Considering The Christchurch Attacks: who is responsible for the growing Islamophobia in West?
In Western politics and media, Islam is generally portrayed as violent-prone religion which contributed to fueling the religious crisis worldwide. Islamophobia (fear of Islam and Muslims) intensified after the 9/11 deadly attacks, perpetrated by the Western media, and extremism and intolerance also intensified after it.
Post 9/11 brought immense suffering to Muslims globally as they became a victim of the frameup staged by Western authorities, and further media coverage with embellishing news stories and political rhetoric intensified the situation, resulting in the marginalization of Western Muslims. This worked as a two-edged sword: it comes in handy for the vicious West agenda, portraying Muslims negatively but at the expense of indoctrinating their own people; arming them, and turning them into killing machines.
March 2019 Christchurch’s mosque terror attacks were one of those hair-raising events in the history of the West, a religiously-motivated attempt to persecute Muslims. It’s not the first-time tragedy befall Muslims in the West, Western people’s attitude toward Muslims is disturbing, affected by the language media and politicians use day and night. Christchurch shooting reflects the hatred flourishing in society, a wake-up call for the West to keep a vigilant eye on growing white supremacism at home to remedy it.
A 28-year-old man identified himself as Brenton Tarrant from Australia attacked Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre during Friday prayers on 15 March 2019, killing 51 people and injuring 49 others. The horrifying attack was live-streamed on Facebook; spreading the message to catch the utmost attention of the intended audience.
Before the attack, he also published a manifesto, “The Great Replacement” outlining his evil intentions making people believe that Muslims are invading the West and he is fighting for saving it. The attack met with massive condemnation worldwide and started a new debate calling for gun law reforms and countering online hate speech. This also added power to those who for years were giving warnings about the coming threat.
Golriz Ghahraman the Iranian-born New Zealander MP, shares her reservations on the permissive environment for religious extremism, she stated that hate speech and online fake news are responsible for the Christchurch terror attack. She herself had been threatened online and with anonymous death threat phone calls. She also stated that politicians are fanning the flames of racial extremism for years. The truth is that white supremacy was never seen as a pressing threat albeit the Muslims who are the victims had also been shown as an antagonist.
New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt also called out for reforms in law related to the online spread of hate speech stating that we usually don’t take casual racism seriously and this causal islamophobia if goes unchecked could lead to terrible violent consequences.
Social media complicity in the massacre had been discussed widely, therefore, two months later on 15 May 2019 a summit was held in Paris named Christchurch Call hosted by Jacinda Ardern and Emmanuel Macron in response to Christchurch's attack. Leaders and tech firms pledged to tackle extremism online, establishing a plan of action to be adopted by countries and companies to prevent the spread of extremist material online and prevent negative and violent use of the internet. After the summit in a joint press conference, Macron stated:
“Our aim is simply that what has happened in each of these places never happens again. Christchurch was not just an abject terrorist attack, it was the transformation once again of the internet into a crazy propaganda machine used for the fracture of our society. The war of everyone against everyone else [is] an objective of the extreme right and Islamist terrorists. The objective of our joint initiative is to enlarge the field of action. We have decided to act.”
Jacinda added:
“Christchurch attack was “truly unprecedented in its use of social media and subsequent spread of the terrorist’s message. The Christchurch Call is a roadmap for action. It’s a nine-point commitment that I hope will bring the lead to further change … to eliminate terrorism from the networks.”
But here is the question, is solely social media responsible for the attacks monitoring it will prevent such attacks or can amendments in gun laws can damp down the situation? as it's not just about a lone wolf commit’s hate crimes and sharing it on social media — it’s a mindset, an ideology which is there for years, making its presence felt in society at times. West is so conditioned not to expand the definition of terrorism exclusively applied only to Islam and Muslims to any other act of violence perpetrated by any non-Muslim that they don’t see a white supremacist as a terrorist or faith-based hate activities as a crime.
This atmosphere of hate is a result of hate speech spread by some influential voices, sowing the seeds of hatred and division in society. When the world was mourning the horrible incident, showing solidarity with the victim’s families there were people blaming Muslims for the incident. Although the culprit was an Australian white supremacist, former Senator Fraser Anning first condemn the terror attack but again give an Islamophobic statement calling Muslim immigrants the true cause of bloodshed in New Zealand, claiming that Muslims are killing people in the name of faith and this attack reflects the growing fear in our society they are victim today but are usually perpetrator. His statement echoed the attacker’s manifesto.
