Beneath the Mask of Islamophobia!
We communicate to be understood!
Humans have both the incredible capacity to do good, collaborate and excel, and devastating potential for misdeeds, destruction, and evil.
Our intentions, our words, and the language we choose to communicate matter. So much so that they can make the difference between justice or injustice, success or failure, pain or pleasure, freedom or slavery, prosperity or poverty, and even life or death.
Classifying and naming something gives it certain characteristics and tendencies. The main objects of these representations are to help interpretation, understanding, and opinion formation.
Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings, in addition to their literal meanings or denotations which are always under the sway of dominant ideologies imposed by their social class.
Our language provides an avenue to express shared meanings, but many of these shared meanings are being sabotaged and distorted through misleading definition swaps of blatant lies, and honest and caring people must call it out!
Tinkering with language, changing the definition of words are not innocent linguistic drifts, slangs, nor accidental misnomer, but rather subtle and blatant attempts to influence consciousness and distort collective understanding through repetitive targeted disinformation!
These attempts lead to empty arguments, destructive disagreements and conflicts, allowing those puppeteers in control of world governments, media, businesses and societies to continue and expand their exploitation and enslavement.
What Do These Tactics Look Like?
When attempting to decipher the meaning of a term, it is often useful to look at what comes before and/or after that word. The surrounding words can provide helpful contextual clues about the meaning and the structure of the new “suggested” word, as well as how it is used.
It all starts with misusing words, through subtle manipulation of terms.
The schemes include redefining words by flipping them using modifiers to alter the meaning of a word. This is done by replacing technical words with casual conversational ones, and/or merging contradictory words into one deceptive expression fabricating new words. The new words then offer new false meanings and connotations which target repetitively on people’s emotions rather than logic.
Modifiers that draw emotion can effectively form perceptions and nudge individuals and societies towards a particular direction, and ultimately shape and reshape political narrative and public policy based on feelings alone and not objective facts, truth or reality. These disinformations are harassments, discriminations, and bullying tactics, which distort effective discourse.
Beneath the Mask of Islamophobia!
“Islamophobia” is one of these disguised verbal manipulations, fabricated lies, and repeated assaults that like the deceptive "Trojan Horse tactic", supposedly depicting anti-Muslim sentiments, while in reality promoting and conditioning fear and deepening in many subtle and blatant ways the already distorted perception of false assumptions and misunderstood Truth and Realities of what Islam represents.
And even though there are “millions of articles and discussions" relating to this subject, conversations are usually directed towards the type of individuals or groups of people this term represents, including other unnecessary and irrelevant issues.
Not only no attention is laid upon the basic analytical and critical thinking or logical reasoning as to why this term should not be used due to its fallacy, disinformation, misleading subliminal "phobia/fear conditioning" in association with the beneficial and noble state of Islam; those using this contradictory new term do it with a perceived sense of “bravery and intellectualism”.
If “truthfulness, honesty of intent, integrity, justice, liberty, and effective discourse" is what is truly being sought after, let’ us “analyze” the made-up term “Islamophobia” which consists of two incompatible words “Islam” and “phobia”.
So, What Is Islam?
Islam is a multifaceted and multidimensional Arabic term representing:
A) The universal and primordial purpose and state of surrender and submission of all beings (animate and inanimate), towards One God (Allah), Lord of all the worlds.
B) The sincere, progressive, and volunteer state of surrender and submission of any conscious human or other created beings gifted with a limited free will towards the Supremely Beneficial and Direct Guidance of One God (Allah), Lord of all the worlds, through Whom true love, peace, contentment, safety and security, happiness and well-being, fulfillment and success within this transitory world and beyond into "Eternal Reality" is achieved.
C) Within the religious context, sincere, conscientious, voluntary surrender/submission towards The Divine’s Supremely Beneficial Guidance - i.e."Islam" is not a new religion that was founded in the 7th Century AD.
Rather it is the universal, practical, enjoyable and oldest living religion, the authentic way of life, the direct and purest form of Monotheism (without the interference of any form of mediation, priest, religious hierarchy) that was, is and always will be revealing throughout and beyond times.
And through uncountable prophets and emissaries who in their time represented aspects of Divine revelation; including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus … with Muhammad (peace be upon all of them) as the final universal prophet and emissary to confirm, purify, refine and complete Divine’s Timeless Guidance and Perpetual Mercy to the worlds presented and preserved within what is known as the “Quran".
