Islamophobia is a Global Crisis its Time we

Islamophobia is a Global Crisis; it’s Time we View it that Way. Imam Abdurrahman Y. Sykes imamsykes@gmail. com Islamic Society Leading American Muslim’s Peace Center 2820 Arbor Trail Way, Orlando, FL. 32829 407 -801 -5555

Dar Al Farooq Masjid, Education Center and Gymnasium

Qur’an Surah Al-‘Imran 3: 186 Surah 3 Al-‘Imran 3: 186, “Ye shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves; and ye shall certainly hear much that will grieve you from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if ye persevere patiently and guard against evil then that will be a determining factor in all affairs. ”

Oxford English Dictionary defines Islamophobia “intense dislike or fear of Islam, especially as a political force; hostility or prejudice towards Muslims” and is today widely used to denote anti. Muslim attitudes and actions

Precursors to this Persecution 1760 Orientalists were the nucleus of Islamophobia 1880 saw the birth of Xenophobia Time Magazine August 2010 front cover” Is America Islamophobic? What the anti-Mosque uproar tells us about how the U. S. regards Muslims

Time Magazine August 2010 Front Cover

Precursors to this Persecution IGNORANCE Most Americans do not personally know a Muslim A study by the Public Religion Research Institute: 62% of Americans have seldom or never conversed with a Muslim, 57% say they know little, and 26% say they don't know anything about Islam

Precursors to this Persecution Historically minimal information has been broadcast about Muslims or Islam from its authentic sources (i. e. Qur’an and Sunna) People generally passed their prejudices to peers and children

Precursors to this Persecution Violence by Extremist Muslims Even though extremists do not represent the majority of Muslims, Islamophobes have exploited the extremist acts to project an image of all Muslims as extremists and Islam as a source of violence �Violence or terrorism by Christians, Jews, or others does not create the same backlash against entire groups as terrorism by Muslims, and there is a double standard in media coverage

THE GLOBAL PROBLEM All mosques (almost 500) in the Central African Republic have been destroyed as per the U. S. mission chief at the United Nations China’s irrational fear of Islam has created the largest concentration of any people in the world, sending three million Uighur Muslims to prison without trial

THE GLOBAL PROBLEM Islamophobia has created the largest refugee camp in the world in Burma, composed of Rohingya Muslims. This has been declared a genocide by the U. S. Government. Hindu Nationalist leader and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused by the global community of stoking anti-Islamic sentiment and violence across India and Kashmir.

ISLAMOPHOBIA KILLS It is a $200 million-dollar, Islamophobia Industry in the U. S. , It Inspires killers at home and abroad: Christchurch in New Zealand; Quebec City, Canada; and the “Beef lynching in India. ”

Islamophobia Incorporated Brigitte Gabriel

Islamophobia Incorporated Pamela Geller

Somali-American Youth Story

Somali-American group wins FBI award October 24, 2012 The Ka Joog nonprofit run by young Somali. Americans from the Twin Cities will receive a community leadership award today from the Minneapolis office of the FBI The organization takes its name from the Somali phrase meaning “stay away” a message to encourage young people to avoid drugs, violence, and extreme ideology

CONCLUSION The United States was founded on the concept of religious freedom and pluralism. Can we reject for ourselves the behavior demonstrated by the aforementioned countries? Will we once again lead the world in promoting religious tolerance and human rights?

QUESTIONS