“what it highlights is growing fears within our community of the increasing Muslim presence”.
He also posted a statement on Twitter drawing links between Muslims and terrorism;
Anti-Muslim rhetoric in Australia is one of many reasons fuelling hate sentiments, back in 2017 Far-right Australian senator and leader of One Nation Party, Pauline Hanson arrived in a senate session dressed in a burqa, it was a part of her campaign for banning the burqa or Islamic face cover, a national ban. Following her stunt, in her speech delivered to the almost empty chamber, she stated that a ban is required to prevent terrorism, full face cover, and the burqa is a security threat and must be banned, we need laws to be updated. she added:
“I want to say that everyone has the right to their own religious beliefs, but it is only Islam that threatens our way of life.”
Her anti-Muslim stunt backfired as Senate condemned this obnoxious act that ridiculed Muslims and Islam. The news makes its way to national and international headlines and is met with serious condemnation.
It’s not the first time she spoke appalling stuff, she won for her anti-Muslim rhetoric, her whole campaign in Queensland was based on hate speech and anti-Islam, and her National Political manifesto she posted on Facebook: No More: mosques, Muslim refugees, Sharia law, Halal Certification, reflects the mindset of her party and herself.
Her response after any attack in the West seems the same; the only solution to our problems is “Ban Muslims”. Pauline Hanson responds to the London Bridge attack by asking for a Muslim ban she stated:
“Islam is a disease. We need to vaccinate ourselves against that.”
After the 2016 Orlando massacre posted a video message on Facebook asking her followers to take a strong stand against Muslims and Islam.
Her party’s official policy also calls for ending Muslim immigration but recently after the Christchurch massacre in an interview with David Koch on Seven’s sunshine show, Pauline denied her Party and her complicit in the Christchurch massacre.
The show raises the question: Are controversial political comments driving extremists?
“Most of the terrorist attacks are [carried out by] right-wing white supremacists that are egged on by your comments, by your anti-Muslim comments, saying ‘they don’t deserve to be here’, that ‘they will take over our country.
Can you understand how that empowers a white supremacist … into seeing it as a call to arms?” Koch said
“That is a load of rubbish,” Hanson responded.
After the show goes on-air the show faced backlash for calling Pauline complicit, people held the channel and the show equally responsible as to provide Pauline with a platform to promote hate speech. It is true that channels and newspapers are complicit when they compromise the credibility of news for political and personal gain and provide these bigots with a platform to spread hate for making money.
Indeed, the Christchurch attack or any other attack carried out on Muslims or immigrants is the result of hate-preaching; a fixation with islamophobia, such attacks also nurture extremism. Christchurch attack was a call to arms, provoking hatred against Muslims, which evidently served the purpose, the response to the call was sudden yet mild but enough to intimidate Muslims: Five mosques in Birmingham UK were vandalized overnight following the Christchurch terror attack, likely inspired by Christchurch attacker. Police stepped up the patrolling around the mosques and increased communication with community members to help them protect themselves.
Tell MAMA a UK-based charity, that monitors anti-Muslim activities had recorded, 95 different incidents between 15 to 21 March (only reported) including both online abuse and in-person attacks: assault and verbal attacks all possibly inspired by Christchurch attacks. Hate-crime incidents increased by 593% across Britain following the New Zealand terrorist attack.
Amid the heightened tensions and fear Al Jazeera spoke to different Muslim inhabitants in the UK to gain an insight into Britain's Muslim community, what they feel, and whom they blame for this misery: their views reflected fear and a sense of alienation.
Abdullah Saif: things are tense here while visiting mosques live those exact moments, security is heightened so does the fear among people.
Saleha Islam, London, independent consultant: As a woman and more visible Muslim I feel more vulnerable over the past week, people in the media need to understand what they say has a huge impact on wider society, they are responsible in this regard.
Azhar Qayyum, Birmingham, Midland regional managers at MEND: Since the incident people realized that islamophobia still exists and is growing rapidly, people are questioning what has been done or needs to be done regarding the anti-Muslim narrative in media and rhetoric among politicians.
Muslims here are terrified, a fear which is not restricted to the rise of far-right extremism but the unfair and inaccurate reporting about Muslims by media outlets. The results that approximately 31% of schoolchildren think that Muslims are here to invade the UK, and about 50% of hate crimes target only Muslims, the government needs to increase the security of mosques said Samayya.
