“Allahu akbar” he yelled out. I winced, more than slightly annoyed at the use of the words from someone who didn’t even know what they meant.

“Do you even know what that means?” I asked.

“No.”

“Then don’t say it.” I snapped, and walked away, leaving him reprimanded.

Those words that he yelled out, associating them with the cry of a terrorist, simply mean “God is great.” They are words of faith, words of unity in a religion that champions peace. And they’ve been vilified in the wave of Islamophobia that is sweeping the world.

~⋆~

Islamophobia is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “[the] dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force.” It’s a word that as I’ve grown up in the west, I’ve been hearing more and more of. It’s a term used in family discussions, something vile that I’ve grown up with, knowing that its presence in society is increasing. It’s a term that, according to the definition set by the UK’s Labour party, is “rooted in racism” (Perraudin). Although people have likely heard of the term, many don’t understand the full scope of the problems and effects. We see Muslims in the media labelled as terrorists and it has become this stereotype propagated by society of “violent Muslims.” And it reaches far. Even if unrecognized by people, it’s a stereotype that inherently changes the way we see things, and for Muslims like myself, it’s just been there since we were kids.

January 29, 2017. Alexandre Bissonnette kills six people in a mosque in Quebec, Canada. The Muslim community is shocked, horrified, and deeply saddened for the loss of our brothers. Fueled by hatred and rage against the Muslim community, Bissonette committed this unspeakable act of violence.

The growth rate of crimes against Muslims is alarming, and it’s increasingly evident in Canada, which is considered to be a relatively peaceful country. In Ontario, the most populous province, crimes against Muslims spiked by 207% in 2017 (Fagan), almost tripling in the adjacent province of Quebec. In the neighbouring United States, hate crimes against Muslims are increasing as well, with data from the Council on American–Islamic Relations reporting a 17% increase in US incidents that were attributable to anti-Muslim bias (Frazee). There are reports of graffiti and other vandalism across mosques, threats, hate speech, and more. And the worst part is, it’s not particularly surprising. I’m seeing it happen first-hand, the way people are quick to judge and quick to hate; how Muslims are so quickly labelled as terrorists and how the hate propagates. It’s terrifying, how in a day and age where “freedom of speech” and inclusivity is so heavily advocated, Islam and Muslims are still discriminated against.

I can see it happening in my daily life, and it’s been happening for years; even more so to people who are visibly Muslim. A friend of mine wears a hijab, she has for about as long as I can remember. I asked her some questions about her experience with Islamophobia and upon being asked if she had experienced it specifically, she said: “Yeah, all the time.” In sixth grade, we were standing around after class and chatting when a classmate came up to us and started saying racist statements simply due to the fact that she’s visibly a Muslim. Simply because she wears a hijab, her experience socializing with other people can be more difficult because people already attach a negative connotation with a hijabi woman. In seventh grade, she said: “Kids would wrap sweaters around their face to pretend to be wearing a hijab and say stuff like ‘selling hijabs’ and make fun of me for it.” Another student would pull her scarf and even upon her telling the teacher, the administration did nothing about it—which only normalizes these actions and reinforces the Islamophobic culture. The same person who pulled her hijab, to this day makes gestures to other people about pulling it off and she says “For some reason I feel like I’m obligated to be nice to him.” Muslims feel like they have to put up with this discrimination when in reality, it’s something that needs to be addressed as a problem and something that needs to be eradicated. These negative experiences and discrimination against children are hurting them; this hate in schools is not something that should be tolerated. It saddens me greatly to see this happening, and it’s shocking how people are able to turn such a blind eye to this problem. We hear it happening on a larger scale, but often it’s not recognized that these seemingly small actions can have such a profound, detrimental impact. These kinds of incidents don’t just happen to adults; these views are being taught to children as well, and it’s concerning. Islamophobia in society isn’t always as visible as graffiti or other vandalism, but it’s in schools, workplaces, and communities, and it needs to be stopped.

On March 15, 2019, a shooter opened fire on two mosques and killed a total of 50 people, with more injured. The horrific attacks left the people of Christchurch, New Zealand along with the rest of the world in shock at this senseless act of violence—New Zealand’s deadliest mass shooting attack. The shooter expressed anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views, and live-streamed the shooting on social media. Since then, there has been an outpour of love and support all across the world for the victims and families of the victims. After the shootings, different messages of love and support were spreading across social media and the world; although these are just small steps towards a more open and inclusive world, it’s something. In New Zealand itself, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been at the forefront, driving changes in gun laws to ban military-style semi-automatic weapons.

However, there was still hate against Muslims even after the shooting. New Zealand Senator Fraser Anning said, "The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program that allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place." This was condemned across the world and the Senator was reprimanded; in the censure, it read that he sought to "attribute blame to victims of a horrific crime and to vilify people on the basis of religion" (Fraser). In addition, he tweeted “Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?” These alarming comments are what need to stop, this blame on the Muslim community needs to be halted. People who share these blatantly racist and Islamophobic views exist in this world, and with the rising wave of Islamophobia, they are becoming more vocal and more prevalent in our society. This serves to spread an incorrect, negative message and it is our job to spread the right one—whether you are a Muslim or not.

So, I implore you, stop spreading hate. Start spreading love, peace, and kindness, because that’s what this world needs. This tidal wave of Islamophobia affects millions upon millions of people all across the world, and these misconceptions are harmful and detrimental to the global Muslim population of over 1.8 billion. Islam is a religion that promotes peace and love, and it would do well for the world to remember that. It’s about time that we change the narrative.

Works Cited

Association, Press. “Fury as Australian Senator Blames Christchurch Attack on Muslim Immigration.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Mar. 2019.

Britton, Bianca. “How the New Zealand Terror Attack Unfolded.” CNN, Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2019.

“Christchurch Shootings: New Zealand MPs Vote to Change Gun Laws.” BBC News, BBC, 10 Apr. 2019.

Fagan, Laurie. “Muslim Group Unsurprised by Sharp Rise in Hate Crimes | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 30 Nov. 2018.

Ferreras, Jesse. “In Canada, Jews Face More Hate Crimes, While Muslims Face More Violent Ones: StatCan.” Global News, 30 Nov. 2018

“Fraser Anning: Australian MP Censured for 'Appalling' Christchurch Remarks.” BBC News, BBC, 3 Apr. 2019.

Frazee, Gretchen. “What the New Zealand Shootings Tell Us about the Rise in Hate Crimes.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 15 Mar. 2019.

“Islamophobia | Definition of Islamophobia in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries.

Meyer, Carl, et al. “Attacks against Canadian Muslims and Other Hate Crimes Are Surging.” National Observer, 3 Dec. 2018.

Page, Julia. “Quebec City Mosque Shooter Sentenced to at Least 40 Years in Prison | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 9 Feb. 2019.

Perraudin, Frances. “Labour Formally Adopts Definition of Islamophobia.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 Mar. 2019.