions of the world is required which will help
raise open-minded kids as the quality of the future depends on them.

It would also be a great idea to introduce Islam specialists in educational units like
universities and high schools. In lower levels of the educational forums like middle or

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primary schools, even fun facts about Islam can be built on children like the fact that
mathematics concepts such as trigonometry and algebraic algorithms originated from
Islamic culture. Furthermore, even the word ‘coffee’ originates from Arabic. Education is
a weapon of mass instruction that possesses the quality to revolutionise our world.
(Virani, 2017)

First-handedly inquiring from an Isalamophobic person can be challenging as many

would prefer to refrain from responding honestly but can provide streaks of important
information if observed closely. Meera (2024) had a casual chat with Ms. Hiya
Mansukhbhai Bhimani, the daughter of a hard-core Hindu-Gujarati couple from Rajkot
whose entire family has a negative approach towards Islam. It is a generational hatred.
The man of the family owns a high-income construction company in Gujarat while the
woman is a homemaker. Directly interviewing them might not be so favourable which is
why the daughter was interviewed who preferred to keep their names unmentioned.
When asked about why her family was fairly Islamophobic, she replied, “Terrorism is the
first word that comes into their head when islam is mentioned. It isn’t like they
completely hate Islam but it is quite clear that they don’t favour it much, either. They
possess a negative viewpoint towards it. It is true that many news stories show the
terrorism activities done by Muslim like rape or bombing which has given them the idea
that Islam itself is a religion of terror because, well, Muslims make up the religion.
Additionally, they feel that women's rights are greatly violated like how women’s hands
are cut off if left uncovered in some places.” Considering that everything Ms. Bhimani
stated is true, we can notice their stagnant and narrow-minded impression with Muslims
being the only face of Islam but at the same time the validity of their opinion. Their
reasons also lurk around past circumstances which some might describe as outdated
reasoning. We can note the characteristics of fundamentalism in this scenario.

During an interview with a 14-year old teenager about the topic, Meera (2024) asked
her about her views towards Islam to which she replied by saying that she was scared
of them due to the popular news she regularly heard of. A thought is instilled in her mind
that Muslims are terrorists and actively engage in criminal activities. This reflected the
importance of society merging with the education one has to contribute in cohesion to
this phenomenon.

Without doubt, it can be said that the quality of education one possesses, stronger their
knowledge to adopt a concrete opinion which not only they themselves can believe in,
but the world, as well. Instilling correct knowledge about the world in people is needed
to avoid Islamophobia because of misinformation and influence.

4. Religion and culture

The religious and cultural background of a person can have an influence on their
perception of Islam. As a result of the stigmas or stereotypes present in these religions
or cultures can pass on from generation to generation and therefore, individual to
individual which can also be labelled as a tradition. It plays an important role in
influencing people and pushing or nudging them towards Islamophobia which is a

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significant factor of how populations of Islamophobic people increase. Moreover, it is

also important to understand that this effect of faith and ways of practice differs in
different beliefs and civilizations.

People can also tend to lean towards Islamophobia as a result of the culture they were
brought up in. In India, for example, slums and villages are highly religious and cultural.
Religious stigmas are significant influential causes of this phenomenon which had
varying impacts in different nations. Although no religions openly show hate for Islam,
the beliefs and experiences of followers are mistakenly reflected on the religion they are
from. In depth, one may see Islam as a pessimistic force if their religious beliefs are
being contradicted by the way of Islam. For example, tracing back, a German interior
minister Hans-Peter Freidrich publicly expressed that “Islam does not belong to
Germany” which undoubtedly had a major impact on Germans to develop Islamophobia.
(Kunst, 2012).

A recent study conducted by Snopes revealed that Christian evangelicals (teaching

according to the Christian culture or the gospel), in cohesion, formed a network of
different pages on Facebook to spread hate on Islam, all connected to one person who
was behind it all–Kelly Monroe Kullberg, an evangelical activist. These pages not only
claimed that Islam is “not a religion”, but also stated that Muslims are “violent” and
“duplicitous”. In addition, Muslim refugee resettlements were also commented upon, by
saying that it is “cultural destruction and subjugation”. A couple of hours later France’s
famous Notre Dame collapsed in April 2019, this network implanted doubts that Muslims
were involved in the unfortunate incident. This network was formed to boost and
promote Donald Trump among society Islam practitioners are seen as forces of attack in
some societies. (Kasprak, 2019) Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of
Muslims from the United States” as a result of his rise which only worsened the already
existing Islamophobia.

