The OED’s first cited use defined Islamophobia as a directed anti-Muslim phenomenon

Evidence

Instead, and as Sayyid suggested previously, that which emerges from the blank spaces, the ambiguities and all that is left unsaid about Muslims and Islam is what defines understanding. All that exists within these generalised terms, and indeed all that is excluded, are merely reduced to nothing, where a mere abstraction – concerning ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslims’ – is all that remains. And what equally emerges from this is an Islamophobia that is abstract in its understanding, definition and conceptualisation, dependent upon both the views and perceptions of non-Muslims as well as the very condition, actions, beliefs and behaviour of some rather than all Muslims themselves. — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 415 (#expands, via linked claim)

However, it questioned the use of ‘Islam’ rather than ‘Muslim’ as a marker of identification because of the apparent lack of differentiation between Islamic beliefs and principles, and the practice and action of Muslims as individuals and communities. Similarly, whilst the revd Dr David Thomas from the Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations (CSIC) at the University of Birmingham acknowledged the timeliness of identifying a contemporary anti-Muslim trend, he also argued that the findings would be ‘strengthened if you could specify how this form of hostility differs in quality and kind from other instances of xenophobic feeling … crucial to distinguish the various types of Islamophobia (going deeper than listing aspects)’. Whilst there appeared to be a sense that Islamophobia was less than clear, Professor Jorgen nielsen galvanised the point: ‘the term Islamophobia needs to be defined more rigorously’. Nielsen identified an unsystematic shifting between markers of ‘Islam’ – as an abstract and complex web of ideas, concepts and beliefs – and ‘Muslim’ – referring to a person or people whose lives are informed and shaped to varying degrees by those same ideas, concepts and beliefs. As he concluded, ‘an unfortunate consequence of the paper’s justified concern with Islamophobia is that it paints a picture weak on context’. — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 270 (#expands, via linked claim)

This recurring problem makes it extremely difficult to answer the question ‘what is Islamophobia?’ The intention of this book is to therefore try and seek some redress to this situation, attempting to explore and consider the necessary factors relevant to Islamophobia in the here and now at the same time as looking towards putting forward a better definition and conceptualisation of the phenomenon. In doing so, a number of key questions will need to be answered which include: does ‘Islamophobia’ exist? If it does, then what might ‘Islamophobia’ be? Are new or better terminologies required to assist the naming, defining or conceptualising of ‘Islamophobia’? And finally, if existing definitions and conceptualisations are shown to be lacking in any way and subsequently contributing to the sense of contestation that exists, how might ‘Islamophobia’ be better defined and conceptualised? — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 102 (#responds-to, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Early expert critiques demanded distinguishing Islam from Muslims in defining Islamophobia — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 270; Efforts to define Islam are what define understanding of Islamophobia — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 415; The term Islamophobia demands a better-grounded, contestable definition — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 102 (+1 more)

Related

• Early expert critiques demanded distinguishing Islam from Muslims in defining Islamophobia (similarity 0.92)
• Efforts to define Islam are what define understanding of Islamophobia (similarity 0.90)
• Islamophobia’s contestation stems from a failure to define or conceptualise it. (similarity 0.89)
• The term Islamophobia first appeared in print around 1989 to Huntington’s thesis (similarity 0.89)
• Contested definitions of Islamophobia deepen the rift over its existence (similarity 0.88)
• A valid Islamophobia concept must avoid essentialising Muslims or Islam. (similarity 0.86)
• The term Islamophobia demands a better-grounded, contestable definition (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia is an ideology sustaining negative meaning about Muslims. (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia’s definitional looseness makes it a contested and unstable concept in Europe (similarity 0.86)
• An acknowledged Muslim or Islamic element is the defining criterion of Islamophobia (similarity 0.86)
• Conceptualizing Islamophobia must separate its forms from the phenomenon itself (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia persists as a term despite definitional failure because it is now socially real (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia functions as an indiscriminate umbrella term serving varied agendas (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia entered print via distinct British and American usages in 1991 (similarity 0.85)
• Poor evidence plus subjective definitions make Islamophobia easy to dismiss (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Efforts to define Islam are what define understanding of Islamophobia #expands (0.80) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 415
• Early expert critiques demanded distinguishing Islam from Muslims in defining Islamophobia #expands (0.78) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 270
• The term Islamophobia demands a better-grounded, contestable definition #responds-to (0.75) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 102
• The term Islamophobia first appeared in print around 1989 to Huntington’s thesis #complicates (0.75) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 251