Islamophobia and normative sociology

Abstract

We are living in an increasingly diverse world, an exciting prospect given that positive interactions between people from different social groups have numerous benefits. Unfortunately, however, people often fail to engage in such interactions. Moreover, there is evidence that prejudice, both at an individual and a societal level, remains prevalent. To navigate the diverse world in which we live and, in turn, promote positive intergroup relations, it is important to develop skills and beliefs that will enable us to engage confidently in cross-group relationships. This article will highlight research which demonstrates some of the many benefits of engaging in intergroup contact, from more positive intergroup relations to broader changes in the way we think. The importance of promoting confidence at engaging in contact and its potential predictors and outcomes will be considered. Finally, interventions—specifically extended contact, imagined contact and online contact or e-contact—will be outlined that can help to make people more confident, and in turn more likely to engage in successful interactions with people from different backgrounds to themselves.

Segmenting anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia: Insights for the diverse project of countering Islamophobia

“…Our view is that Islamophobia draws on the same core characteristics of racism, regarding mechanisms, processes and outcomes (Dunn et al., 2007; Fredrickson, 2002). The stereotyping of Muslims has all the essential characteristics of any form of racism – it ascribes essential characteristics, generates a hierarchy, sets out to disempower the target group, and has that effect (Dunn et al., 2007; Modood, 2020: 37). The All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims cited the association between Islamophobia and racism that had been partially made in some previous United Nations and Council of Europe reports (2018: 13, 24–25), as well as in the Runnymede’s 2017 update (Elahi and Khan, 2017).…”

“…A second step in this logic is to assert that the critique of religious groups is fair political discourse in a culturally diverse democracy. Modood (2020: 45–46) has carefully outlined what the five conditions are for such discourse to be considered civil and when they are by definition racist, the main variation largely surrounding whether there is a dialogue. Islamophobia has also been deflected and diminished through the assertion that the effects of it are not substantial.…”

“…We have put Islamophobia on the statistical slab, and we have undertaken a social dissection. Inspired by Modood’s (2020: 30) normative sociology, we are not satisfied with simply problematizing or deconstructing. Our aim is to point to ‘feasible, contextually sensitive solutions’ that can assist the diverse work of countering Islamophobia.…”

Muslim Community Organizations’ Perceptions of Islamophobia: Towards an Informed Countering Response

“…There is no shortage of literature exploring Islamophobia as a global phenomenon, with many studies examining Western Muslims' experiences of discrimination and marginalization. Since the inaugural attempt to identify and draw attention to the particularity of the UK Muslims' experiences of discrimination and inequality by the Runnymede Trust (1997), the literature has profusely engaged with theories of sociology, psychology, history and international politics, to conceptualize Islamophobia (Hargreaves 2016;Allen 2010;Iqbal 2010;Beydoun 2016;Modood 2019;Green 2015;Kumar 2012). Parallel to this conceptual attention is the growing empirical attention to capture the experiences of racism and discrimination of Muslims through documenting incidents of Islamophobia (Bridge Initiative 2015;EUMC 2006EUMC , 2006bCAIR 2015aCAIR , 2012CAIR , 2010Hafez 2016, 2019;Iner 2017Iner , 2019HIRC 2016).…”

“…Parallel to this conceptual attention is the growing empirical attention to capture the experiences of racism and discrimination of Muslims through documenting incidents of Islamophobia (Bridge Initiative 2015;EUMC 2006EUMC , 2006bCAIR 2015aCAIR , 2012CAIR , 2010Hafez 2016, 2019;Iner 2017Iner , 2019HIRC 2016). Today, "Islamophobia" is the most widely recognized and employed term to label the various manifestations of anti-Muslim experiences and prejudices, such as negative attitudes, discourses and practices against Muslims and Islam by the media, politicians and members of the non-Muslim communities (Bridge Initiative 2015; Modood 2019;Klug 2012). This paper does not intend to devise a definition or a theoretical conceptualization of Islamophobia, but rather examine Islamophobia as a lived experience, with multiple manifestations, from the perspective of MCOs' experiences of the problem and its impact on their agency.…”