Xenophobia & Islamophobia | Discussion

What does race have to do with contemporary xenophobia and/or islamophobia in the US? In other words, how are those at the receiving end of xenophobia and/or islamophobia being “racialized”?

Xenophobia and especially islamophobia have become one of the major trends in the interracial relations in the US. The rise of xenophobia and islamophobia in the US is the result of the growing threat of international terrorism and terrorist acts that have been committed in the US since 2000s, when radical Islamists became closely associated with terrorist organizations. Moreover, terrorist organizations that stood on the Islamist ideological ground, like Al-Qaeda became the major international terrorist organizations which the US declared the major threat to the national security, especially after 9/11 terror attack. In such a situation, the rise of xenophobia and islamophobia was the natural response of Americans because they have started to view representatives of racial minorities associated with Islam as the threat to the national security of the US and their personal safety as American citizens.

The contemporary xenophobia in the US has Muslim face mainly that leads to the prejudiced and biased attitude to representatives of racial groups, where Islam is the predominant religion. As a rule, racial groups that belong to Muslim traditions include Arab Americans or people of Arab decent or that originate from the Middle East and North Africa, where Islam is particularly popular. This is why representatives of these groups often become victims of xeonophobic attitude from the part of the mainstream society. The white majority of Americans often perceive people of Arab or Middle Eastern origin as potential terrorists and, therefore, they believe these people are dangerous for Americans (Padela, et al. 210). This is why the most controversial claims of Donald Trump, the President of the US, have gained so much support among Americans, including such claims as the ban of Muslims from entering the US with the list of sever Muslim countries, which citizens could be banned from entering the US. Americans just fear that people from the Middle East may be terrorists.

In such a situation, people of Arab origin or those, who originate from the Middle East and North Africa confront the biased and prejudiced attitude from the part of native-born Americans and white majority. Even Arab Americans suffer from the prejudiced attitude of other Americans toward them. The most obvious manifestation of such prejudiced attitude toward them is the suspicious attitude of Americans toward because Americans often believe that people of Arab descent are terrorists or collaborate with terrorists (Esposito 400). Moreover, the depiction of radical Islamists as terrorists in mass media result in the formation of the belief that proponents of Islam are also proponents of terrorists. For example, Muslims may experience the negative attitude from the non-Muslim part of the community just because they are Muslims and non-Muslims treat them as terrorists or as people sympathetic to terrorists, who attack Americans (McCloud 1562). The situation is aggravated by the involvement of the US in wars and military operations in the Middle East from Syria to Afghanistan. Such military involvement of the US makes people of the Middle Eastern origin suffering from ungrounded suspicions of law enforcement agents and non-Muslim community members. The problem is that non-Muslims are not proficient in Islam and can hardly distinguish the traditional Islam which is absolutely normal for millions of Muslims worldwide from radical Islam which is used by many terrorist organizations as the ideological ground for their terrorist activities. As a result, Muslims and people of the Middle Eastern origin face the prejudiced attitude in the US because they are viewed as radical Islamists or sympathizers of terrorist organizations.

Works Cited:

Esposito, J.L. “The Future of Islam and US-Muslim Relations,” Political Science Quarterly, 126(3), 2011, 365-401.

McCloud, A.B. “Misrepresentations and the Future of Islamic Law in the United States,” Michigan State Law Review, 2006, 1561-1571.

Padela, A.I. et al. “Religious Values and Healthcare Accommodations: Voices from the American Muslim Community,” J. Gen. Intern. Med, 27(6), 2011, 708-715.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

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freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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