The Long History of Islam as a Collective Other of the West and the Rise of Islamophobia in the U.S. after Trump

Abstract

In the last two decades, Islamophobia in the West has become mainstream. Covertly, Islamophobia is the last link in the chain of a long tradition of Eurocentrism, ethnocentrism, xenophobia, and racism. This article analyzes the recent rise of Islamophobic policies and practices in the United States. In particular, the false fear of Islam, which carried Trump into power, seems to have turned into a 'reason' for all kinds of violence and oppression against Muslims both domestically and abroad.