I think that Steven's basic premise is quite correct, i.e. that many people's antipathy towards, and irrational fear of, Islam and Muslims is a 'cover' for their racism towards non-Europeans in general. However, there are many Islamophobes whose prejudice derives from what might be termed ideological grounds - including religion, politics, feminism etc. For others again (probably the majority), their Islamophobia is simply an expression of xenophobia, where the universal sociocultural phenomenon of ethnocentrism (where one's own culture is presumed to be superior to others) is amplified to become a generalised fear of and antipathy towards those of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

While these analytic terms - Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism - are not interchangeable, they share the common characteristic of being the basis for widespread prejudice against people because of some perceived difference that is thought to be innate, or essential to the object of prejudice.

I think that when Islamophobia is expressed in terms that attribute certain innate and negative characteristics to all Muslims irrespective of the personal qualities and actions of individual Muslims, then the distinction between Islamophobia and racism becomes blurred.

For example, Islamophobia based on an antipathy towards the religion of Islam and certain practices carried out in its name (or more reasonably on the activities of Islamists) is not racism, although it is structured similarly. However, Islamophobia that attributes negative innate qualities to all Muslims (e.g. they are untrustworthy, violent, criminal, prone to gang rape) on the basis of their religion and/or ethnicity, is indeed a form of racism.

Ironically, I think that one reason for the rise of Islamophobia in Australia has been the success of 'political correctness' in suppressing the expression of overtly racist sentiments that still linger in our cultural underbelly. Islamophobia seems to provide a convenient outlet for the expression of mindless hatred that used to be directed against Asians and Aboriginal people, that is no longer socially acceptable.

Of course there are other factors at work, but I think that is a major contributor to the advent in Australia of Islamophobia.

Just to expand briefly on that last sentence, I think that another major factor in the rise of Islamophobia and its conflation with racism and xenophobia in Australia, has to be Australia's participation in the so-called 'War on Terror' over the past 5 years.

Although Western governments who are members of the 'Coalition of the Willing' are at pains to distinguish between terrorism and Islam per se, this distinction is not made by their hoi polloi - who are fed a constant diet by tabloid media of anti-Islamic reports and facile analysis. We're at war with the ragheads, and they're all Muslims aren't they?

It's almost mandatory in warfare to dehumanise the perceived enemy, and racist propaganda has long been a weapon used by governments to whip up support for unpopular wars on the home front. I think that the Howard government cynically manipulated good old Aussie racism into the very ugly Islamophobia we see expressed all too often, and which actually fosters the kind of alienation upon which terrorism thrives.

The use of the word prejudice here is interesting.

Here are some common definitions of prejudice:

"an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE, THOUGHT, OR REASON."

"any PRECONCEIVED OPINION or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable."

"UNREASONABLE feelings, opinions, or attitudes, esp. of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group."

IN other words:

A leftie pundit who assumes, without bothering to understand my reasoning, that my antipathy towards Islam is based on "prejudice" is himself guilty of prejudice. Prejudice towards me that is.

No one here has answered the question I posed. In the light of CJ's post I am going to alter it slightly.

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

RUNNER,

The worst Jew haters can at some point be relied upon to say "Some of my best friends are Jews."

Let me come clean. I have Muslim colleagues and acquaintances but no Muslim friends. On the other hand those I do count as my friends span the gamut of skin tone, gender, sexual orientation and continental origin. Most of my friends are either secular or wear their religion lightly.

CJ

"Islamophobia that attributes negative innate qualities to all Muslims ….on the basis of their religion …is indeed a form of racism."

You would unhesitatingly attribute negative qualities to someone who professed to be a strong John Howard supporter.

Similarly I have no hesitation in attributing negative qualities to those who profess to believe that the crazed utterances of a psychopathic seventh century Arabian warlord is the last word to humanity of the creator of the universe.

OF COURSE WE ASSESS PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF WHAT THEY PROFESS TO BELIEVE.

Note, I am talking about true believers here, not people who are only culturally Muslim.

CJ your last post assumes that the rise of Islamophobia is a bad thing. Why should rising antipathy towards a crazy belief system be bad?

stevenlmeyer:

"OF COURSE WE ASSESS PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF WHAT THEY PROFESS TO BELIEVE."

