Table of Contents

Current Social, Moral and Political Challenges of Muslims and

Their Solutions in the Light of Islamic Teachings 3
Introduction 3
Beginning of Islamophobia 3
Aftermath 4
Christchurch Incident 4
Disrespect of the Holy Quran 4
Cartoons of the Prophet 4
Hijab Ban 5
Blasphemous Movie 6
India’s Political Agenda 7
Solution of Islamophobia 9
References 11

1
 Current Social, Moral and Political Challenges of
Muslims and Their Solutions in the Light of Islamic
Teachings

“In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful.”
Introduction
For this report, we’ve decided to discuss the ongoing spread of Islamophobia and
its influence over Muslims morally, socially and politically all over the world.

Islamophobia can be defined as the prejudiced view - point towards Islam,

Muslims and matters concerning them. Lack of global representation and
knowledge of Islam in addition to the constant growth in anti – Islamic rhetoric has
made Muslims and Islam a perfect picture of terrorism and radicalism.

Beginning of Islamophobia
Islamophobia existed in premise before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
but it increased in intensity and notoriety during the past decade.

On 11th September, 2001, 19 militants belonging to Islamic extremist group Al-

Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks in USA. Two planes
were flown into the Twin Towers of World Trade Center situated in New York.
Third plane hit the Pentagon near Washington DC. The fourth plane crashed in a
field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 2977 people were killed, over 25000 people
were injured and approximately $10 billion infrastructure and property damage
took place that day.

2
Aftermath
Following the attacks, numerous cases of hate crimes, murder and harassment
against Muslims, Sikhs, Middle-Eastern people and South Asians were reported.
There were also reports of attacks on mosques and temples. People who were
perceived as Muslim faced negative consequences.

Christchurch, New Zealand

The ugliest manifestation of Islamophobia was witnessed in Christchurch in New
Zealand not too long ago when 50 Muslim worshipers were killed in an attack on
three mosques. It was reported that some members of a far-right group had been
arrested in Germany who were planning a similar attack on mosques in Germany.

Disrespect of the Holy Quran

During the post-9/11 'War Against Terror' campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, non-
Muslim soldiers burnt and flushed Quranic scripts, to offend Muslim prisoners and
force them to retaliate or get a reaction out of them.

Furthermore, some anti-Islam elements indulged in the desecration of the Holy

Quran in Norway and Sweden which invoked a strong reaction by the Muslim
community. Pakistan rightly condemned the incidents saying

“The rise of such Islamophobic occurrences goes against the spirit of any
religion. Freedom of speech cannot justify religious hatred. Ensuring respect for
religious beliefs of others is a collective responsibility and is absolutely critical
for global peace and prosperity”.

3
Hijab Ban

On 11th April, 2011, France became the first European country to boycott the full-
face Islamic veil in public places. Under the ban, no woman, French or foreign, is
able to leave their home with their face hidden behind a veil without running into
risk of a fine. 

The burqa ban in Denmark has been in effect for a year despite severe opposition.

Moreover, Austria passed a law in 2019 in order to ban Muslim girls from wearing
headscarves in primary schools which was in addition to Austria's prohibition of
full-face coverings that has been in force since 2017.

There are numerous other cases in which women in hijab or any sort of “Islamic
clothing” were attacked, harassed, stabbed or bullied.

Cartoons of the Prophet

While delivering a class on free speech, Samuel Paty, a history teacher, showed his
students some caricatures of Muhammad that had been published by the satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015.
After community complaints about this lesson, Patty was killed and beheaded by
an 18 year old extremist.
The cartoons have encouraged many Islamist attacks, including the killing of 12
people at the Charlie Hebdo office in 2015.
President of France Emmanuel Macron delivered a spirited defense of free
speech and secular values after this incident. He defended the controversial
cartoons, saying they were protected under the right to free speech.

