Islamophobia in US And EU | Pakistan Observer Editorial

DESPITE claiming of being open and free societies, hate and negative attitude against Muslims in Europe and the United States is on the rise which manifests itself through individual attitudes and policies of organisations and institutions. Examples — which vary across countries and time, include physical and verbal attacks on Muslim population and their properties besides online threats of violence, vilification and abuse.

In one such incident of Islamophobia, a gang of masked men rampaged through the streets of Stockholm on Friday night handing out leaflets threatening to attack migrants. Separately, after coming under severe criticism for open door policy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also now insisting that refugees from Syria and Iraq must return home after the end of conflicts. In the United States, some main candidates for the next presidential elections are openly pursuing Islamophobic policies. The Republican Front Runner Donald Trump in a recent interview said that he would certainly implement a database system for tracking Muslims. A recent poll also indicated that fifty three percent of Americans oppose allowing Syrian refugees to resettle in the US. These fierce and violent behaviours against Muslims especially against the Migrants from conflict hit countries are clearly a tirade against Islam. These migrants are already living a miserable life filled with uncertainty about their future and the threats emanating from different sections are further compounding their problems and forcing them to leave for their homes. Without complaining, some of the Iraqi refugees have already left for their home country. This not only reflects the anti migrant policies of the Europe but more so their hostility towards Islam and their followers. We do not say the entire Europe or the United States harbour anti Muslim sentiments but it is a fact that the elements, though a handful in number, are creating misperceptions about the followers of Islam. Therefore, we warn that these countries should check these elements for peace and harmony in their societies. We believe the negative conduct of these elements would not only cause inconvenience to the migrants alone but the people of these countries might also suffer as a whole due to any scuffle or violent incident. Therefore, it should serve as a wake-up call for the United States and the European Union for joining hands to look after the migrants in order to bring normalcy in the lives of these hapless people.

Source: http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=287716