Causes of antiislamism in the West

[politicus]

Anti-Islamism seems to be on the rise in the US. All though it is probably not yet on European level.
What do you think are the main causes for the growth in anti-islamism?

In my country it is:

1. Perceived Muslim hypocrisy: Muslims wanting equal rights but many of them claiming women are inferior to men and  harassing  gays and Jews.

2. Pesky "un-Scandinavian" macho attitudes

3. High crime rate/ gang activity

4. Many Muslims on welfare + cheating with welfare and/or taxes

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

I believe you assume correctly, sir.

Of course, there's always the matter of them holding different beliefs than the majority does, which is usually not a way to get popular.

[© Tweed the Younger]

the state apparatus desires to murder Muslims for various reasons, so it disseminates propaganda to lessen domestic public resistance to this brutal programme, which in turn leads to a seemingly indigenous anti-Islamism.

[Vasall des Midas]

The media telling people it's okay to give in to these particular racist impulses but not others.

Of course "the media" are people too, and there's a bit of a chicken-egg dynamic here.

[Tidewater_Wave]

I don't believe a single individual in the west has ever been prejudice against Muslims. It's nothing more than a ploy by liberals to gain sympathy from their base. Actually, that was an exaggeration, but it's no worse than anti-semitism or anti-Christian attitudes. 9/11 contributed alot to anti-Islam.

[Redalgo]

In the American example, I reckon 9/11 was a significant factor but major news providers played an inadvertent part in stoking anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiments by allowing profit motive to compel them to air disproportionately negative, sensationalized, unbalanced stories concerning Muslims and countries in which they constitute a majority group. The general public, not familiar with this religious minority residing in their country, nor the values and social norms widespread in far off lands, was vulnerable to consuming biased, pre-digested information on these matters.

The government itself did not help, for many officials are beholden to ethnocentric views and as a consequence often pursued strictly self-interested policies pertinent to countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan with insufficient thought given to how said policies would be perceived abroad. Whenever there was a misstep or mutual misunderstanding resulting in elevated anti-American sentiments the media reported on it without enough understanding and context provided to an audience mostly unaware of what folks in those countries think and believe - much less why. On the home front, meanwhile, reporting on the wars and terrorism eventually managed to paint dark portraits of Muslims and Arabs that do very few of them justice. Stories involving any of the tens of millions of relatively normal Muslims weren't as good for ratings, and while some parts of the media provided fairer depictions of them it did not offer a heavy enough counterbalance, in my opinion.

Also, bigots will be bigots. Many of them are wrapped up in an us-versus-them mindset about perceived out-groups. When 9/11, the two wars, and major news providers' handling of current events are combined they send a signal to such folks that their way of life is in danger. Their suspicions gain legitimacy when leaders they look to for guidance speak of the grave peril posed to American society by Islamic fundamentalists, extremists, and Islamists. American Muslims and Arabs have become easy (i.e. minority group) targets for persecution since they are unlikely to strongly retaliate and, being blinded by ignorance, the aggressors fail to grasp that almost nobody in those groups are really aligned with the Enemy. This is a recurring theme in history, with each era apparently featuring groups widely misunderstood, marginalized, and discriminated against.

I do not know to what extent how many Americans' perceptions of Islam and its adherents have been skewed, and to what extent, but the problem now is that it is so much easier to make people suspicious of and worried about the cultural and security-related impacts of unfamiliar minority groups in their midst than it is to bridge cultural gaps and forge enduring intergroup trust and friendships. For European anti-Islamic sentiments, however, I lack a firm opinion for the time being.

[politicus]

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

I believe you assume correctly, sir.

Verbal sex change operation ;-)

[dead0man]

I'm sure most of it is caused by the actions of Muslims combined with confirmation bias on the part of the people in the West.

[Vasall des Midas]

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

I believe you assume correctly, sir.

Verbal sex change operation ;-)

Then why the -us?

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

I believe you assume correctly, sir.

Verbal sex change operation ;-)

My pardons for the assumption. Quite unfortunately we don't get many of the fairer sex coming to the forum.

[Tidewater_Wave]

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

I believe you assume correctly, sir.

Verbal sex change operation ;-)

My pardons for the assumption. Quite unfortunately we don't get many of the fairer sex coming to the forum.

That's interesting. How many females do we have here? From the tone and nick names I've seen and responded to, I'm not sure if I remember any of them being women?

[shua]

fear of civilizational decline

[asexual trans victimologist]

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

I believe you assume correctly, sir.

Verbal sex change operation ;-)

My pardons for the assumption. Quite unfortunately we don't get many of the fairer sex coming to the forum.

That's interesting. How many females do we have here? From the tone and nick names I've seen and responded to, I'm not sure if I remember any of them being women?

One. Before politicus joined, zero.

[Tidewater_Wave]

I would assume that Islamic terrorism and killing of US soldiers plays a bigger part in the rise of US anti-Islamism.

I believe you assume correctly, sir.

Verbal sex change operation ;-)

My pardons for the assumption. Quite unfortunately we don't get many of the fairer sex coming to the forum.

That's interesting. How many females do we have here? From the tone and nick names I've seen and responded to, I'm not sure if I remember any of them being women?

One. Before politicus joined, zero.

Oh wow, that's less than I thought. Come to think of it, there was a female bitching about Santorum being a bad father and women being thought of as bad if they were like him having a sick child. Is that who you're referring to?

[Χahar]

It's generalized hatred of a vague other, since most people haven't ever seen one of them in the flesh.

[Tidewater_Wave]

It's generalized hatred of a vague other, since most people haven't ever seen one of them in the flesh.

I don't think it's that. Do you think being prejudice is natural to the human condition? I had a philosophy professor who did.

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

It's generalized hatred of a vague other, since most people haven't ever seen one of them in the flesh.

Sorry, but I'm a bit an antiislamist after I saw this:
http://ottenki-serogo.livejournal.com/191194.html
IN A F^^^KING CHRISTIAN CITY.

[patrick1]

It's generalized hatred of a vague other, since most people haven't ever seen one of them in the flesh.

Sorry, but I'm a bit an antiislamist after I saw this:
http://ottenki-serogo.livejournal.com/191194.html
IN A F^^^KING CHRISTIAN CITY.

Ah, what seems to be the problem?  All I see from your link is a bunch of people peaceably praying in an orderly and clean manner.  

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

You didn't saw how they we're killing rams.
And I have a fear that one day I will wake up in a Moscowbad.

[Insula Dei]

It's generalized hatred of a vague other, since most people haven't ever seen one of them in the flesh.

Sorry, but I'm a bit an antiislamist after I saw this:
http://ottenki-serogo.livejournal.com/191194.html
IN A F^^^KING CHRISTIAN CITY.

We are truly living in the end times.

[© Tweed the Younger]

[Redalgo]

Maybe I am missing something here but my impression is that Moskva is a city of all the Russian people - not just those who adhere to the Eastern Orthodox faith.

[Χahar]

Hey, Pingvin99, I'm an observant Muslim and I find the things that you're saying fairly offensive.

[dead0man]

An offended Muslim?  Say it aint so!

[Χahar]

Yes, zero, sometimes I get offended when people say offensive things. It's a pretty normal reaction among human beings.