Islamophobia, Geopolitics and the Clash of Civilizations

Abstract

Over the last two centuries, different political actors around theworld––from the United States to China, and from Russia to Israel––haveused Islamophobia to expand or consolidate their political power. Indeed,the geopolitics of Islamophobia refers not only to its political-economicdimensions, but also to its functional use as part of various strategicimperatives and tools employed by regional and global powers to advancecolonialist objectives, empire expansion, or narrow self-interests. It istherefore of vital importance to imbue into the public mind (particularlyamong the young generations) the notion that Islamophobia is not justabout religious prejudices or social exclusion, but more importantly, is anessential feature of the global racial hierarchy that may be adapted indifferent contexts in order to assert control or achieve superior power,control, and wealth.The two contributions published in this booklet were part of thesecond Islamophobia conference organized by CIGA in 2019. Theconference explored the impact of Islamophobia on culture, society,politics, and international relations. In her paper, Anne Norton revisits theClash of Civilizations theory in the ruins of the American empire. Shetries to contextualize Islamophobia as a manifestation of the fadingAmerican empire by answering important questions in the context of itscollapse such as: What does it mean to live in the ruins of empire? Whatdo empires ruin? What ruins do empires leave behind? What survives inthe ruins of empire, and what can be made of it?Salman Sayyid discusses the Geopolitics of Islamophobia. Heargues that the geopolitics of Islamophobia is about how the world hasbeen configured into a one in which the Muslim presence is hostile to itsperpetuation and thus presents it with a real challenge.These outstanding scholars give thought provoking and piercingpresentations that would hopefully allow for more stimulating debatesand discussions by students, intellectuals, and experts about thisimportant topic.