Western societies have also been noted to have a role to play with Islamophobia. As
Edward Said, a Palestinian-American argued, values of the West have dominated the
Islamic world through “consumerism” where Arab factories provided oil for the world and
were offered antagonism towards their religion in return. (Allen, 2022)

We can understand this better by gaining the perceptions of the true followers of Islam
to know how they really feel. Meera (2024) interviewed Mrs. Shaharjan Ali Khan, aged
67 who is educated and has followed Islam wholeheartedly her entire life. She has also
raised her children to follow Islam diligently. When asked about her opinion on why
people dislike Islam, she replied “Most of us Muslims often ignore those kinds of people
as much as we can but I think that the reason for their distaste is often rumours or
information that they hear around them.”

Christianity and Islam are often said to have an inevitable clash between their beliefs
and practices negatively. The main root for this problem is the Trinity–the concept that is
about the belief that God is in 3 persons (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) which is
rejected by Islam where practitioners perceive God as a singular body with no

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associates. While both the religions acknowledge Jesus as a powerful figure, their
beliefs of his death differ. Christians believe that he is the son of God who was crucified
on a cross for the sins committed by humanity while the Muslims believe that he never
died but was taken up to heaven by God and was actually God’s prophet. (Khurshid,
2023) Abraham, a significant prophet in Christianity is called Ibrahim in Islam. Despite
this figure that the two religions shade, there is undoubtedly a tension that drives
Christians to develop Islamophobia.

Investigating the roots of Islamophobia from a neutral perspective is also paramount

and the best way is surely to ask an agnostic. Mr. Nagarajan Ramayya, a Hindu from
birth but an agnostic by adulthood had valuable information to share. He is a graduate
from a great university abroad and possesses wealthy knowledge, especially in terms of
religions. When probed about his views on the causes of Islamophobia, he said with
enchantment, “Islamophobia can definitely occur due to a wide range of reasons but I
especially think that it is influence that has the most prominent impact. That influence
can be from society but religion, as well. When someone is a strapping believer or
follower of a religion, they often tend to see other religions as a threat. For example, the
rule of Muslims during a period of time may have sparked execrable hate in some
people of other religions. Their cultural background also plays a major role.”

Furthermore, we also need to take into account the difference between religion and
culture that can often tend to get confused by people. As Oxford accurately outlines the
definition in the international dictionary, religion is the faith of the presence of a
supernatural power in idolised or just a belief of a formless power diversely, mainly a
God or gods which bases their beliefs and may drive their lifestyle. An example is
Confucianism or Zoroastrianism. Culture, on the other hand, as defined by clerks in the
prestigious Boston University, is the means of life of a large society which involves a
wide array of factors from manners and dress code to arts and norms which can
contribute to change in humans or a whole community. The difference is that culture is a
way of living where one chooses his or her values and morals while religion is the
choice a human makes in the subject of their belief of a supernatural power. Although
the Quran teaches its followers to have a noble mind, forgive and accept others,
especially those of other religions easily, respect their rights, and have humane values,
some still say that they create divisions.

In the same interview with Ms. Bhimani, she also spoke about how her parents feel
pessimistic about Islam due to the historical events where Hindus were commonly
mistreated by Muslims and the major time in India where Muslim rule was popular, like
the Delhi Sultanate which established a great importance of Muslims in the Indian
subcontinent. Many benevolent yet cruel rulers made their unwavering mark in the
history of the country that the couple may be phobic towards.

Religions and cultures may not necessarily instigate negativity towards Islam but it
certainly depends entirely on the mind of the individual that determines the fomentation
of Islamophobia. The way we view things in accordance with our existing knowledge,
environment, and experiences have an imperative say on our opinions of Islam.

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5. Method

5.1. Research question

Having a research or inquiry question for an ethnographic investigation that is being

conducted is important to have a clear and focused approach to the entire research so
that the results can also be used to draw conclusions coherently concerning the subject
of discussion. Understanding the reasons for Islamophobia in society while considering
the factors of one’s society, religion or culture, and education is my true intention behind
this whole investigatory process. To do that, formulating a dependable and clear
research question is very useful. Therefore, considering the judgemental factors that
lead for the origin of Islamophobia, this effectively demonstrates that the research
question that can be made:
What is the most substantial factor out of religion/culture, education, and society that
affects the commencement of Islamophobia?

