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Drum: FAITH
positively celebrates the diverse identifications of its
members. It proudly boasts of (Hazrath) Bilal, a
black liberated slave who was the first man to call
Muslims to prayer through the azan, a call that still
reverberates throughout Islamic countries 5 times a
day. Even today, Islam remains predominantly a
religion of ‘colour’ with countries such as The
Gambia, Algeria, Afghanistan, Iran, Morocco,
Mayotte, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia
boasting populations over 95 per cent Muslim. This
connection with colour makes it all the more easy
for Islam to retain much of its mystical quality, as
well as the sphere of the ‘uncivilised’.
“September 11th became the
catalyst, allowing Islamophobic
tendencies and perspectives public,
and arguably justifiable, free reign.”
In my quest to understand Islamophobia I have
come to the realisation that its almost instantaneous
rise post September 11th can be located, to a large
extent, in its very ‘blackness’. As a faith that
continues to be predominantly associated with
people of ‘colour’, Islam has largely been tolerated,
particularly following the Rushdie affair. At a policy
level, on both the national and local stage,
individuals are counselled in the importance of
tolerating Islamic practices. The language of
toleration took on particular meaning following the
reaction of a minority of Muslims to Salman
Rushdie’s Satanic Verses. The toleration of Islam is
patronising and stems from the underlying belief
that it remains the remit of those less civilised. It is
such language that further reaffirms the distrust,
insecurity and isolation experienced by many
Muslims in Britain.
Whilst September 11th and the reaction of the
British establishment bear some responsibility for the
blatancy with which Islamophobia is pervading the