Indeed, but that is quite a different thing to "asessing" people on the basis of what we assume they believe - which is, of course, prejudice.

"Note, I am talking about true believers here, not people who are only culturally Muslim."

The problem arises when prejudiced people conflate the "true believers" minority with the "only culturally Muslim" majority. Exactly the same applies with Christianity or any other religion, of course. Islam will inevitably become more integrated into Australian society and culture with time, as Muslims inevitably become more secular with each generation. Unless of course we manage to alienate further the current generation of Australian-born Muslims, which is what we seem to be doing.

"CJ your last post assumes that the rise of Islamophobia is a bad thing. Why should rising antipathy towards a crazy belief system be bad?"

Of course the rise of Islamophobia is "a bad thing". A rational antipathy to all "crazy belief sytems" is one thing, but it is quite another to become phobic about one in particular. In my opinion those who claim to be Islamophobic on theological grounds are even more problematic than the closet racists, because they know better what they are doing.

I'm interested to know what the Islamophobes think will be the product of their belligerent intolerance of Muslims in Australia? Are they going to pack up and return to their (or their parents') countries of origin? Do we ban the practice of Islam?

Sorry folks - it ain't gonna happen. So what's the only other possible outcome of increased prejudice and intolerance towards Muslim Australians?

STEVEN.....you are asking for an objective assessment of subjective utterances. Most of what people way is based on their prejudices.

Let me use CJ as an example here..

It seems to be most difficult for CJ to see the difference between negative feeling about a religion and negative feelings about the followers of it. But he is getting closer these days :) I see hope in his last post.

EXAMPLE.

<Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism - are not interchangeable, they share the common characteristic of being the basis for widespread prejudice against people because of some perceived difference that is thought to be innate, or essential to the object of prejudice.>

Now..the first term "Islam-ophobia" is only about 'beliefs/teachings/doctrines' but racism and the others, are only about 'people'.

Now.. the day that CJ learns to keep 'people' separate from 'ideas' is the day when we all rejoice and have some bubbly and sing Kumbaya together holding hands :) In short it will be a great day for OLO.

Steven shows his own biases about the character of Mohammad, and I share those assessments completely, but I believe this 'bias' is in fact more objective than the bias of Muslims who proclaim him the "Best of all Mankind"..

Why so? Simple. all one needs to do is list his behavior, and then compare this to what is considered acceptable even in many pagan societies, and we find he falls not only short, but abysmally short.
Compare Mohammad with Christ, and you are stuck b4 you start.. there IS no comparison. (except possibly to say they are as different as the East is from the West)

CJ wrote

"… but that is quite a different thing to "asessing" people on the basis of what we assume they believe…"

When someone professes Islam, and here I'm talking about the true believers, those who are to, borrow a metaphor, "Allah botherers," then yes I do attribute negative qualities to them. The reason for this is my understanding of what they have to believe to be an adherent of contemporary Islam.

My understanding of contemporary Islam in turn derives from five sources:

--The koran,

--The ahadith

--Various books – see for example The Legacy of Jihad by Andrew Bostom

--Talking to various scholars of Islam

--MOST IMPORTANT – talking to Muslims, asking them about their beliefs. I have been doing that since the year Melbourne last won a grand final.

Based on these sources I find I cannot respect anyone who professes Islam.

The top 5 global religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Chinese "universism" and Buddhism. I know nothing of Chinese universism. Of the rest I find Islam to be the most loathsome of the lot. I would put Hinduism with its caste system second. Christianity I put third. Buddhism I find the most benign of the lot.

CJ Wrote:

"The problem arises when prejudiced people conflate the "true believers" minority with the "only culturally Muslim" majority."

You infer that true believers are a minority.

You know this how? And how much of a minority?

I am not saying you are wrong. I am asking how you know this.

Where will "belligerent intolerance" towards Islam lead?

Depends what you mean. If you mean violent intolerance I want none of that.

If you mean a robust intellectual attack on Islam I hope it will keep Islam on the margins of the public sphere where it belongs. "Belligerent intolerance" helped free us from Christian oppressiveness and will, I hope, keep us free of any vestiges of shariah.

None of this, of course, answers my question CJ.

Do you, for example, think my attacks on Islam as motivated by racism, xenophobia, etc?

If so, why?