5.2. Participants

The participants for this research are

150 people from various societies, ages,
and backgrounds conducted during the
month of June, 2024. There were 66
males and 84 females. Their ages
ranged from 13 to 63, differing in
education levels, henceforth. They were
from different religions–Hinduism,
Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism,
atheism, agnosticism, and mixes or
combinations, as well. This survey will
be ethnographically approached.

5.3. Data Collection

In order to collect data without any troubles for both the participants of the research and
myself, a survey made on Google Forms was sent out to them that inquired about their
education level and their reason for their antagonism towards Islam. Interviews would
have taken time to execute as timings may clash and a comfortable timing where both
the ends are free is difficult to find. The results that have been acquired will aid for a
comparative analysis between the factors that will ultimately contribute to the
formulation of a coherent conclusion towards the end of this research paper. The
participants were given the choice to refrain from answering if they were uncomfortable
to do so. Excluding their age, sex, and religion, the questions were brief yet easy to
answer as all of them had multiple choices to pick from, easing the responding process

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simpler. It was ensured that the questions were not too pushy to maintain the sensitivity
of the topic. They inquired questions related to both quality and quantity.
The questions that were added were:
1. Educational level
Options: Attended university, School level (Grade 11/12), No school, Middle/High,
Refrain from answering.
2. Are you comfortable with Muslims?
Options: Somewhat, Yes, No.
3. How well do you think Muslims are included in societies in today’s modern
scenario on a scale of 1-5?
1-5 range options: 1 - Not included at all; 5 - Very well included.
4. How familiar are you with Islamic beliefs and practices?
Options: Very familiar, Somewhat familiar, Unfamiliar.
5. Have you ever seen or experienced attacks towards any religion before?
Examples include rude gestures and comments, physical harm, social media
hate or threat posts, etc.
Options: Yes, No.
6. If yes, what religion did you see get attacked? Select all that apply.
Check-boxes: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Other
7. What kind of attack did you witness? Select all that apply.
Check-boxes: Verbal hate (discrimination), Physical harassment or assault,
Online hate speech, Vandalism in religious places.
8. Why do you think Islamophobia happens? Select all that apply.
Check-boxes: Information people hear or see, Traditional or cultural beliefs,
Personal reasons, Societal influence (social norms or stigmas), Just like that,
Other.
9. Can the hatred towards Islam or Muslims align with the hatred towards Judaism
or Jews (anti-semitism)?
Options: Yes, No, Maybe.
10. Do you believe that Islamophobia is a serious concept to be considered in our
society?
Options: Yes, No, Maybe.

5.4. Results

The data that was collected through the online survey answered the inquiry question set
in the beginning of the investigation. As the surveys were sent to different age groups,
three different forms were made to paraphrase the questions accordingly to ensure
clarity–one for adults and the elderly, one for teachers and professionals, and one for
adolescents and teenagers. With the help of the feasible online software, the results
were colour coded comfortably with varying colour shades for different options chosen
by the respondents. The results also reflected great diversity in all of the different areas
that were inquired. The following were the results obtained from the survey for simple
questions that set the ground:
1. Religion

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2. Sex

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3. Age

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4. Islam or Muslims

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5. Islamophobia

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6. Anti-semitism correlation

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6.

Discussions

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6.1. Religion and Culture

From the results that the primary investigation showed, it can be inferred that it is mostly
people outside the dominating religions of Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity who can be
atheists or agnostics, as well, had a disliking towards Islam. Following them are Hindus.
However, other than Muslims, Christians, other followers, and some Hindus seem to like
Islam. Although there is a difference between the religions, one cannot imply that
religions are an accurate judgement factor to know the origin of Islamophobia as it is a
factor that changes from individual to individual based on what they choose to believe.
This data may also change in the future so it cannot be surely implied that this data is
sure or permanent forever.

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From this visual aid, it can be said that the majority are unsure or disagree about the
relationship between Islamophobia and anti-semitism. From the youngest age group
from 13-18, 19 answered yes, 18 disagreed, and 53 said that it might be. The sample
size for the adults are comparatively much lesser because many failed to revert back to
that question when the form was sent. This can denote the fact that people are
commonly unsure about this topic and especially its correlation with Islamophobia. As
anti-semitism is a subject that is gradually gaining fame day by day due to the
Israeli-Gaza conflict, the population of anti-semitic people is also heightening which can
result in similar disappointing effects that Islamophobia also results in which is why
these topics can be correlated with each other. As both the topics deal with the
discrimination, hate or prejudice directed towards a religion or beliefs, they both need to
be seriously addressed in societies, at both local and global levels, and get more
recognised by people.

