A recent report by the UN has found that hatred towards Muslims has risen to ‘epidemic proportions’. And in response, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution sponsored by 60 Member-States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which designated 15th March as the International Day to combat Islamophobia.

The immediate question that comes to mind is “why is the UN trying to show that it cares about hatred towards Muslims?”. Especially as it’s an organisation that was set up by, and is an extension of the United States and has been complicit in crimes against Muslims. It should beg the question for every Muslim, no?

The term ‘Islamophobia’ coined by the West

Ever wondered where the term ‘Islamophobia’ came from? It’s in fact a term coined by the West. Although there is evidence of the term being used as far back as the early 1900’s, it entered into common usage with the publication of Runnymede Trust’s report in 1997. Runnymede set up a Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia, and the final report, Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All, was launched in November 1997 by the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw. So, it was coined by the Brits! To add to that, Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared at a conference in 2004 that the word Islamophobia had to be coined in order to “take account of
increasingly widespread bigotry”.

The purpose of the ‘Combating Islamophobia’ policy

Not only have the West coined the term ‘Islamophobia’, they heavily push the term through all media channels as well as support and fund Muslim organisations to work to tackle this problem on the ground in their respective communities. It’s clearly very deliberate if you ask me. Why? Because the policy of ‘Combating Islamophobia’ adopted by Western governments achieves a few notable things:

1. It places a spotlight on anti-Muslim hatred in order to draw attention to it as a key issue that needs to be collectively tackled – doesn’t this direct the efforts of Muslims down this specific route away from what they should actually be working for?
2. It tries to reassure the Muslim community that Western governments recognise the issue, are concerned for them and are trying to actively combat it at a global level – isn’t one of the main reasons for the vilification of Islam and Muslims a result of the West’s ‘War on Terror’ I.e. War on Islam?
3. It focuses purely on hate and violence committed by individuals and groups, and removes the focus from Western foreign policy and state-led violence – when a state invades a Muslim country and kills indiscriminately it’s not ‘Islamophobia’, but it is when an individual abuses or attacks a person for being a Muslim? Shifting focus of the Muslim away from the real cause… very convenient!
4. It groups Muslims with other minority groups that face abuse and hate, and likens ‘Islamophobia’ with antisemitism, homophobia or transphobia – hold on… we are 1.8 billion in number. Are you trying to instill in us a minority and inferiority complex? And then group us with jews and lgbt activists to find common ground with them?
5. It encourages Muslims to take a defensive stance and promote a watered-down version of Islam to combat “closed” Islamophobic views such as; “Islam is static and does not reform and change with the times”, “Islam is separate and does not have values in common with other cultures” and “Islam is a political ideology” – Islam by its nature is political and exclusive to all other doctrines! Why are you pushing Muslims to combat these ideas that don’t disagree with our views? Is it by any chance to urge Muslims to push for reforming Islam to a purely spiritual and non-political religion?

These are just some of the things it achieves and there are probably many more. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see through the purpose of this policy.

What is sad and worrying is that Muslims in the West have, by and large, adopted this term and use it to categorise all forms of anti-Islam and anti-Muslim hate under this umbrella. As a result, many Muslims and Muslim organisations have fallen for this trap and have based their sole mission on fighting ‘Islamophobia’. Their activities in their respective communities are driven by it and their sole purpose is to try to tackle and reduce it.

Anti-Islam and anti-Muslim hate is not a new phenomenon

There are four points, or Qur’anic messages, that the believers need to understand, internalise and deeply embed into their psyche.

Muslims firstly need to realise that there is an ongoing battle between good and evil and must understand that the plane of the struggle is one between Haqq and baatil; Truth vs falsehood.

Allah (SWT) tells us in Surah Al-Isra [17:81]

“And say: “Truth (Haqq) has come and baatil (falsehood) has vanished. Baatil is surely bound to vanish.”

The second point Muslims need to understand is that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was sent with a mission to make Islam prevail over all other ways of life, and that this mission did not end with the Prophet (SAW), but it is a mission that must continue through the Ummah of Muhammad. Meaning the Messenger’s (SAW) mission and objective is our mission and objective.

