Islamophobia

Islamophobia refers to fear or hostility toward Muslims—people of the Islamic faith. With an estimated 1.8 billion people, nearly one-quarter of the global population, identifying as Muslim, Islam has the second-largest following of any religion in the world. Despite the diversity of this large population, Islamophobes typically view the global Muslim population as a homogenous and uniform group.

Hostility toward Islam can stem from religious prejudice and ignorance. However, Islamophobia, particularly in Western countries, also results from political anxieties that equate Muslims with extremism and from concerns that Islam poses a threat to Western culture or is incompatible with its values. Media misrepresentation and hostile political rhetoric have contributed to misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. In countries with Muslim minorities,...