4
Macron's government is in process of planning a new bill to fight “Islamist
Separatism”. Macron has said that Islamists have created a parallel culture in
France that rejects French values, customs and laws. He also stated that Islam is
"a religion that is in crisis all over the world".
In reaction, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Macron was
encouraging anti-Muslim sentiment and was deliberately provoking Muslims. He
also summoned the French ambassador to lodge a protest. Protests have also been
called in Pakistan and Jordan.
Turkey went all out with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that Macron
needs a “mental health check” and accusing him of running an anti-Islamic agenda.
"You are in a real sense fascists, you are in a real sense the links in the chain of
Nazism," he said of Europe, comparing the treatment of Muslims in Europe to the
Nazi treatment of Jews.
To this day, French-labelled goods are boycotted in the Muslims countries.

Blasphemous Movie
A few years ago, Arnoud Van Doorn, a notable Dutch politician from an educated
and privileged family, was the vice president of the far right Partij voor de Vrijheid
(Party for Freedom) in the Netherlands. The party had produced hate-filled rhetoric
not seen in Europe since World War II. Van Doorn’s former party was responsible
for producing the short-film Fitna, which defamed Islam. It resulted in widespread
protests throughout the world.

When he saw the outrage caused by the film, he made a concerted effort to study
the Qur’an, Hadith collections and the biography of the Prophet. He soon realized
that Islam was the total opposite of what he had thought it was. He said;

5
 “For me, Islam was a violent religion that oppressed women and was no good
for society,”

Van Doorn acknowledged the fact that his views on Islam were formed 10-15
years ago based solely on negative stereotypes and prejudices spread by the media.
He said;

"It felt like a warm blanket … The more I learned about Islam, and the more
I talked with other Muslims, the more I felt this is me."

India’s Political Agenda

The BJP government runs by the RSS ideology of ‘Hindutva’ which targets to
reshape India as a Hindu state has been pursuing communal policies, mostly
targeting the Muslim minority.

The BJP government first deprived 1.9 million Muslims in Assam of Indian
citizenship and then followed it up with the Citizenship Amendment Act which
pursues to grant citizenship to six minority communities from Bangladesh,
Afghanistan and Pakistan—except Muslims. These two anti-Muslim legislations
provoked countrywide protests, particularly against the Citizenship Amendment
Act. In an attempt to suppress this movement, BJP activists were let loose on the
demonstrators and the law enforcing agencies remained a silent spectator while
Muslims were being butchered. More than 50 Muslims were killed during the
protest movement. It was manifestly state-terrorism against its own citizens.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in an article published in The Hindu

on March 6, referring to the situation in Delhi said;

6
 “Delhi has become subjected to extreme violence over the past few weeks. We
have lost nearly 50 or our fellow Indians for no reason. Several hundred people
have suffered injuries. Communal tensions have been stoked and flames of
religious intolerance fanned by unruly sections of our society, including the
political class. University campuses, public places and private homes are bearing
the brunt of communal outbursts of violence, reminiscent of the dark periods in
India’s history. Institutions of law and order have abandoned their dharma to
protect citizens.”

A renowned Indian writer, political and human rights activist Dr. Arundhati Roy
joined the protests against anti-Muslims laws and remarked;

“You cannot get more raw and open fascist than this. These laws are breaking
the back of the Indian constitution. The Citizenship Amendment Bill and the
National Register of Citizens combined together are making petitioners out of
the entire population. The Act is anti-Muslim even it was meant only for
undocumented immigrants. To discriminate against Muslims, to leave out Sri
Lankan refugees and to not talk about persecuted Muslim minorities in other
countries is unconstitutional. When you say that citizenship will be based on the
government scrutiny of a certain set of documents, this is what happened in
1935 Germany, these were what were known as the Nuremberg laws.”

The BJP government also scrapped Article 370 of the Indian constitution, ending
special status of the state followed by annexation of the state through the Jammu
and Kashmir Reorganization Act and finally bringing in a new domicile law meant
to change demographic realities, in blatant violation of the UN resolutions,
bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan and the 4th Geneva Convention.

7
IIOK is under a complete lockdown since August 5, 2019 and the Indian security
forces have killed more than 200 Kashmiris in extra-judicial killings while the
world remains criminally indifferent to their plight. Indian security forces even
attacked a Muharram procession and reportedly killed ten people.

