Anti-Islamic rhetoric, is it Backfiring?

[Tajir]

The popular wave of anti-Islamic rhetoric and other highlights in the media discussing elements of Islamic politics has been prevalent ever since 9/11. Much of it has been to try to paint the public a picture of the issues in the middle east and the wider Islamic world, but many in the public eye have tried their hand at smear campaigns against Islam and the Muslim world.

One thing I and many in Muslim communities have asked is; has this helped the spread of Muslim?

If you think about it, Islam was a niche subject in politics and global media outside of Muslim countries but today it dominates the headlines. One thing I looked at was the recent book burning aimed at fueling hatred towards Islam, but what really happens? What happens is that many people go out and pick up Qurans to find out what they're supposed to hate. Upon reading the Quran they might find things they agree with or find familiar in their own faiths, and in the process you might have converts or the like on your hands.

Since 9/11, Islam went from a subject you never heard about to something on TV and newspapers 24/7, this sparks curiosity and you have tons of people reading about the religion. The biggest thing I've noticed is also the heightened sense of self-awareness and spark of Islamic fundamentalism among Muslims who were never politically or religiously active.

This topic isn't meant to discuss the merits or non-merits of Islam, its just meant to address and discuss the ways in which anti-Islamic rhetoric has turned into brain food for curious people and how its also turned into a wake up call for inactive and non-practicing Muslims.

[Genius of the Restoration]

What happens is that many people go out and pick up Qurans to find out what they're supposed to hate. Upon reading the Quran they might find things they agree with or find familiar in their own faiths, and in the process you might have converts or the like on your hands.

Have their been any studies to suggest that this is the case, or is this hypothetical?

[Tajir]

Have their been any studies to suggest that this is the case, or is this hypothetical?

Hypothetical, but the scenario is so likely to happen among potential book-burners that it may as well count as a case.

The entire point of this topic is to highlight that Islam is being proliferated via such campaigns. Its like for example if I own a website, and you go to a million forums warning users about my website, that audience will definitely have to visit my website before making a decision about their stance on it. All of this rhetoric is creating exposure to Islam for MANY people who had never heard of the religion, this just makes the religion more influential. The biggest factor here is that this rhetoric polarizes Muslims and makes them more fundamentalist and self-aware of their religious beliefs than previously, I've seen this a lot as well as the first case.

The best way to describe this is that people are giving attention to a subject they think they are fighting, but this attention may be the first its ever received. In other words, they're creating something that wasn't there before by giving it a new platform of exposure.

[Tiwaz]

Hypothetical, but the scenario is so likely to happen among potential book-burners that it may as well count as a case.

What is your proof that it is so? You assume people are likely to read quran and become enraptured by it, yet there are much critics who have knowledge of quran and still reject it.

The best way to describe this is that people are giving attention to a subject they think they are fighting, but this attention may be the first its ever received. In other words, they're creating something that wasn't there before by giving it a new platform of exposure.

Actually, what takes place is that media has tagged islam as hot topic, thus they make more content speaking of it. Amount of converts might not have changed dramatically, but we are made more aware of it and thus it appears that more and more people are "finding" islam.

But this also means that problems caused by islam are receiving more exposure.

[Genius of the Restoration]

Hypothetical, but the scenario is so likely to happen among potential book-burners that it may as well count as a case.

I'm not really convinced. Extra coverage about Islam might have helped, but God knows how you'd draw the conclusion that it was "anti-Islamic rhetoric" in particular that had a positive affect on conversion rates out of the myriad of other factors that influence this.

[Incontinenta Buttox]

I am curious. What do you mean when you mention smear campaigns against Islam?

Atrocities comitted in the name of Islam did actually happen. Is the reporting of such atrocities interpreted as smear campaigns? as there are many elements of of the British left who seem to think so.

This also seems to work the other way around, as we seem to hear more and more about the nutjobs on the American christian right these days as well. Are there more of these people since 9/11? or are they just more vocal?

[Tajir]

I am curious. What do you mean when you mention smear campaigns against Islam?

Atrocities comitted in the name of Islam did actually happen. Is the reporting of such atrocities interpreted as smear campaigns? as there are many elements of of the British left who seem to think so.

This also seems to work the other way around, as we seem to hear more and more about the nutjobs on the American christian right these days as well. Are there more of these people since 9/11? or are they just more vocal?

Whether Muslims were eating babies generations ago is not the question here, and that may definitely be the reality but to bring up the topic for the purpose of attacking a religion is a smear campaign, in other words its an attempt made to destroy an ideology.

I'm just writing down a pattern I've noticed. Every time there is a media run that beats the topic of Islam and Muslims, we will by default have a public curiosity of the subject and a fascination that can sometimes turn into admiration. Its hard to deny that all of this publicity is sending people to the libraries to learn about Islam, some in a positive manner that's opposite to what the campaigners intended, that's the sticking point of this topic.

