Islamophobia has surged globally, driven by discriminatory policies and media stereotypes. Despite international efforts like the UN's Day to Combat Islamophobia, there is a critical need for Muslim communities to focus on education, science, and internal reform to enhance their global image and effectively address Islamophobia.

In the 21^st century, there should be no place for Islamophobia or racism. However, Muslims have been subjected to violence for decades, and acts of harassment, intimidation, violence, and incitement based on religion or belief have risen to "alarming levels" worldwide. Islamophobia has become integrated into the state policies of not only numerous Western countries but also Israel and India, which consider themselves democratic. These countries account for over 80 percent of all manifestations of Islamophobia that have occurred around the world in recent years.

Islam and the millions of Muslims living in the West are depicted as inherent threats to the Western way of life, even in countries where they have lived for generations. The myth of an ongoing Western "Islamization" or invasion has been nurtured by xenophobic, populist parties that are on the rise across the Western world.

Islamophobia has been fueled by public anxiety over the immigration of Muslim minorities into majority-Christian cultures, particularly in Europe. The influx of large numbers of refugees from war-torn Muslim countries like Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen has further aggravated the situation. Islam and the millions of Muslims living in the West are depicted as inherent threats to the Western way of life, even in countries where they have lived for generations. The myth of an ongoing Western "Islamization" or invasion has been nurtured by xenophobic, populist parties that are on the rise across the Western world.
In some European countries, Islamophobia has been promoted as an official ideology, with insulting actions, such as the burning of our Holy Book of the Quran and publishing caricatures (God Forbid) of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), being presented as the freedom of speech. France, Denmark, Hungry and the Netherlands, to name a few, are pursuing a policy of open pressure and discrimination, staging various Islamophobic campaigns. Legislative acts and political decisions that exclusively target Muslims, limiting their rights and freedoms, are often disguised as secularism. In these countries, mosques, Muslim community centers, and cemeteries are desecrated in one way or another, and Muslim citizens endure oppression. 
Israel's decades of occupation and apartheid have reached a predictable conclusion: genocide in Gaza. Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and their allies have provided military aid and political support to Israel while ignoring the daily stream of videos documenting Gaza’s destruction and Palestinian civilians crying for food, medicine, or mourning their dead children.
India’s far-right, anti-Muslim government, led by fundamentalist Modi and inspired by Hindutva philosophy, continues its repression of religious and racial minorities, particularly Muslims. The government has intensified efforts to "Hinduize" Islam by erasing mosques and Muslim cemeteries and implementing policies of ethnic cleansing in Muslim-majority provinces.
Physical attacks–including killings, harassment, verbal attacks and death threats–motivated by the  religious affiliation of the victims are an unacceptable failure of the state to protect all its citizens in line with its obligations. In the lead-up to elections, state and non-state actors feed religious tensions and promote discriminatory laws and policies against Muslim minorities to gain political advantage. Recent tensions about the Babri Masjid–now Ram Mandir–are a case in point.

France, Denmark, Hungry and the Netherlands, to name a few, are pursuing a policy of open pressure and discrimination, staging various Islamophobia campaigns. Legislative acts and political decisions that exclusively target Muslims, limiting their rights and freedoms, are often disguised as secularism.

Instead of combating these manifestations that insult the feelings of Muslims and holding the perpetrators accountable, the governments of those countries are inflaming Islamophobic sentiments, encouraging the persecution of Muslims and aiming to keep these subjects high on the agenda. Unfortunately, certain Western institutions that also portray themselves as democratic are engaging in anti-Islamic activities.
The West now perceives Islam as a threat and fundamentalism as the problematic heart of Islam and fears Muslims as the enemy. Since 2001, western media have succumbed to reporting based on stereotypes and used the actions of terrorists to stigmatize Muslims. These stereotypes and generalizations are feeding into counterterrorism measures in Europe that restrict liberties for all and negatively impact Muslim communities. Today, hate entrepreneurs, political parties, armed groups, religious leaders and even state actors around the world are trampling on respect for diversity of religions and beliefs, discriminating, violating human rights, and overlooking or even attempting to justify these violations.
Associating terrorism and extremism with any civilization or ethnic group is an erroneous approach. Using religion for political motives only divides and incites confrontation in societies. Such manifestations also deprive humankind of the ideals of humanism and universal values, ultimately resulting in inter-civilizational conflicts.
In proclaiming March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia in 2022, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) called for "strengthened international efforts to foster a global dialogue on promoting a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels.” To commemorate the UN’s Second International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the Council called for the attention of those committed to advancing justice for all people to injustices being perpetrated by the governments of Israel, India, France and some other European countries.

Since 2001, western media have succumbed to reporting based on stereotypes and used the actions of terrorists to stigmatize Muslims. These stereotypes and generalizations are feeding into counterterrorism measures in Europe that restrict liberties for all and negatively impact Muslim communities.

