Islamic countries are also infected with ‘religious phobia’
Donald Trump’s infamous executive order barring entry to the US for visitors from seven Islamic countries is plain bigotry. As a blatant case of Islamophobia it should be condemned.
However, there is also another side to this coin. In many Muslim-majority countries, non-Muslims have suffered decades of persecution in various forms. These include massacres, deportations, pressure to leave, death threats and failure to receive the same rights as Muslim citizens.
In many such countries, non-Muslims – often Christians – once formed a sizeable proportion of the population, but have now shrunk to a tiny minority.
The outside world, including the international media, frequently criticises Islamophobia, and is right to do so. However, it often fails to see the other side of this coin.
Hakan Tekin
