OPINION - Trump did not start Islamophobia, but he will make it clear

• Islamophobia is not about theology—it is about racism, directed at markers of Muslimness. This can include the clothes people wear, the food they eat, the places where they live, or the causes they support

- The author is a professor of Social Theory & Decolonial Thought.

ISTANBUL

The re-election of US President Donald Trump is not the cause of the intensification of Islamophobia but its symptom. For decades, opinion shapers and policymakers, think tanks, social media, and journalists have been complicit in the spread and entrenchment of Islamophobia. The normalization of Islamophobia has allowed far-right ideas to become mainstream. What was once considered the rhetoric of far-right extremists has now become routine public commentary in Western plutocracies. It is not only the electoral strength of far-right parties that has fueled the growth of Islamophobia—organizations and parties of the Left, Centre, and Right have all contributed to its expansion and escalation.

In the summer of 2024, before the re-election of Trump, an Islamophobic pogrom took place in Britain. The violence was sparked by the rumor that a Muslim refugee had murdered three young girls. Mosques were attacked, individuals perceived to be Muslim were physically assaulted in the streets, and arson attacks were carried out on refugee hostels. This shocked many who believed Britain to be one of the few Western nations where Muslims could live in relative safety. However, as it turned out, the perpetrator of the murders was neither a refugee nor a Muslim, but a British citizen and a Christian. The fabrication and circulation of this rumor demonstrate how deeply Islamophobia has become embedded in society.

Islamophobia is not an outlier. It is not just tech billionaires, media moguls, or demagogues who promote it—it is entrenched in the criminal justice system, immigration policies, and the education system. It manifests in the demolition of homes in occupied Palestine and Modi’s India, in the coercive Sinification of mosques in China, in the burning of Qur’ans, in bans on minarets, in physical assaults on hijabi women in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, in acts of arson and murder, and in the spread of apartheid and genocide.

The re-election of Trump did not create Islamophobia, but it has clarified what needs to be done. After Gaza, even the most obtuse observers must now recognize that neither the United States nor the European Union can be considered reliable defenders of human and civil rights. After the re-election of Trump, it is clear the rise of the far right is not a blip that will self-correct.

Islamophobia connects ethno-nationalists across the world. It enables apartheid and genocide, allowing professional gaslighters to masquerade as journalists and truth-tellers. Indifference is no longer an option. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. We do not need more interminable discussions about defining Islamophobia—we need focused action to combat it.

What is needed is public education, not another definition. Myths persist: that Islamophobia is a reaction to Muslim behavior, that fear of Islam is justified, or that if only non-Muslims understood “the real Islam,” the problem would disappear. But Islamophobia is not about theology—it is about racism, directed at markers of Muslimness. This can include the clothes people wear, the food they eat, the places where they live, or the causes they support, and it shifts depending on locality and context. It does not matter if someone is a “practicing” Muslim or atheist; Islamophobia targets Muslimness, regardless of belief.

Public education and international anti-Islamophobia alliance

A large-scale public education campaign is needed—one that understands Islamophobia as a form of racism rather than a religious disagreement and raises awareness of its impact on societies as a whole. No public education campaign can succeed without acknowledging that Islamophobia is also a state project. Many governments and their agencies are dedicated to perpetuating Islamophobia rather than combating it. Islamophobia is a state project not only in Tel Aviv, Delhi, or Paris, but some of the most persistent promoters of Islamophobia are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. These regimes of fitna not only bankroll Islamophobic personalities, thugs, and think tanks but also provide platforms for Islamophobic influencers and make backdoor deals to sustain Islamophobia. Too many tyrants believe that their Islamophobia will immunize them from people like Trump, and allow them to rule indefinitely.

Public diplomacy and conventional diplomatic efforts are essential to challenge Islamophobia effectively. This requires a coordinated approach and the establishment of an international anti-Islamophobia alliance. Such an alliance would unite civil and human rights organizations, media networks, trade unions, social media platforms, and governments that recognize the dangers of Islamophobia. By working together, these actors can build a united front, promote awareness, push for meaningful policy changes, and dismantle the ecology that allows Islamophobia to thrive at an international level.

The most important question in combating Islamophobia is not just what must be done, but who will take action. For public education and public diplomacy to be effective against Islamophobia, a collective political will must be formed. At the heart of this collective effort must be the recognition that the struggle against Islamophobia is a struggle for justice and freedom.

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Anadolu's editorial policy.