SpearIt: Words matter — antisemitism vs. Islamophobia

The ongoing conflict in Palestine has put Muslim and Jewish people around the world on high alert for months now; people of both faiths fear that the events in the Middle East could incite widespread waves of racism and violence toward them. In popular discourse, the terms “antisemitism” and “Islamophobia” are widely used to describe persecution of people of Jewish and Muslim faiths. But is there a difference in what the words imply? If so, does it matter?

I believe there is a big difference and that the difference results in harmful labeling. To provide more equity and better understanding in this area, we should either use “anti-Islamic” to refer to any opposition to Muslims or the Islamic faith, and conversely, the term “Judeophobia” might be used to discuss phobic attitudes toward Jews. While to many, neither option will be palatable — either would be far more accurate and equitable than the mislabeling being perpetuated today.

The origins of the terms indicate the disparity. The word “semitic” refers to a group of people, i.e., the Semites; their language; and Jewish people in general. While antisemitism as a phenomenon is ancient, the use of the term “anti” as a preface traces to late 19th-century European discourse, which adopted the term to describe anti-Jewish sentiment. During that time, conspiracy theories about Jewish control of banking and the economy abounded, and other stereotypes extended to religious, economic, racial and political dimensions. In general, the word “antisemitism” indicates hostility to Jewish people, in a very general sense.

The term “Islamophobia,” a conjunction of Islam plus phobia, builds meaning from a narrower baseline. In English, “phobia” translates to “fear” or extreme “aversion” from something. According to encyclopedia Brittanica, the term “Islamophobie” was coined in the 1900s in French literature as a means of describing characterizations of Muslims being inferior to Aryans; decades later the term was revived in the 1990s in popular British discourse as a means of describing anti-Islamic sentiment, with popular usage reaching American shores in the post 9/11 era. As the term phobia is associated with illogical or irrational fears, the sentiment can be so overpowering that one might go to great lengths to avoid the source of fear. When applied to Muslims, the intent is clear — antagonism against Muslims, based on unfounded or irrational fear.

While each term is often used as a foil for the other, they are not the same. “Islamophobia,” centering on the idea of fear, situates the oppressive treatment of Muslims as the result of fear, whether it be fear of Muslim men, fear of Sharia law or fear of extremist violence — there is no opposition to Muslims that doesn’t build from a baseline of fear. The parallel use of these terms is inaccurate, especially because much of what is described as “Islamophobia” is rooted in myriad other sentiments perhaps most critically, racism, given that most followers globally are of darker skin, not to mention other forces including religious animosity and clash of civilization ideologies.

“Antisemitism” has profoundly different connotations as compared to “Islamophobia.” The first is more neutral in the sense that it describes practically any posture against Jewish people, which may or may not involve sentiments of fear; Islamophobia is constructed around a meaning that necessarily includes fear as the main interpretive frame to situate why anyone might oppose Muslims. In such framing, opposition to Jewish people is general and encompasses a variety of rationales; opposition to Muslims, however, is narrow, and any opposition to Muslims invokes the question of fear. Thus, while “Islamophobia” intends to convey the equivalent message of “antisemitism,” this message is different since it cannot be conveyed without triggering the notion of fear in the listener.

By comparison, then, “antisemitism” presents as a more innocuous term, with “anti” potential encompassing myriad factors that could cause anti-Jewish sentiment. Under such nomenclature, exactly why someone harbors anti-Jewish sentiment is uncertain and may be multivalent. When it comes to Muslims, however, there is only one underlying rationale—fear, which frames attitudes. For many, this fear is not illogical, but is in fact grounded in associations of Muslims and violence, specifically terrorism. Factually, as noted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, in terrorism data, “the most significant threat likely comes from white supremacists … .” Somehow, society manages to ignore this overarching threat and instead concentrate fear on Muslims, demonstrating just how deep the irrationality can run.

The difference in terminology is critical because it forges particular associations for one, but not the other. “Islamophobia” instantly connects to a longstanding Western history of fearing all things Islamic. As such, the term does other rhetorical work, even if the negative effects are not immediately apparent.

SpearIt is a law professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.