I know what you are thinking. But do not fear. This is not another blog post written by some illiterate racist, sitting in a caravan in southern Louisiana, passing the time until his cousin and wife (in all likelihood, the same person) return home, complaining that all of the world’s ills can be blamed on a global Muslim conspiracy. I am not a New Age Nazi. This is much better than that. This is an essay on semantics.
Islamophobia is one of the most commonly misused words in the English language. Probably the most commonly misused. Certainly in the top five. So what does it mean? Let us break it down:
Islam: this means Islam.
Phobia: this means fear or dislike.
So Islamophobia means the fear or dislike of Islam. Which brings us back to the title of this essay. There is nothing wrong with Islamophobia. Personally, I dislike Islam. I dislike how Islam forbids religious conversion. I dislike how the sentence for this is death. I dislike how it condemns homosexuality. I dislike how it designates women as subordinates of men. I dislike how it justifies domestic abuse. I dislike how it tells us that the Prophet Muhammad flew to Jerusalem on a winged horse. Because this is all fucking nonsense. I dislike the whole God thing. Which also happens to be fucking nonsense.
You would be perfectly justified to view this previous paragraph as expressing an Islamophobic sentiment. Because it does. It clearly expresses a dislike for a number of elements of the Islamic faith. What you would not be justified in doing, however, is condemning me for writing it. Islam, ultimately, is an idea. As is Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion. As is Marxism, utilitarianism, nihilism, absolutism, realism, existentialism, transcendentalism, or any other philosophy. As is the absurd notion that Donald Trump would make a competent President. Or that the new Cadbury Crème Egg recipe is an improvement on the original. These are all ideas, and they are all open to criticism. Expressing a dislike of Islam is no more a sin than expressing a dislike of the ideas behind modal jazz music (no, I don’t get it either).
What is not justified, however, in the slightest, is discrimination against Muslims on the basis of their faith. I may disagree with their faith, and I may criticise it freely. This does not mean, in any way, that I would discriminate against them as a result of it. I dislike Christianity and Judaism, and yet I do not discriminate against Christians and Jews. I dislike the Conservative Party very much, and yet I treat its members and supporters with the same respect that I would treat anybody else. I despise the habit of referring to ‘guacamole’ as ‘guac’, and yet I do not treat the perpetrators of this habit any worse as a result.
Ultimately, the misuse of ‘Islamophobia’ contributes to a confusion between the concept of Islam and the concept of a Muslim. They are not the same thing. Islam is an idea. By all means attack its ideas. By all means unleash the broadsides. A Muslim is a person. And if you even begin to think about discriminating against them on the basis of their religion, then you are a fucking idiot. Islamophobia refers solely to the idea, and not the person. And that is why there is nothing wrong with Islamophobia.
The Pineapple Express 
Really well said. I think as humans we swing too hard in certain directions, speaking in approval of things that we don’t actually approve of, just to overcompensate for our fears and the fear that our fears will make us look racist when we really aren’t. We definitely need to learn a balance, especially here in the US, in how to express our distaste and lack of approval of others’ views while still showing acceptance of said person. Approval vs acceptance. Looks like we agree on a lot, but alas I do say “guac” so there is that… 😉
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