Muslim Mistrust and Islamophobia

In a new article at TimesOnline.co.uk entitled "Plots and paranoia are mainstream views for Muslims of Sparkbrook," interviews with British Muslims reveal a deep-seated mistrust for a government they view as increasingly hostile to Muslims. Many of those interviewed stated that they believed the recent arrests of British Muslims -- due to allegations of a kidnapping plot in the making -- were unjust and meant to breed mistrust and hatred for Muslims.

Conservative blogs like Little Green Footballs have seized on this article as proof of the danger posed by Muslims in the West. If such far-out conspiracy theories of government misconduct are widespread in the mainstream Muslim community, they seem to reason, these Muslims can hardly be expected to become productive, peaceful members of society.

The unstated assumption behind such a reaction -- an assumption all too common in conservative circles -- is that there is no way such "paranoia" could be justified. In fact, such theories are no more unreasonable than the automatic demonization of Arab Muslims and the assumption of guilt that comes with any charge of ties to terrorism. As numerous cases in the U.S. and U.K. have demonstrated (such as Jose Padilla, Maher Arar, etc), those accused of terrorist ties are quite often wrongly accused. In light of the constantly growing Islamophobia that has seized much of the West, it is not hard to understand why these people see the government as hostile.

The article also points out that the vast majority of Muslims that the interviewers came across were moderate and strongly opposed to terrorism. Needless to say, the segment of the article quoted by lgf included no mention that these people remain committed to peace and moderation, despite the growing hostility to Muslims of both the British people and the British government. Even the loud anti-Muslim voices in the U.S. who constantly portray Muslims as violent extremists fail to recognize the depth of Islamophobic sentiment that has grown within the West.

What is most surprising is that more Muslims do not become radicalized by the constant deluge of anti-Muslim propaganda and hostility. The same conservatives who constantly warn of the threat presented by "homegrown" terrorism seem oblivious to the role their vitriol plays in motivating violent acts. From the military tantrum unleashed by the U.S. in the wake of 9/11 to the growing prejudice against Muslims gripping much of the country, hawkish and intolerant Americans seem intent on acting the role of "Great Satan" -- a role that emboldens (to use a favorite term of the Bush administration) radical extremists and swells the ranks of terrorist groups more than anything else.