Tracing the Links Between Islamophobia and Neoliberalism

Abstract

The unreasonable feeling of fear of Islam and its adherents has harmed human rights. Many civilians experienced discrimination and were shackled to their freedom because of this and even lost their lives. This paper aims to reveal the reasons why this phenomenon persists to this day. This research is a literature study with a critical analysis method through Content Analysis. The results of this study indicate that the phenomenon of irrational fear of Islam and its adherents or known as Islamophobia can persist because it is supported by the ideology of neoliberalism. In the view of neoliberalism, Islamic teachings are a threat to it. For this reason, neoliberalism carries out a strategy called cultural cleansing. In practice, this strategy is implemented in two steps: (i) unifying culture and (ii) depletion of intelligence. Based on these two steps, the civilizing mission is realized, in which citizens will be classified into two: good and bad. In this context, a good Muslim will be considered bad by neoliberalism ideology and a bad Muslim will be considered good. Furthermore, this research can be a reference for policymakers and public education efforts related to the issue of Islamophobia.