Halliday argues modern hostility targets Muslims as a people, not Islam as a faith.

Evidence

Some of the reservations about the term Islamophobia are rooted in the belief that the word incorrectly suggests that the object of fear is Islam as a religion. The most prominent representative of this view is Fred Halliday. Halliday’s words have been cited so frequently that they are worth reprinting here: “‘Islam’ as a religion was the enemy in the past: in the crusades or the reconquista. It is not the enemy now: Islam is not threatening to win large segments of western European society to its faith, as Communism did, nor is the polemic, in press, media or political statement, against the Islamic faith… . The attack now is against not Islam as a faith but Muslims as a people.” Halliday suggests that a more accurate term to reflect the focus on the people rather than the religion is “anti-Muslimism.” — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 87

Categorization

• DEFINE: Halliday’s distinction (faith vs. people) and his proposed relabel ‘anti-Muslimism’ directly address the reader’s question about differentiating religion from people.
• QUESTION: Pursue Halliday’s original essay to see whether his sharp faith/people split predates the race-thinking turn the reader is tracking.
• XREF: connects to: Anti-Muslim rhetoric still targets Islam as a religion, not just its adherents. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 89; Muslims suffer hostility for perceived identity beyond any voluntary religious choice. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 96; Orientalists reframed Islam as a political system rather than a religion. (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Muslims suffer hostility for perceived identity beyond any voluntary religious choice. #corroborates (0.85) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 96
• Anti-Muslim rhetoric still targets Islam as a religion, not just its adherents. #contradicts (0.75) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 89
• Cultural racism targets Muslims’ beliefs and traditions as if they were inherited essence. #complicates (0.60)
• Othering Muslims suppresses public outrage at their disparate treatment #expands (0.50) — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 767
• Orientalists reframed Islam as a political system rather than a religion. #qualifies (0.40)
• Lewis located Muslim hostility in Islam rather than Western conduct #responds-to (0.35) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 217