Al-Azhar Observatory Warns of Institutionalization of Islamophobia in World
The Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism emphasized in a report that Islamophobia is no longer simply individual prejudices or emotional reactions, but has become a systematic structure in the global system, Al-Ahram reported.
This structure manages fears and reshapes the image of the “other” based on political and security considerations, especially in times of crisis and major geopolitical changes, it said.
The report explained that reducing the phenomenon to individual hatred ignores its essence, as Islamophobia is used politically to justify exclusionary policies and intensify exceptional measures that violate the principles of pluralism and civil rights.
The watchdog noted that reports from Western think tanks confirm that a significant part of negative perceptions of Islam are shaped by media systems and political discourses that reproduce stereotypes, rather than through direct experiences of interaction.
This reveals the role of systematic narratives in creating and fueling fear in societies, it said.
The body noted that the dominance of the victim narrative in efforts to combat Islamophobia, despite its credibility and legitimacy, has not yielded tangible results.
“Indeed, this has sometimes inadvertently helped to reinforce the image of Muslims as passive rather than active, fueling the intense polarization of ‘us versus them’ that has been exploited by far-right movements to mobilize collective fear.”
The watchdog stressed that combating Islamophobia should not be limited to moral condemnation, but requires a shift to more effective approaches.
“These approaches begin by dismantling the cognitive structures that produce exclusionary discourse; continue by activating legal frameworks that criminalize discrimination based on religion; and ultimately lead to the creation of broad political and social alliances that defend the values of pluralism and equal citizenship.”
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The Al-Azhar Observatory concluded its report by emphasizing that confronting Islamophobia is a long-term project based not on raising the voices of victims, but on transforming values into policies, rights into legislation, and protest into a measurable institutional impact, in order to break the cycle of exclusion and create a more just and inclusive public sphere.
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