Abstract
This paper explores Islamophobia and how it manifests in the form of hate speech and hate crimes. It examines how “othering” those from the Middle East and those who practice Islam has become normalized by journalists and government leaders to the extent that basic human rights are being restricted by this practice. The paper argues that the carefully engineered ‘war on terror’ is a government construction to justify the massacre of over one million Afghans, Iraqis and Pakistanis. Given the growing racism directed at all those from the Arab world, this paper puts forward suggestions on how Islamophobia can be deconstructed in the classroom using critical peace education and higher order learning. The paper concludes by suggesting some pedagogical approaches to enhance critical media skills and to encourage students to stand up against this pervasive racism.
Highlights
“I met Hakim at Bristol International Airport
The aim of this article is to provide educators with the background information and pedagogical approaches needed to teach about Islamophobia and to help students develop critical media skills
Media Matters for America (MMFA) gathered a number of statements made on Fox News about Muslims which were presented as facts
Summary
“I met Hakim at Bristol International Airport. We started to speak about the life of Muslims in Europe, and he emphasised ‘After the 11th of September, for many Muslims the life has not radically changed. In the first part of the article, I provide examples of Islamophobia and hate speech in the media and the internet before and after 9/11. These examples include how Muslims are “used”, “othered”, misrepresented, and painted as a homogenous group. Media Matters for America (MMFA) gathered a number of statements made on Fox News about Muslims which were presented as facts These include “all terrorists are Muslims;” “Every terrorist on American soil has been a Muslim;” “Muslims tend to be more violent than Christians;” “A high percentage of Muslims hate Jews and Christians” and according to Crowder “the real problem is the Quran” (MMFA, 2012). The use of “hope education” as put forward by Shapiro (2002) is put forward as a means to spur students into social action
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