Why Hamas Attack’s against Israel Evoking the Phenomenon of Islamophobia?
Islamophobia that emerged in the 20th century has given a response and perception to Muslims. As quoted in the QIJIS journal, Islamophobia means “an exaggerated, irrational fear, hatred and hostility towards Islam and Muslims, perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in discrimination and marginalization of Muslim society from civic, social and political life” (Amanah Nurish, 2022). The negative prejudice directed at Muslims that Islam carries radical, violent teachings to non-followers has reinforced the assumption that leads to Islamophobic acts among anti-Islamists. It stems from the Iranian revolution in 1979 where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stopped US influence in Iran. Most of them have highlighted hatred of the U.S. by shouting “Death to America” which has given rise to the fact that every Iranian and Muslim will do the same to Americans. Thus, the phenomenon of Islamophobia again wracked with the tragedy of 9/11 that hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan spearheaded by Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. As a result, Islamophobia is on the rise among people who exhibit anti-Islamic attitudes.
Similarly, the war in Gaza over Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 has revived Islamophobia in several European countries and the US. Those who commit violence against Muslims in the form of actions that lead to those who use Islamic symbols such as wearing the hijab for Muslim women or exiled in public sphere for supporting freedom for Palestine. Islamophobia can be anything. Moreover, nowadays in the digital era , online media is very easy to spread hate speech against Muslims who have been perceived as “terrorist” organizations which then have a bad influence on Muslims. They consider Hamas to be like any Muslim militant group that has a vision and mission to establish a caliphate in the Middle East. As a result, most of those who exhibit anti-Islamic stances also identify themselves as anti-Arab.
In this case, of course, Islamophobia has again become a global issue in some countries in Europe amid the Israeli-Palestinian war. The media has a very big role in stirring up Islamophobia in some countries. Therefore, the media has portrayed the facts that actually happened on the ground. Islamophobia arises from reactions of fear or dislike towards Muslims by showing violence and human rights violations in religious freedom. As in Isslamophobic rhetoric that has repercussions for Muslims, it has been used by Israeli politics as a destroyer of the Muslim and Arab image. Therefore, Israel and its allies have adopted the narrative that Muslims and Arabs are enemies.
So what about Islamophobia that occurs in some countries that are Muslim minorities? Of course they get the same for Palestinian supporters. As in China, the Israeli-Palestinian war has fueled hate speech against Palestinians. Quoted from Al Jazeera that in online media appeared the comment “Palestine has no civilians. It only has little terrorists, old terrorists, female and male terrorists, who should all be wiped out.” Even so, many public opinions have formed giving different opinions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Reference
Nurish, A. (2022). Muslim-Christian Conflict and the Rise of Laskar Jihad: Tracing Islamophobia in Central Sulawesi — Indonesia. Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies, 10(2), 479–516. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v10i2.8776