The term phobia in Islamophobia denotes discrimination, not clinical fear.
Evidence
The original report was clear and explicit about the link to discrimination, prejudice and exclusion; and the term can be interpreted similarly to the way ‘homophobia’ is, or rather should be, understood as discrimination towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. — A. Hussain, N. Meer, Framing Muslim Integration, 94
Categorization
- DEFINE: Crucial definitional move: Islamophobia understood by analogy to homophobia as structural discrimination, not individual psychological pathology.
- XREF: Directly counters Halliday’s ‘phobia as mental illness’ critique by analogy; also relevant to the reader’s comparison of the four definitional camps. — connects to: Islamophobia is defined as anti-Muslim racism, not merely fear or dislike — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia: Still a Challenge for Us…, 48; The phobia label turns racist acts into a condition, not a fault — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 690; Islamophobia is a largely unwarranted social anxiety about Islam and Muslims (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Islamophobia is defined as anti-Muslim racism, not merely fear or dislike
#expands(0.90) — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia, 48 - Islamophobia is a largely unwarranted social anxiety about Islam and Muslims
#contradicts(0.85) - The phobia label turns racist acts into a condition, not a fault
#expands(0.82) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 690 - Islamophobia denotes fear, hatred, and hostility toward Muslims and Islam.
#contradicts(0.80) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 31