Muslims in the West are traumatized and frightened, Birmingham UK attacks were not the only incident but a continuation of previous incidents, another addition to the strings of Islamophobic attacks. The Western Muslims believe that the media and some political commentators (hate preachers) are filling their minds with hatred against Muslims, which triggers such incidents, and are ignoring the rise of far-right extremism at home.
A man last year pleaded guilty to sending racist letters across the U.K calling for “Punish a Muslim Day” on 3rd April 2018, these Anonymous letters were intended to alarm people and stir up racial hatred. Rewards were promised for violent acts, ranging from verbal abuse to bombing mosques and acid attacks targeting Muslims.
Sadly, hatred of Muslims which has taken root in the West is making it impossible to comprehend the white mass violence. The entire Muslim population is often blamed for the acts committed by some individuals. Hatemongers are normalizing hate-speech emboldening people who are committing it.
Sadiq Aman Khan Mayor of London in a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May called out that unchallenging hate speech is amounting to make it acceptable. The Christchurch massacre is a demonstration of complete failure in dealing with islamophobia flourishing in our society, heightened policing and security are not enough to fight Islamophobia, we must eradicate it. Khan also stated how conservative members and supporters make Islamophobic comments toward and about him, pointing out Shaun Bailey retweeting an article calling Khan “a mad mullah of Londonistan”, which is not just about him but about the message these incidents send to our wider society. The Conservative party needs to send a loud and clear message, that in no case Islamophobia is acceptable.
Despite a number of cases of anti-Muslim behavior within the Conservative Party, confirmed by Tories, Mr. Shaun Bailey is the candidate of the Conservative Party for the 2020 London mayoral election. It’s a continuation of using religion for advancing personal ambitions, back in 2016 Tory MP Zac Goldsmith’s Islamophobic campaign for the mayoral election against Sadiq Khan calling him routinely “Radical” and painting him as an extremist was appalling.
In August 2018 another Tory party member Boris Johnson who wrote a column for Daily Telegraph, and grabbed headlines by making a controversial comment, referring to Muslim women wearing burqa and covering their faces as “letterbox” and “bank robbers”.
Soon after his words were published a spike in hate crimes against Muslim women was reported by Tell MAMA. Women wearing burqa and niqab were ridiculed. Words coming from Boris Johnson have the power to influence public behavior, a man who was the former mayor of London and former foreign secretary; now serving as the prime minister of the UK (after Theresa May resigned), it’s a signal that it is acceptable to dehumanize minorities for personal and political gains, disregarding the consequences.
Khan at a dinner hosted by the Muslim Council of Britain speaks about the conservative leadership adopting the language of far-right for short-term personal and political gains, this irresponsible behavior by senior politicians leads to Christchurch-like attacks.
“Because when senior politicians use anti-Muslim language with impunity and are even rewarded with a promotion, it only encourages those who seek to spread hate and sow division.”
Some social/political activists have been using social media to push the message that Islam is a real threat. Katie Hopkin a far-right British columnist following the Manchester bomb attack in 2017 tweeted where she called for a “final solution” — a term used by the Nazis referring to the holocaust she tweeted:
But later changed it to “True Solution” and call the earlier version of her tweet a “mistype”. On 2 Feb 2018 in response to an interview of Fiyaz Mughal, founder of Tell MAMA Measuring anti-Muslim attacks, discussing hate crime, and online abuse she again tweeted:
Anti-Muslim hate crimes had always been a problem in the West including America the hub of islamophobia and since President Donald John Trump gained power with his anti-Muslim bigotry situation is getting nastier, Trump’s political campaign for the presidential election echoed hate for immigrants in general and Muslims in the particular fuelling xenophobia in America. His tweets and official statement never fail to catch the media spotlight, Trump seems to view all Muslims as extremists and terrorists, portraying Islam as a dangerous religion.
In an interview with CNN during the presidential election campaign in 2016. Trump stated “I think Islam hates us” emphasizing on radical Islamic groups, the evil they commit, and how the US needs to ban all Muslims or monitor mosques because of it.
Rep. Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (D-Minn.) at a Muslim civil-rights banquet in Woodland Hills stated after the Christchurch attack that these attacks are the result of Trump's rhetoric
“Trump doesn’t understand or at least makes us want to think that he doesn’t understand, the consequence that his words might have. Some people like me know that he understands the consequences, he knows that there are people that he can influence to threaten our lives, to diminish our presence.”
