Interdisciplinary Social Research

The concept of Islamophobia has undergone a radical redefinition in this paper by identifying the religious tranquility of it, ignoring the racialized domain it has been functioning within. The analysis performed using a qualitative systematic literature review method, updates the existing literature to find the way in which Islamophobia is not necessarily a single expression of racial bigotry, but a complex, multi-dimensional occurrence that bases deeply on spiritual hatred. The review analyses the extent of convergence between race and religion and cultural identity and how Islamophobia is empowered out of fear and stereotyping of Islam as a religion and not on ethnicity or physical attributes. This focus on religious animosity renders the paper more holistic to comprehend Islamophobia yet one which puts into consideration not just the ideological, cultural and political impacts to the affiliation of the anti-Muslim sentiments. Further, the research offers an outcome of this change to the anti-Islamophobia movements and policies, where the research hypothesizes that such policies must accommodate both the racial and religious discrimination to achieve a high level wherein the religious identity and practice of the Muslims should be highly preserved. The findings propose a broader conceptualization of Islamophobia incorporating the religious, the political and the social dimensions besides further studies that ought to be conducted taking into consideration the overlapping of Islamophobia with gender, classes and other forms of identities. The study finds that there is need to re-direct religious hostility towards understanding and eradicating Islamophobia, which offers a more balanced way of reversing the problems happening to the Muslim communities.