Allah (SWT) says in Surah Al-Tawba [9:33]

“It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad) with guidance and the Deen al-Haqq (Islam), to make it superior over all religions even though the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers) hate it.”

Thirdly, Muslims must realise is that the disbelievers will not approve of the Haqq, and neither will they sit back and allow it to easily triumph and prevail over their way and beliefs. In fact, the disbelievers want to suppress the Haqq and stop the victory of Islam.

Allah (SWT) says in Surah Al-Tawba [9:32]

“They (the disbelievers, Jews and Christians) wish to extinguish the Light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the Kaafiroon (disbelievers) hate it.”

And the fourth and final point is that because of this, the disbelievers will never be pleased with the Muslims and will always be an open enemy to us.

Allah (SWT) tells us in Surah Al-Baqara [2:120]

“Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you, unless you follow their religion.”

And in Surah An-Nisa [4:101]

“Verily, the disbelievers are always an open enemy to you.”

When the Ummah takes heed of these Qur’anic messages form Allah (SWT), as well as taking lessons from the lives of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and previous Prophets (AS), then they would understand that having the truth and advocating it will always bring opposition. This is not something new and it is certainly not something that will stop. Because the nature of the Truth is that it will inevitably clash with falsehood.

The words of wisdom from Khadijah’s (RA) cousin, Waraqa bin Naufal, to the Prophet (SAW) when he returned from the cave of Mount Hira after receiving his first revelation should ring loud. Waraqa said “I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out.” Allah’s Messenger asked him, “Will they drive me out?” Waraqa affirmed and said, “Any man who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly.”

‘Islamophobia’, for the sake of using that term, will always exist. What we need to ask ourselves is, why are we seeing record levels of attacks on Muslims? And why are Muslims the easy target?

The Imam is a Shield

It’s quite a simple answer. The Muslim Ummah has no State representation and therefore nothing to protect them from being abused and attacked.

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “The Imam (or Khaleefah) is the shield behind which you fight and protect yourselves” [Sahih Al Bukhari].

The very system that provided the mechanism to protect the Muslim Ummah for centuries does not exist in today’s reality. Which means that Muslims around the globe are vulnerable to attack because we have nothing to protect us or even seek protection from, and the perpetrators have no fear of any retaliation whatsoever.

People can burn the Qur’an in public and mock the Messenger (SAW) with no consequence. An individual can brazenly walk into a mosque and open fire on the believers without fear. An illegal entity can occupy Muslim land, continue to usurp more land and kill and displace millions with full authority and no restriction. A nation state can invade, bomb and destroy Muslim countries and go on to imprison, murder and rape its citizens with international backing and legitimisation.

Ask yourself, will ‘Combating Islamophobia’ put an end to these crimes?

There is only one cause and one solution?

The West is threatened by the resurgence and revival of Islam on the international political scene and so they wish to suppress it through physical and intellectual means. Physically by directly invading our lands, or indirectly by appointing agent rulers to keep things under control with an iron fist. And intellectually by attacking key tenets of Islam and corrupting the Muslims masses with western philosophy and ideas.

Our cause is not to combat ‘Islamophobia’ because the attack on Islam and hatred to Muslims will never disappear. Even if, for arguments sake, we somehow managed to end all forms of anti-Islam and anti-Muslim hate, have we achieved our goal and mission from a Shari’ah perspective?

The Islamic Shari’ah determines our cause, and so the question we should always ask is ‘what does Islam require from us in this situation, what does Allah command from us and how do we follow the Messenger’s (SAW) method in this regard?’.

Our cause is, and always will be to work to resume the Islamic way of life via the reestablishment of the Khilafah so we as an Ummah can take the message of Islam to every corner of the world. This is the only way we will be able to collectively as an Ummah plant our feet in a position of strength and take the upper hand. It is the only way and only solution to counter any form of attack by the disbelievers on the Muslims and to strike fear within them in a way in which they wouldn’t dare to even think about targeting our brothers, sisters and Muslim lands.

And it is the only way in which Truth can prevail and falsehood can be smashed to pieces!

“Nay, We hurl the Truth (Haqq) against the falsehood (baatil), so it destroys it, and behold, it (falsehood) is vanished. And for you destruction is for what you ascribe.” [Surah Al-Anbiya 21:18