Trump also had some serious issues with Ilhan, he tweeted a misleading video attacking her, Ilhan was addressing the Muslim Council of American-Islamic relation an organization for Muslims' civil rights, referring to the 9/11 attacks she stated that this organization was founded because they recognized that some people did something.
Not to offend anyone she only makes a point that an act perpetrated by a group of few individuals, put entire faith in trouble as they face all the hate they don’t deserve. Following this tweet, Ilhan faced racist and Islamophobic attacks, but before Trump tweeted, a provoking New York Post published a cover featuring Ilhan’s quote with the twin towers engulfed in flames in the background, appallingly and a hateful reminder of tragic attacks.
Fox News presenter Jeanine Pirro in her show also gave Islamophobic remarks about Ilhan;
“Think about this, she’s not getting this anti-Israel sentiment doctrine from the Democratic Party, so if it’s not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from? Think about it. Omar wears a hijab which according to Quran 33:59 tells women to cover so they won’t get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”
Fox News took an unusual step by stopping Pirro’s show from airing and side-lined her for a while perhaps for avoiding criticism and backlash. Trump condemn this act through a series of tweets and defended his friend and her views regarding Ilhan asking her to stay strong as she is politically right and is fighting for her country. Tucker Carlson another fox news presenter’s tape recording unearthed recently in which he was making racist comments and was also sidelined for a while.
Trump’s Support and encouragement are not limited to media personnel he had rewarded people with great positions in his cabinet who share the same views and are working alongside anti-Muslim bigots and organized groups promoting hate speech.
John Bolton formerly chaired Gatestone Institute, an anti-Muslim think tank became the National security advisor of the United States and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also shares extensive and close ties with an organized group called as Counter-Jihad, a movement of American citizen-activists for safeguarding American soil from the danger posed by so-called Islamic supremacist. The sole purpose of this movement is to mainstream the idea that Islamic organizations in America are planning to replace America's legit code with Sharia law (Islamic law).
Over the past few years, there has been a growth in such organizations involved in portraying Islam as a threat through meaningful tactics. Trump is highly influenced by these organizations and their movement, permitting Islamophobic hate crimes. Aljazeera's investigation unearths the horrifying reality of the Islamophobia Industry spreading anti-Muslim sentiments across America.
ACT for America is one of the biggest groups in this industry denigrates American Muslims by pushing wild anti-Muslim/Islam conspiracy theories, founded by an anti-Islamic activist, an Islamophobe Brigitte Gabriel when asked Brigitte in an interview, whether Americans should resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation, Gabriel replied:
“Absolutely. If a Muslim who has — who is — a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day — this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America.”
Also, she once told Australian Jewish News:
“Every practising Muslim is a radical Muslim.” She also claimed that “Islamo-fascism is a politically-correct word…it’s the vehicle for Islam…Islam is the problem.”
ACT calls themselves National Security Organization. with millions of members and grassroots political connections, they are demonizing an entire population, portraying Sharia (Islam law) and Muslims as a threat to America.
Stop Islamization of America (SIOA); another anti-Muslim and pro-Israel organization founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, characterizes Muslims as a threat. Both are far-right authors, hate preachers Islamophobes. Pamela runs a website named The Geller Report and Robert runs an anti-Muslim conspiracy blog named Jihad Watch (one of the main homes of the Counter-Jihad movement).
Frank J. Gaffney an Anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist and founder of the Center of Security Policy promoting anti-Islam sentiments and targeting Muslim politicians, also now finds a home in the White House and clearly reflects in Trump’s appalling policies which weaponized anti-Muslim sentiments, working alongside far-right people to portray Western society at the risk of Islamization, the number of anti-Muslim doubled since Trump came into power.
These think tanks are also funded by some anonymous donors helping them to expand, social media is a tool to spread the message by creating fake accounts with bought-in followers and engaging people through grassroots movements.
Media outlets have also dedicated themselves to this purpose they talk about Muslim’s grand jihad and how it is destroying the West. Their potential role can never be neglected, making it easy to mainstream hate material.
Rupert Murdoch an Australian-born American media mogul, an Islamophobe, and founder of News Corp. tweeted after the terror attack in Paris in 2015 to call all Muslims responsible for acts committed by radical groups. These acts are instilling fear and anger in people making them more violent and less informed, injecting, racism and extremism into society by which over the years right-wing extremism had replaced jihadism.
