The Rushdie-Hirsi Ali manifesto rejects Islamophobia as a confound of criticism and stigmatization

Evidence

A notable instance of this criticism is found in a manifesto issued by twelve authors, among them Salman Rushdie and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, written in response to the violence sparked by the publication of controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark and across Europe in 2005 and 2006. Titled “Together Facing the New Totalitarianism,” the manifesto denies the existence of Islamophobia: … We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of “Islamophobia,” a wretched concept that confuses criticism of Islam as a religion and stigmatisation of those who believe in it. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 73

Categorization

• DEFINE: The manifesto defines Islamophobia in the negative: a concept accused of conflating legitimate religious criticism with stigmatization of believers.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s orientation goal: the boundary between criticizing a religion and stigmatizing its adherents is the crux of the definitional debate. — connects to: The Rushdie Affair was the first major Muslim-non-Muslim conflict in Europe — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 343; Rushdie argues the Islamophobia concept protects the intolerant and punishes critics — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 361; Critics reject the term Islamophobia as misnomer or speech-chilling — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 47 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Fighting Islamophobia need not stifle legitimate criticism of Muslims #corroborates (0.75) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 696
• Liberal Islamophobia rejects Islam-bashing while enacting policies that target Muslims #expands (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 583