ABSTRACT
The securitization paradigm encompasses the multifaceted process through which the normal rule of law is suspended in favour of exceptional measures justified by extraordinary situations that threaten the survival of the political community. In the case of Islam, it involves political actors who comprehend Islam as an existential threat to European and American political and secular order and thereby argue for extraordinary measures to contain it. The dominant paradigm within securitization studies pays attention to the securitization of Islam through extraordinary speech acts, such as the justification for the War on Terror and the persistent conflation of Islam with political violence. It is important to note that extreme political proposals such as banning mosques cannot be legally implemented, as they would violate constitutional rights of freedom of religion and equal treatment of all citizens.
