Anti-Social Networking

Abstract

With research highlighting the growing incidence of public opposition to the building of mosques and the innovative use of social networking, especially Facebook, to disseminate and garner support for such opposition, a pilot study sought to investigate this in relation to the proposed Dudley "super mosque." Focusing on the Facebook group Stop Dudley Super Mosque and Islamic Village, members were engaged online to explore why they opposed the mosque. Some of the emergent themes included planning and location, inclusion and public investment as well as those relating to notions of identity, heritage, otherness, and Islamification. Overt racist and Islamophobic reasons were also identified. The sense of political disconnect of members is also considered. Concluding with a contextualization of the findings within the existing body of scholarly output, in particular the building of mosques and Islamophobia, having recognized how spaces such as Facebook have potential to function as sites for research and method also, an extended methodological consideration is also included.

The Demonization of Islam through Social Media: A Case Study of #Stopislam in Instagram

“…Islamophobia on social media is defined by Vidgen and Yasseri (2020) [57] as "content which explicitly expresses negativity against Muslims" (p. 69). Islamophobic discourse online has also increased due to the online world's characteristics like viral, comments, and share [50]. We can observe some hashtag against Islam in social media such as #StopIslam, #StopislamizationofEurope, #IslamTerrorist.…”

“…Currently, an increase of 467.35% in Islamophobia has been certified between 2014 and 106.12% between 2015 and 2016 [47] (Figure 1). Following the attack of 11 September 2001, an international offensive known as the 'war on terror' was launched, which was pointed out by many authors as the new beginning of the institutionalization of Islamophobia [38,50]. According to Poole et al, (2020) [51], in 2016, when the Belgium attacks were perpetrated, this was reinforced and gave rise to the hashtag #StopIslam.…”

The interaction between online and offline Islamophobia and anti‐mosque campaigns: The literature review with a case study from an anti‐mosque social media page

“…This has legitimised prejudices and normalised extreme hatred against Muslims. Reeves et al (2009) observed anti-mosque campaigns, like the Dudley Mosque proposal in Birmingham, primarily conducted through Facebook with a strong following of over 19,000 (Allen, 2014). Using narratives like 'super-mosque' with a 'giant minaret', these campaigns projected the mosque as out of place in a traditional British town, emphasising otherness (Reeves et al, 2009).…”

“…Like visibility of the hijabi women, Allen (2014) argues that the increasing visuality of minarets and mosques contributed to the problematisation of Islam and Muslims as cultural, demographic and security threats. For instance, mosques and their architecture are problematised as outlandish (i.e.…”

Islamophobia and the Problematization of Mosques: A Critical Exploration of Hate Crimes and the Symbolic Function of “Old” and “New” Mosques in the United Kingdom

“…Quoting one local resident, this was evident when opposition was justified on the belief that mosques were not places of worship. As they put it, the minarets resemble "…look out posts…I know what they say they are…but the design of the buildings seem more fortified castles than spiritual houses" 19 .…”