The two sides of Islamophobia and the perception of threat from Islamic terrorists

Abstract

There is a heightened interest concerning the understanding of prejudice toward Muslims in Europe, steadily increasing since 2001. This study aimed at investigating whether the phenomenon of Islamophobia could have two different manifestations (i.e., Islamoprejudice and Secular Critique of Islam). In particular, we assessed whether two social attitudes, Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA, i.e., authoritarian aggression, and conservatism) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), could predict differently the two dimensions. Moreover, we wanted to investigate the different influence of the two dimensions in relation to the perceived threat from terrorism. A sample of 366 Italian adults participated in the study completing a self‐report questionnaire. Data were analyzed by means of a structural equation model. Results showed that RWA and SDO were differently related to Islamoprejudice and Secular Critique of Islam, suggesting that certain forms of critique of Islam should not be associated with individual prejudice, because motivated only by secular, democratic, and universalistic convictions, denoting the traces of cultural biases. However, the nonprejudicial and apparently less problematic dimension of Islamophobia, that is, Secular Critique, does not preserve people from perceiving the threat from terrorism, in the same way as Islamoprejudice. Implications are discussed.

Rejecting Muslim minority practices

“…However, both scales predicted opposition to, at the time, a newly built mosque in Cologne. Similar findings were reported by a study conducted in Italy (Tartaglia et al, 2019). Another study from Germany provided empirical evidence that Islamophobia is distinct from gender-based and secular-based critique of Islam (Heyder & Eisentraut, 2016).…”

Authoritarian attitudes in Russia: Right‐wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation in the modern Russian context

“…Ethnic identification was positively associated with RWA, not SDO (e.g., Duckitt & Sibley, 2016). Antisemitism was positively associated with RWA, not SDO (Frindte et al, 2005), while Islamophobia was positively associated with both RWA and SDO (e.g., Imhoff & Recker, 2012;Tartaglia et al, 2019). We expected a similar pattern for intragroup ethnocentrism as a response to threats, but a unique pattern for intergroup ethnocentrism, since the emphasis of Soviet internationalism on the anti-exploitative orientation of intercultural relations could have left a noticeable imprint on the current state.…”

“…Ethnic identification was positively associated with RWA, not SDO (e.g., Duckitt & Sibley, 2016). Antisemitism was positively associated with RWA, not SDO (Frindte et al., 2005), while Islamophobia was positively associated with both RWA and SDO (e.g., Imhoff & Recker, 2012; Tartaglia et al., 2019).…”

Terrorist attacks, Islamophobia and newborns’ health

“…Islamophobia is a phenomenon that may be experienced in several dimensions, from psychological to physical threats. It comprises expressions of prejudice, stigma, discrimination, critiques of the Islamic religion, hate speech and hate crimes against Muslims (Tartaglia, Rollero, & Bergagna, 2019).…”