There is no question in my mind that some people use attacks on Islam as a cover for their racism.

They don’t like dark-skinned people. Most Muslims in Australia are dark-skinned. Attacking people on the grounds of skin-colour is (rightly) seen as beyond the pale. Let's find some other avenue of attack.

Bingo!

We'll attack Islam.

And yet there are people who are not racist and who find Islam objectionable. Just as there are people who find Christianity objectionable.

Is there any OBJECTIVE way we can determine, from people's posts, whether their attacks on Islam are motivated by racism or by a genuine aversion to the Islamic belief system?

Interesting question Steven.

A few points.

1/ SKIN COLOR ?

a) I don't find dark skinned Lebanese Christians 'attacked' as you describe it. The Cronulla 'code' of *f_off lebs* mean't 'Muslim Lebs' more than 'Lebs in general' because most of the complaints I heard, both in Vic and NSW (about Cronulla) derived their reasons from something 'Islamic'.. such as the 'uncovered meat, tarts, sluts' kind of thing.
b) Southern Italians look a lot like Lebanese, but I don't see them attacked like the Lebanese Muslmis are.

2/ REVERSE RACISM The website you linked us to in another post of yours, to the daleel web site portal... there is an image of Australia with the Lebanese flag superimposed over it. Message? hmmm just like the 'under new management' of the infamous video's on youtube. (still there)

3/ LEBANESE STYLE ISLAM. In the popular lebanese muslim mind, I hardly think the deep doctrines of Islam figure prominently. Such would not be the case among those who attend the Haldon St Prayer Hall, where radicalism figures (or did at last count) more openly I understand.

4/ Muslims are many races. So, it's unlikely that picking on Islam is a way of 'getting at' a particular race. If that were so, then a lot of people would be simililarly picking on the RC or the Greek Orthodox churches.

CONCLUSON. An "Islamophobe" is a racist when his arguments make no logical theological sense and not based on Islamic foundation documents, are not based on actual history, and lack robustness when criticized and it would be more accurate to describe him or her as a 'Muslim-a-phobe'

'Islamophobia' is a very correct state of mind for non Muslims. In fact..I totally encourage it. But only when based on a careful study of what Islam truly "is" relative to the non Muslim.

I would think a lifelong racist would be hard to detect.
You could ask a writer, but he mightnt answer truthfully.
Its in most of us older folk you know...the racist thing.
It started in the school yard all those years ago when we first heard that blacks were mostly useless (adult teaching).
So we made jokes about aborigines.
As we grew up we heard that all Italians and Greeks were wogs and they were useless.
Its in the Australian people to be racist.
Ive heard people of some repute curse boat people...and I really believe that was connected to the colour of the boat peoples' skin. Yep...its in the white anglo-saxon to be that way. A relationship with Jesus sure helps get rid of it.

Maybe the linking word you're looking for between Islamophobe and racist is 'prejudice'. I guess when racism crosses to prejudice that's when the individual ignoramus doesn't care who they dislike, so long as they're not 'of them'. The 'sub-hate' could manifest as Islamophobia but be a just part of an overall prejudice. Kinda like an opportunistic bigot.

Maybe.

Prejudice.. an interesting word. Meaning that facts and truth have little bearing on a persons attitude to a situation.

I find a lot of that here:)

A good although not perfect measure of detecting if someone is truely racist is to see how many friends they have of different colour, race, shape etc. People who think tribally will always be racist. People who think biblically we view all people the same (lost in need of a Saviour), people who worship the earth will see Christians of any colour as a stench because they reject their worldview. Thankfully I find in Christ I have friends from almost every nation on earth.