[The spartan]

I am curious. What do you mean when you mention smear campaigns against Islam?

Atrocities comitted in the name of Islam did actually happen. Is the reporting of such atrocities interpreted as smear campaigns? as there are many elements of of the British left who seem to think so.

If the media is giving a limited view of the "atrocities" committed (i.e. relates extremists to mainstream Islam), then it could be considered "smear".

This also seems to work the other way around, as we seem to hear more and more about the nutjobs on the American christian right these days as well. Are there more of these people since 9/11? or are they just more vocal?

Not sure about an increase in American Christian right, but there are more people with anti-islamic sentiments in America since 9/11 (probably due to some perceived connection between extremist and mainstream Islam).

Anti-Islam rhetoric and anti-Islam policies, create a great requirement tool for extremist groups. That being said, the groups use such rhetoric in order to victimize Muslims and thus play the "victim" card. This is kind of hypocritical because than they go on to terrorize and victimize other people as result...

This is very true. Isolating a minority is a great way to breed extremism.

[ivan_the_terrible]

I think that someone who attends book burnings isn't very likely to be open to different ideas.

Maybe someone who hears about the burning, though it depends entirely too much on the individual to suggest mass conversion in my opinion.

[Armenum]

Anti-Islam rhetoric and anti-Islam policies, create a great requirement tool for extremist groups. That being said, the groups use such rhetoric in order to victimize Muslims and thus play the "victim" card. This is kind of hypocritical because than they go on to terrorize and victimize other people as result...

[Claudius Gothicus]

Maybe you're right If they were so stupid to actually believe in a fairy tale in the first place then maybe another fairy tale might be sufficient to change their minds. New boss same as the old boss.

[Fluttershy]

I dont know about Islam spreading... but I have several muslim friends who are no longer practicing muslims... More and more people are realizing how foolish devoting a lot of time to imaginary gods is.

[motiv-8]

If anything, heightened levels of confrontation and rhetoric being hurdled between disparate groups has the tendency to simply reinforce preconceived notions and positions, and crystallize those groups into more clearly dilineated identities and still more confrontation. It's not exactly the stuff of bridge-building.

[Azog 150]

To be honest I doubt the people burning Korans are clever or open-minded enough to actually read the thing.

[Ariovistus Maximus]

You raise an interesting point. I think Christianity similarly owes some of it's global prevalence in part to persecution, although on a vastly greater scale than book burnings and protests.

[athanaric]

You raise an interesting point. I think Christianity similarly owes some of it's global prevalence in part to persecution, although on a vastly greater scale than book burnings and protests.

There are miles between anti-Islamic rhetoric in the media and real life persecution. There are very few non-Muslim countries in which Muslims are not safe because of their religion. I think that religious people love to play the victim card, which is especially obnoxious in the case of Muslims, seeing as they were and still are rarely persecuted by non-Muslims.

[Ariovistus Maximus]

There are miles between anti-Islamic rhetoric in the media and real life persecution. There are very few non-Muslim countries in which Muslims are not safe because of their religion. I think that religious people love to play the victim card, which is especially obnoxious in the case of Muslims, seeing as they were and still are rarely persecuted by non-Muslims.

As I said, vastly greater scale.

[Dr. Croccer]

I am curious. What do you mean when you mention smear campaigns against Islam?

Atrocities comitted in the name of Islam did actually happen. Is the reporting of such atrocities interpreted as smear campaigns? as there are many elements of of the British left who seem to think so.

Reporting atrocities is called the news. The smear campaign refer to the actions of many far rightist groups, who, IRL and on the net, spend quite a lot of time spouting rather dubious rants about the inherent evilness and threats of it. They don't report atrocities, they greedily scour for them and use them to backup their ideology, misleading and fabricating

[Heathen Hammer]

Well, its not like Islam is an open-minded religion. It is sexist, homopphobic and not very atheist/pagan-friendly.

However, anti-Islamic rhetoric of some Western governments and mass-media has little to do with these facts. After all, the very same governments had no problem with dealing with Islamic extremists when they needed to (e.g. Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, etc). The current anti-Islamic rhetoric has little to do with Islam itself - it is a part of ideological pressure against certain Middle Eastern countries, which are currently independent from Western influence.

[Banana Jelly]

Well, its not like Islam is an open-minded religion. It is sexist, homopphobic and not very atheist/pagan-friendly.

And... So is Judaism and Christianity. It's not any more sexist then Judaism or Christianity, and you should know it's in-fact LESS homophobic then Christianity, which orders them to be killed, while the Qu'ran doesn't. The 3 religions are not atheist/pagan friendly.

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