Global Histories and Practices of Islamophobia

A comprehensive overview of manifestations of Islamophobia worldwide.

With Islamophobia becoming a household term during the past decade, it has become more urgent to investigate the history and development of this modern concept.

Although the term ‘Islamophobia’ has a relatively recent origin, historians recognise that fear and hatred of Islam and its followers have a long and unfortunate lineage. Expressions of Islamophobia have had world-altering consequences—from the premodern Christian theological hostility to the Islamic faith and the papal discourses that helped prompt the First Crusade, to Orientalist scholars and contemporary politicians who have used it to justify imperial domination. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this volume brings together experts from around the world to analyse the global, historical, theological and political dimensions of Islamophobia. The contributors cover topics including historical practices of Orientalism; the impact of theological disputes with Islam within faith traditions; state policies on immigration; the role of gender, empire and post-colonialism; government-led discrimination against Muslims; ethnic cleansing; and the relationship between Islamophobia and the rise of the national security state.

Featuring chapters from leading and emerging voices in recent scholarship on Islamophobia, this volume provides the vital historical context to understand the growing intolerance of today’s world.

Abdullah Al-Arian is Associate Professor of History, Georgetown University, Qatar, and the author of Answering the Call: Popular Islamic Activism in Sadat’s Egypt.

Karine V. Walther is Associate Professor of History, Georgetown University, Qatar, and the author of Sacred Interests: The United States and the Islamic World, 1821–1921.