Islamophobia and the Internet
The Internet is a powerful tool for the anti-Islamophobia movement; it is easily accessible in the West, reaches a wide audience, and is becoming more and more prevalent. The Internet also opens up a worldwide forum on Islamophobia, allowing people of differing opinions to post and share.
The three main internet-based ways that anti-Islamophobia movements, or any movement for that matter, can make themselves heard are social media, forums and dedicated websites. Today, public sentiment is easy to analyze through hashtags such #Islamophobia and information on the topic is easy to access. The highly politicized nature of Islam today means that Islamophobia is constantly present in media and most prominently the internet, which drives the formation of public opinion.
Religion and race are two factors that separate people down easily identifiable lines. Everyone can be effected by politics, recessions etc. But religion and race are two unique factors; they cannot be simulated by circumstance. As a result, people single out things like religion and race in order to explain phenomena with social, economic and political underpinnings. Religion and race most easily allow us to separate "us" from "them," it doesn't require people to actually think deeply.
Ultimately, religion is both inevitable and here to stay for the long haul. Religion, and other markers like it, allow people to simply throw out the slew of conditional factors that distinguish the rural Middle East from suburban American or Europe and generalize and dehumanize billions of human beings based on the words and actions of a minority. Many never attempt to understand religious doctrines, or extrapolate the good from the bad. People have a tendency to simply paint the entire ideology with a single brush based on their own hilariously narrow perception.
The Internet as a whole both enables and combats Islamophobia. Social media, forums and websites are some of the largest sources of Islamophobia and sensationalism today, but also are some of the most powerful avenues through which it can be combated.
It is impossible to assess the true scale of anti-Islamophobia on the Internet. However, as an open forum the Internet exposes the human psychology embedded in today's Islamophobic trends.
Social Media Sources: Twitter and Facebook
The extent to which Social media sites including Twitter and Facebook enable users to combat Islamophobia is tied into their functionality, which in turn influences user base and effectiveness.
The three main internet-based ways that anti-Islamophobia movements, or any movement for that matter, can make themselves heard are social media, forums and dedicated websites. Today, public sentiment is easy to analyze through hashtags such #Islamophobia and information on the topic is easy to access. The highly politicized nature of Islam today means that Islamophobia is constantly present in media and most prominently the internet, which drives the formation of public opinion.
Religion and race are two factors that separate people down easily identifiable lines. Everyone can be effected by politics, recessions etc. But religion and race are two unique factors; they cannot be simulated by circumstance. As a result, people single out things like religion and race in order to explain phenomena with social, economic and political underpinnings. Religion and race most easily allow us to separate "us" from "them," it doesn't require people to actually think deeply.
Ultimately, religion is both inevitable and here to stay for the long haul. Religion, and other markers like it, allow people to simply throw out the slew of conditional factors that distinguish the rural Middle East from suburban American or Europe and generalize and dehumanize billions of human beings based on the words and actions of a minority. Many never attempt to understand religious doctrines, or extrapolate the good from the bad. People have a tendency to simply paint the entire ideology with a single brush based on their own hilariously narrow perception.
The Internet as a whole both enables and combats Islamophobia. Social media, forums and websites are some of the largest sources of Islamophobia and sensationalism today, but also are some of the most powerful avenues through which it can be combated.
It is impossible to assess the true scale of anti-Islamophobia on the Internet. However, as an open forum the Internet exposes the human psychology embedded in today's Islamophobic trends.
Social Media Sources: Twitter and Facebook
The extent to which Social media sites including Twitter and Facebook enable users to combat Islamophobia is tied into their functionality, which in turn influences user base and effectiveness.
TWITTER
Twitter is highly effective at reaching out to the masses and spreading anti-Islamophobic sentiment. At the same time, twitter is a major source of Islamophobia. The site essentially acts a large message board, which allows influential individuals and the public at large to broadcast sentiment. Twitter content, while subject to privacy settings, is relatively easy to access. One particular aspect of Twitter is that celebrities, politicians and even institutions use it to air information and opinions to others.
The nature of the anti-Islamophobia movement on Twitter, as in the case of most social media site, is made of independent users who form a community through the use of re-tweets and replies. As a result there is no unified movement against Islamophobia on Twitter. Twitter is most effective for users who gain a ‘viral’ following or are already well known to the public and are able to reach a wider audience from the very start. Additionally, institutions send messages to a wide audience commonly using Twitter. These include news organizations such as Middle East Eye, which uses Twitter to engage the public in anti-Islamophobic discussions.
Twitter is highly effective at reaching out to the masses and spreading anti-Islamophobic sentiment. At the same time, twitter is a major source of Islamophobia. The site essentially acts a large message board, which allows influential individuals and the public at large to broadcast sentiment. Twitter content, while subject to privacy settings, is relatively easy to access. One particular aspect of Twitter is that celebrities, politicians and even institutions use it to air information and opinions to others.
The nature of the anti-Islamophobia movement on Twitter, as in the case of most social media site, is made of independent users who form a community through the use of re-tweets and replies. As a result there is no unified movement against Islamophobia on Twitter. Twitter is most effective for users who gain a ‘viral’ following or are already well known to the public and are able to reach a wider audience from the very start. Additionally, institutions send messages to a wide audience commonly using Twitter. These include news organizations such as Middle East Eye, which uses Twitter to engage the public in anti-Islamophobic discussions.
