Here is the English abstract of Bahram Nasrullahizadeh (Assistant Professor at Kurdistan University)'s presentation at the 13^nd pre-con meeting of the conference “Imam Reza (PBUH) and Interreligious Dialogue" which was held in the Kurdistan branch of the International University of Islamic Denominations (Sanandaj, Iran) on  December 19, 2023.

A Reflection on Islamophobia and the Necessity of Interreligious Dialogue

If we define Islamophobia as the presentation of a fearful image of Islam or the media representation of a frightening face of Islam that has become widespread in recent decades, its roots must be sought in well-known approaches and theoretical foundations such as "Orientalism", "Clash of Civilizations", "Cultural Racism", etc. The common feature of these approaches and frameworks is a biased attitude with fixed assumptions about the culture of "the West" and everything that is "non-Western", especially Islam. The result of such approaches is the formation of an analytical model based on conflict and hostility. The study of this analytical model can explain the type of Western attitude toward Islam in the past centuries and decades. In this confrontation, the Western side is described as a powerful, superior, rational, and modern element, and in contrast, the Islamic side or what is attributed to Islam is seen as a weak, base, irrational, and uncivilized element. Gabriel Faimau believes that the use of such frameworks between Islam and the West deprives the possibility of interaction and dialogue between these two great civilizations. Based on this, the phenomenon of "Islamophobia" should be considered as a continuation of such approaches and a tool for "othering" and "enemy-making" in order to legitimize the military, political, and cultural influence of "the West". In such an unjust condition that itself leads to confrontation, violence, and so on, real interfaith dialogue, from an equal position and away from any sense of superiority, is an undeniable necessity to provide a suitable environment for peace and tranquility in the world and to reject views based on confrontation and conflict. It is definitely a religious and human mission.

Translator: Mahdi Qasemi