India’s aggressive nature towards Pakistan, its Muslim neighbor, also poses a grave
threat to peace and security in the region.

Solution of Islamophobia

Islamophobia is real. This form of racism must be made known and fought against.
Here are a couple of ways to combat this phenomenon:

 Remember the Prophet. The Prophet was subjected to horrible insults and
hate crimes in his lifetime. He remained steadfast in the face of
Islamophobia. We must model this same behavior. Allah says;

‫واصبر وما صبرك إال باهلل‬

“And be patient for your patience is but by Allah…” [an-Nahl 16:127]

‫واصبر لحكم ربك‬

” Await in patience the command of your Lord…” [at-tur 52:48].

 Incidents of Islamophobia are not isolated. Whether it's threat of bombing

Makkah, calling Islam evil, depicting the Prophet as a terrorist, disrespecting
the Quran, discriminating against Muslims, profiling Hindus, Sikhs, or
Latinos thinking they look like Muslims, torturing prisoners, bombing
civilians, these are all signs of Islamophobia.

8
 It should be noted that not all media or all non-Muslims support this type of
offensive behavior. Many have been at the forefront of condemning torture,
bombing and occupation.
 We must equate racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. They all are fruits
of the same tree of hate.
 We should start using the word ‘Islamophobia’ to define any kind of hate
crime or speech against Islam and Muslims. Doing this will make the term a
well-known part of the English language.
 If you are a part of interfaith work, bring up the topic of Islamophobia at
your meetings. Stress the urgent need of people of all faiths to help address
and condemn it. If possible, get the organization to issue a public statement
condemning Islamophobia to specific incidents like those mentioned above.
 Sponsor reports on Islamophobia. Unless more documentation and yearly
opinion surveys are conducted, people will take Islamophobia lightly. So far,
UK is the only country which has officially commissioned a report on
Islamophobia. The word has yet to become a part of American media. 
 Report any incident of Islamophobia you or people that are close to you
encounter. Write a letter to the editor and your local civil rights organization
about it.
 If it's an election year, make sure your local Congressman/Congresswoman
who relies on your vote is aware of Islamophobia. Organize a delegation of
Muslims in your constituency if possible and arrange to make a presentation
on the topic, as well as a list of clear things you would like your
Congressman/ Congresswoman to do about Islamophobia if they want your
vote.

9
  Organize a program at your local mosque or community center about the
problem of Islamophobia today. Hold a brainstorming session as part of the
program as well to discuss how to solve this problem.
 Thank those who speak and act against Islamophobia.
 Make dua that Allah guides those who hold Islamophobic views and practice
Islamophobia. The Prophet made dua for the Quraysh, asking for them to be
guided because they were ignorant said wrong things against Islam and the
Prophet.

In this age and time, we need to stick to our principles. We shouldn’t abandon
our principles for vengeance, or stoop down to a lower level. The prophetic
example was always to maintain the highest moral code, and to act with fairness
and compassion. Compassion does not mean accepting persecution but in all
our dealings, Muslims have to be people of principles.

References

1. September 11 Attacks https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-

attacks
2. Dishonoring The Holy Quran
https://tribune.com.pk/article/1167/dishonoring-the-holy-quran-anti-
muslims-are-back
3. The Islamic Veil Across Europe https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-
13038095
4. France Muhammad Cartoon Row: What You Need to
Knowhttps://www.dw.com/en/france-muhammad-cartoon-row-what-you-
need-to-know/a-55409316
5. Why Arnoud Van Doorn embraced Islamhttps://islamicvoice.com/journey-
to-islam/why-arnoud-van-doorn-embraced-islam/
6. Hate Against Islam https://nation.com.pk/04-Sep-2020/hate-against-islam
7. Tackling Islamophobia with zeal and compassion. Talk given by Sheikh
Haytham Tamim https://www.utrujj.org/islamophobia-its-causes-and-solutions/

10
11