Individuals as well as organizations make use of twitter in this way. One particular example of an individual anti-Islamophobic Twitter user is Mehdi Hassan. Mehdi Hassan is a political journalist with Al-Jazeera who regularly takes a stand against Islamophobia in the public spotlight. Hasan was quoted as saying "My Islamic faith is based on the principles of peace, moderation and mercy", he wrote in September 2012. While Muslims "have every right to be angry", such "anger, however, is not an excuse for extremism." Hasan gained notoriety in a debate at the Oxford Union, which went viral as a strong argument against Islamophobic views.
Another example of social media is Facebook. Facebook allows users to act within a limited network of friends, or alternatively on public pages. The site is geared towards the individual, as opposed to Twitter, where institutions and individuals are of equal importance. Institutions are restricted to ‘pages’, which users can ‘like.’ Therefor the ability for a group to be heard is dependent on the user interactions, unlike Twitter, where responses are essentially tweets themself. Therefore, through pages Facebook users can easily come together to support a cause.
Below is a Facebook page that condemns Islamophobia and draws Facebook users to support the cause. Currently the page has 99,281 likes.
Facebook’s recent implementation of hash-tags makes it easier to assess anti-Islamophobic sentiment on the site.
Forums
Forums are the primary means by which internet users engage in online discourse. While forums are conducive to debate and conflict resolution as well the dissemination of information, the use of pseudonyms generally prevents organized movements from forming. However, this is not impossible, as fundraisers and issues can be readily publicized on forums.
Today, two sites dominate this area; Reddit and Quora. Reddit provides users with anonymity. It is easy to create accounts and the site is organized into topical "subs." The website fosters a strong sense of online community and discussion boards are highly active at all times. Islamophobic content is highly prevalent on Reddit and therefore users with differing views can engage in written debates on the site. This level of interaction is achieved on Reddit due to the organization of the site and the ability of users to maintain anonymity. Reddit is highly representative of attitudes towards Islam today, and the topic is extremely contentious.
One sub in particular is 'World News', which regularly cover incidents in the Middle East. The discourse that dominates the site is wether or not this is tied to the religion of Islam. An example of Islamophobia and an anti-Islamophobic response on world news is presented below:
Forums are the primary means by which internet users engage in online discourse. While forums are conducive to debate and conflict resolution as well the dissemination of information, the use of pseudonyms generally prevents organized movements from forming. However, this is not impossible, as fundraisers and issues can be readily publicized on forums.
Today, two sites dominate this area; Reddit and Quora. Reddit provides users with anonymity. It is easy to create accounts and the site is organized into topical "subs." The website fosters a strong sense of online community and discussion boards are highly active at all times. Islamophobic content is highly prevalent on Reddit and therefore users with differing views can engage in written debates on the site. This level of interaction is achieved on Reddit due to the organization of the site and the ability of users to maintain anonymity. Reddit is highly representative of attitudes towards Islam today, and the topic is extremely contentious.
One sub in particular is 'World News', which regularly cover incidents in the Middle East. The discourse that dominates the site is wether or not this is tied to the religion of Islam. An example of Islamophobia and an anti-Islamophobic response on world news is presented below:
Anti-Islamophoic sentiment varies over the site. Subs such as 'Askreddit' are typically more tolerant open to views:
Websites
Anti-Islamophobic websites aim to document and refute claims made by Islamophobes as well as raise awareness of the consequences of Islamophobia. While organized movements may form on social media and cannot easily form on forums, dedicated websites are produced by real-world collaborations between anti-islamophobic groups.
A notable example of an anti-Islamophobic website is http://www.jewsagainstislamophobia.org
The website represents a Jewish movement that challenges "anti-Islamic" bigotry. The website represents a real organization that acts outside of the bounds of the internet -- which is what many anti-Islamophobic websites are: forms of online representation that are not restricted to digital space.
The website represents a Jewish movement that challenges "anti-Islamic" bigotry. The website represents a real organization that acts outside of the bounds of the internet -- which is what many anti-Islamophobic websites are: forms of online representation that are not restricted to digital space.
One example of this is http://www.islamophobia.org.
Islamophobia.org is an American website that monitors Islamophobia and attempts to spread awareness of Islam as a growing problem in the states
Conclusion
Today, the Internet covers and tackles almost every issue we face today; from humanitarian problems to ideological conflicts. From social media to independent website, the internet serves not only to organize movements against Islamophobia, but also to educate people on Islamophobia and the issues surrounding it. The internet serves as a means for groups of people to go agains the tide of the media and make a difference, yet at the same enables the spread of Islamophobia. As we can see from the many examples of anti-Islamophobia; what separates the internet from other forms of media is the user interaction and the ability for the individual to shape the landscape.
Today, the Internet covers and tackles almost every issue we face today; from humanitarian problems to ideological conflicts. From social media to independent website, the internet serves not only to organize movements against Islamophobia, but also to educate people on Islamophobia and the issues surrounding it. The internet serves as a means for groups of people to go agains the tide of the media and make a difference, yet at the same enables the spread of Islamophobia. As we can see from the many examples of anti-Islamophobia; what separates the internet from other forms of media is the user interaction and the ability for the individual to shape the landscape.