ABSTRACT
Muzaffar argues that Islamophobia is not simply a form of cynical populist politics but rather is a fundamental component of a longer cycle of geopolitical struggle. The association of attacks, violence, terrorism, and terrorist committed acts with Muslims and Islam in the West’s public imagination has now spread to other parts of the world and constitutes a formidable barrier to inter-civilizational dialogue between Muslims and the rest. How the US elite uses and abuses power in its relations with other countries, especially Muslim states, should be subjected to intensive scrutiny. Occupation is related to the larger politics of US hegemony and “regime change.” Muzaffar shows that occupation, regime change, and hegemony have contributed in general to Muslim anger, expressed in terrorism; this is something that most Americans are not conscious of. Mere criticisms of Trump’s antipathy towards Muslims, for example, will not lead to a deeper understanding of the profound forces that shape Islamophobia. Thus, if responsible media together with the strong, explicit support of civic and cultural leaders undertake this role and mission, there is a possibility of a significant transformation of public consciousness in which Islamophobia yields to empathy for Muslims and with Islamic civilization.