Despite this, acts of harassment, intimidation, violence and incitement based on religion or belief have risen sharply across the world last year, reaching alarming levels, shocking our conscience and creating a climate of fear and deep distrust. In a climate of rapidly expanding diversity in the West, Muslim minorities are portrayed as non-belonging and wanting to separate themselves from the rest of society. 
Government policies have failed to ensure equal rights for all, forcing significant sections of Muslim minorities to face unemployment, poverty, and limited civic and political participation, all of which aggravate discrimination. Minorities also serve as scapegoats in times of economic and political crisis, as we saw how these tensions were exacerbated in the aftermath of the economic crash of 2007 and the rise of populist nationalist politics.
Historically, Islamophobia or fear of Islam emerged in Europe in the early 7th century. The fear of Islam has been recurrently referred to as the “orientalist’s” vision of the Arab world. Meanwhile, within the Christian population in Europe, Ialsmophobia strengthened with increasing migration from Muslim countries in the early period of the 14th century. European Crusade in the late 15th century and the expulsion of Muslims from Andalucia further strengthened this anti-Muslim sentiment.
Islamophobia is, thus, a concept that emerged within the context of changing and dynamic cultural, political, and social relations and is historically rooted. Islamophobia is also rooted in European colonialism, Orientalism, and East-West dichotomy. Western society has been associating Islam with negative images, stereotypes, and sentiments. Orientalism explains how Western cultural, imperial, and academic works have constructed a dehumanizing representation of the Arab world as “exotic and barbarous Orients.” By interpreting the West as “civilized” and the Arab world as “backward,” Orientalism demonstrates the earliest stigmatization of Muslim identities and produces negative stereotypes of Eastern cultures to justify colonial ambitions.
Islamophobia was not documented in English until around the 1950s and became more widespread after the Iranian fatwa (religious decree) against Salman Rushdie over his book The Satanic Verses. The term "Islamophobia," however, first emerged in the UK in the 1980s during the Rushdie affair and rapidly spread across the Western world. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 engulfed the U.S. in a massive wave of Islamophobia, leading to the rise of far-right and anti-Muslim forces, which gained political power not only in Europe but also in India.
Today, over 28 million Muslims are living in Europe, with millions more in North America, Australia, and the Far East. In many cases, Muslim communities maintain strong cultural ties and social cohesion within their neighborhoods. However, there is a need for increased investment in modern education across Muslim nations. By looking to countries such as South Korea, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore as models, Muslim communities can further enhance their knowledge and skills to make meaningful contributions to society.

Islamophobia is also rooted in European colonialism, Orientalism, and East-West dichotomy. Western society has been associating Islam with negative images, stereotypes, and sentiments. Orientalism explains how Western cultural, imperial, and academic works have constructed a dehumanizing representation of the Arab world as “exotic and barbarous Orients.”

Muslim countries with political and economic resources should develop an integrated system to uplift the Ummah and improve its image. With free thinking and acting logically and rationally, Muslim nations can produce the scholars and scientists required to guide the Muslim world to its previous glory. Without socioeconomic development, backed by a strong intellectual and stable political environment, any efforts to combat Islamophobia will only be cosmetic and temporary. There is a need to change mindsets and basic approaches. 
The UN's marking of International Day to Combat Islamophobia is an important beginning. Still, I believe a lot more needs to be done, particularly by the Muslim countries and communities themselves, to change the narrative about Islam and Muslims. Combatting Islamophobia will not be possible by just focusing on what the Western world needs to do to integrate the Muslim communities and ensure equal status and human rights to them. The Muslims themselves require a deep introspection to identify deficiencies and rectify them. 

With free thinking and acting logically and rationally, Muslim nations can produce the scholars and scientists required to guide the Muslim world to its previous glory. Without socioeconomic development, backed by a strong intellectual and stable political environment, any efforts to combat Islamophobia will only be cosmetic and temporary. 

Some urgently required steps that the Muslim Ummah need to take to counter Islamophobia and change the negative perception of Muslims could include:
▪ Ummah should rise from over five centuries of slumber and prepare Muslim youth to excel in science and technology. 
▪ For Islam to keep pace with the changing realities and demands of time, the all-important concept of Ijtihad must be actively revived. The lack of Ijtihad and scholarly discourse on issues is plaguing the Ummah, hampering development, and needs urgent attention.
▪ Islam advocates moderation and not extremes. Scholarly discourse on the concept of moderation needs to be encouraged for Muslims to understand the true spirit of Islam and its universality.
▪ In the world of the cloud, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and unlimited, unimaginable future advances, unless we catch up by updating our knowledge, we will further fall behind.
▪  It would help to open online schools where Muslim youth could simultaneously teach STEM subjects, which are equally important. 
▪ It is not possible to understand Islam without understanding how the universe works and how we relate to it. We must emphasize that religion and science are integral parts of human life.
▪  Islam advocates democracy in all aspects, including choosing the state's leader and the one to lead the prayers. We need to re-strengthen democratic values in the Muslim world. 
▪  Electronic and print media play an important part in shaping opinions and attitudes. However, no indigenous media house in the Muslim world is large and powerful enough to build and promote a counter-narrative. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the Ummah to focus on the media.
▪ Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should encourage and implement effective mechanisms for investments by rich Muslim countries, first and foremost in their brotherly Muslim ocuntries, to lift them out of poverty and put them on the road to economic development.
▪ OIC should focus on the Muslims living in non-Muslim countries and reach out to them to educate them on the spirit of Islam and encourage them to educate their children to respect the society, culture, and religion of the countries they live in. Urge them to reach out to their host communities and build bridges by projecting a peaceful, tolerant, and progressive image of Islam.
▪ All western countries' constitutions and laws emphasize human rights and the equality of all citizens. Muslim communities should familiarize themselves with these regulations to enable them to spot discrimination and abuse and take recourse to legal remedies.

The writer has served as an Ambassador to China, the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg. and Ireland. She has also authored and edited several books, including Magnificent Pakistan, Pakistan-China All Weather Friendship, and Lost Cities of Indus. 
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