D) Represents the era of not only faith, but also the perpetual and incorruptible voice of wisdom, love, justice, peace, liberty, equality, reform, unity within diversity, and all virtues dating back to the beginning of human history into eternity.
And, What Does Phobia represents?
The term “phobia and fear are synonymous” and refers to a group of anxiety feelings and symptoms brought on by certain objects or situations.
Beware Of Bias and Propaganda!
Unlike the “precious, inspiring, and empowering state and experience of Islam" which is misrepresented, misunderstood, or unknown to many, the word “phobia/fear” which is a negative, threatening, distressful human emotion, is very well known, felt and understood experience by every human regardless of any age, gender, race, nationality, culture or social class.
It is important to know that due to one of our innate human survival skills, our emotions play a significant role in how we receive and process information. Emotions precede our thoughts when we first encounter and process information.
Reason is slower and more deliberate and science tells us that it does not happen in an emotional vacuum. For this reason, we are very vulnerable to the possibility that our emotions can set us on a wrong track that’s biased and not always supported by facts, especially on topics that require research, contemplation, analytical and logical reasoning.
In the process, we push threatening information away and pull friendly information close to us. In many ways, we end up applying fight-or-flight reflexes to the information itself.
To legitimize and normalize the state of "fear" in association with the state of “Islam” and through that, arrive at a “false conclusion” of a new “Disinformed Feeling” relating to “Islam”, through media manipulation and disinformation, as well as fraudulent interpretation of individuals or groups “pretending” to speak and act on its behalf, as well as self-deception, a contradictory word “Phobia” is forcefully linked and glued to the “Multidimensional and Supremely Beneficial State of Islam”.
Misplacing and swapping the logical meaning behind these two opposing words is like using expressions: "the sun shines at night? Or, the water cools like fire? Or, the apple tree produces oranges?
The absurdity of connecting and associating these two contradictory terms would also come to light by questioning if anyone would ever fear experiencing (inner) Peace, Happiness, and Contentment that Islam represents?
Does anyone fears being Wise, Healthy, Strong, Fearless, and many other Positive and Empowering conditions of uncountable higher universal values that Islam facilitates, nurtures, and represents?
God-Consciousness, Respect and Peaceful Language Instead Of Name-Calling.
War doesn't start with violence, it starts with misunderstanding and prejudice.
As Muslims we should avoid calling someone “Islamophobic or Islamophobe” due to its “name-calling nature” and the fact that it does not educate and enlighten those who need to know the true and eternally beneficial values of “Islam”.
And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers. ~Quran 49:11
And be not excessive. Indeed, Allah does not love those who commit excess. ~Quran 6:141
The same misleading "meaning swaps and false support terms” is made with other words and expressions like Muslim terrorist, Muslim extremist, and so on. And the same misrepresentations are also true for any additional term associate with the Uniquely Noble and Supremely Beneficial Term of Islam when dividing Muslim’s by expressions like: Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, Hanafi Muslim, Wahhabi Muslim, Sufi Muslim, Liberal Muslim, Progressive Muslim, etc., etc, none of which applies to any of the prophets whom we know of!
As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did. ~Quran 6:159
And hold fast All together, by the Rope Which God (stretches out For you) and be not divided Among yourselves. ~Quran 3:103
Even a person with elementary knowledge of Islam/Quran knows that terrorism, extremism, injustice of any kind, as well as dividing our religion into sects is against God’s (Allah’s) Commands.
We sent aforetime our messengers with clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that men may stand forth in Justice. ~Quran 57:25
And fight in Allah's cause against those who wage war against you, but begin not hostilities, nor commit aggression, for Allah love's not transgressors. ~Quran 2:190
For the sake of our collective well-being, for the sake of Truth, Justice, Love and all the Universal Higher Values, we need, we can and must do better when thinking and communicating with one another about words, terms, ideas and ideals that effect our individual and collective well-being and success.
And those who strive in Our (cause), - We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right. ~Quran 29:69
If and when we are confronted with ignorance, we need to reply with words and wishes of peace and go our own way without becoming a victim of injustice, nor a perpetrator thereof, and never a bystander to it.
And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say, [words of] "Peace!” ~Quran 25:63
The power to influence language is the power to create and destroy, and it must be checked, and it starts with oneself, while wisely, gently and kindly to remind others.
And know ye that your possessions and your progeny Are but a trial; And that it is Allah With Whom lies Your highest reward. ~Quran 8:28
This day have I Perfected your religion For you, completed My favour upon you And have chosen for you Islam as your religion. ~Quran 5:4
And Allah Knows Best!
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