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Catalysing the roots of Islamophobia Meera V

6.2. Education level

From this column bar graph displaying the education level of the respondents against
their Islamophobic status coded in various colours. We can see that although the ones
who refrained from stating their educational background disliked Islam the most,
compared with the other options, with 10 people in the calculation. 2 others who had
education till school disliked Islam and 5 people who had no school education at all also
disliked Islam. However, none of the respondents who attended university admitted to
having an antagonism towards Islam although 7 of them were neutral with it. The
reason for this circumstance might be that one adopts clear and unbiased information
from good education which lets them fabricate an opinion on their own without getting
affected by the biassed and data of misconception spread in some communities and
areas while those who do not have great education tend to succumb to the wrong
information which makes them form a misinterpreted opinion of Islam. However, it is
also essential to take into account that there are also people who do not mind these
strong topics and prefer to either stay optimistic or on a neutral stance with Islam.

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Catalysing the roots of Islamophobia Meera V

6.3. Reason

From this pie chart, we can see that the clear majority option for the reason of
Islamophobia that the respondents chose was society influence. 10 people preferred to
not answer and 7 respondents gave other reasons. These other reasons included
fundamentalism, powerplay by Muslims, disrespect, and national historical terrorism
issues posed by Muslim countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan that are along the
lines of this concept considered. Fundamentalism refers to “strict adherence” to the
rules of the religion, especially Islam which is one of the most important reasons
Islamophobic people incline towards when inquired–the strictness of Islamic rules.
Muslims have also shown great power play in the past. For instance, the rule of Delhi
Sultanate in India for long years was based and continued to be ruled by Muslims.
Although the rulers were often cruel with their ways of management of enemies, their
effect on the country was important for Muslims. There are chances that this might have
had a pessimistic effect on the other religion followers, though. Additionally, many
Indians who are Islamophobic seem to dislike Mulsims or Islam in general because of
the Indo-Pakistan issues as Pakistan, an officially Muslim country, had done several
terrorism activities in India like bombing and hostage of Indian soldiers which has driven
few Indians to develop antagonistic views towards Islam. They had applied the views of
these unethical terrorism practices by forming a stagnated opinion that it might be the
same in other places in regard with Muslims or Islam. The results above also show that
10 people think Islamophobia may be due to traditional or cultural beliefs and 32
because of information one hears or sees around. 22 respondents answered that it
might be due to Muslims which can be a factor due to the information that is spread
around.

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Catalysing the roots of Islamophobia Meera V

As a result of this whole research or investigation conducted, it could be observed that

the roots of Islamophobia through both secondary and primary sources. The information
that has been acquired is credible and informative with comparative analysis.

Various factors (education, religion and culture, and society) that can affect how one
views Islam were studied. The quality of education one possesses, undoubtedly has a
role to play in how they shape an opinion about Islam and also decreases chances of
getting impacted or rather manipulated by misconception or misinformation. Religion, on
the other hand cannot be an accurate judgement factor as no religion would openly
express negativity towards any other religion. However, a follower’s beliefs will affect the
way they see Islam as the research has shown. Culture, however, is a solid judgement
factor as the tradition that is being followed in communities and families, as passed on,
creates a stagnant opinion on the subsequent generations which is both a positive and
negative thing. If the negative opinion of Islamophobia is passed on, the result of
producing Islamophobic people is inevitable.

Conclusion
To ultimately sum up everything that has been presented, a conclusion that can be
drawn is that the reasons for the precise purpose of Islamophobia are often various
factors linked together that helps people form opinions on their own using those. The
hypothesis has also been proved to be correct because an observation was made that
there are various factors connected to each other that eventually caused Islamophobia.
It also differs for exactly each person based on their experiences and core beliefs.
Inevitably, there are factors like society and culture that can influence this phenomenon
but no singular pointed reason for it. One can never pinpoint it on a person for being
Islamophobic, either. It all depends on perspective and position, no judgements can
ethically be made. This entire research has helped me understand just that.

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