OnePath Network, a Sydney-based Islamic media outlet conducted a study on Islam in the Media in 2017, exposing 5 newspapers: The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, The Australian, The Herald Sun, and The Advertiser all owned by Rupert Murdoch, involved in defamation of Islam, sowing seeds of hatred and fear. These newspapers produced thousands of stories in newspapers on conflating Islam and terrorism. From negative articles written about Islam to front pages about Islam. The pdf version of reports can be downloaded at the site.
In 2016 News Corp's influential right-wing pundit, Andrew Bolt wrote a column for Herald Sun expressing his hateful views regarding Muslims' presence in the West: “Muslim migration opens door to terror”.
“The more Muslims we import, the more danger we are in, Jihadist terrorists had made France “Europe’s bloodiest battlefield” because “France let in the most Muslims. We are fools not to change our own immigration policies to protect ourselves,” Bolt said.
Channel Nine a major Australian television network’s presenter Sonia said she agreed with the views shared by Andrew Bolt saying:
“There is a correlation between the number of people in a country who are Muslim and the number of terrorist attacks.”
Sonia Kruger also gives vilifying remarks about the link between Muslims and terrorism, appearing on Channel Nine’s “The Today Show”, suggesting to close borders of Australia for Muslims.
Murdoch over the years took a firm grip on public opinion, and his views complement his work Murdoch News Corp controls massive newspaper circulation and chains of news outlets spread in Britain, the US, and Australia, making it impossible to eradicate racism from society. Anti-Muslim rhetoric on Murdoch-own news channels is nourishing minds with hate and violence which caused the Christchurch attack and other acts of violence.
Fox News owned by Murdoch is criticized for giving Trump favorable coverage as its always been a propaganda machine since the news first went on air in 1996. Aside from making billions from the news, fox news has been a tool to push the right-wing agenda. Back in 2010 conservative columnist and George W. Bush speechwriter, David Frum spoke on ABC Nightline:
“Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us, and now we’re discovering we work for Fox.”
Joseph Azam a former senior VP at Murdoch’s news corporation in an interview with NPR said that he left the job because of increased anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric. It was troubling for him to see the dehumanization that occurs in coverage and in his opinion shows and being exposed to it every day. The constant offensive nature of fox talk shows is part of our daily conversation for us. Rhetoric has gotten harsher with Trump in power it was/is policy backed and Trump's support for both Fox News Hosts, Jeanine Pirro, and Tucker Carlson after being criticized for controversial remarks tell clearly, where are the order/policies coming from.
Rashna Farrukh a former Sky News employee also shared her experience of being an immigrant Muslim working among people who day and night sitting on tv slammed every minority was difficult which made her leave her job, as what happens on media can have real-life consequences, Christchurch attack is one of them.
“Over the past few years, I was playing a role — no matter how small — in a network whose tone I knew would help legitimise radical views present in the fringes of our society. Now, I am done being a part of something I do not stand for, and I urge other young journalists to do the same.”
Anti-Muslim opinions are highly and openly criticized but are not treated beyond the pale just the way anti-white supremacists would be. We are not just dealing with some handful of psychopath lone wolves who get hands-on with some crazy weapons, but it is a global movement backed by a core ideology that draws aid and strength from powerful elites and grassroots movements, amplifying its impact.
The radicalization of young Muslims is also an issue that needs to be addressed. But the question is why young Muslims fall prey to radicalization and what is the lifeblood of extremist groups? Evidently, one reason is the twisted perversion of Islam causing anti-Muslim discriminatory practices, biases, and routine humiliation of Muslims by politicians and others for political gains.
Misconception about Islam exists because people learn Islam from the wrong people; hate-preacher, radical groups, and news headlines rather than the Quran which is the lifeblood of hate crimes like the Christchurch attack or any other attack on Muslims/non-Muslims globally. These incidents will never stop until or unless we first, eradicate racism and bigotry from our society by not supporting and electing bigots. Second, discussing white supremacist extremists the same way we discuss their violent jihadist counterparts because both are the same, and the act perpetrated by them are equally condemnable. Third, we need to stop umbrellaing hate preachers/organizations who spread twisted perversion of Islam and ban them. Fourth, advance close ties and cooperation between Muslims and non-Muslims to eradicate religious-based hate and violence lastly, the acceptance of Muslims as equal fellow citizens.
