From Islamic fundamentalism to Islamophobia: Western states' use of Islam and terrorism as a tool of manipulation

Islamophobia has become a rapidly spreading phenomenon today and various studies have been conducted on this subject. In this thesis, the rise of Islamophobia as a fundamental problem in societies around the world is analyzed in terms of media and discourses. In this context, the relationship between Islamic fundamentalism and Islamophobia, how terrorism and propaganda are used as a means of manipulation by states, and the effects of this situation at the level of discourse are examined. The study seeks answers to questions such as 'Are Islam and terrorist organizations used by the West as a tool to spread Islamophobia?', 'Are terrorism and Islam deliberately manipulated through media tools?', 'What kind of perception of Islam does the use of religious references by terrorist organizations create in societies?'. The findings show that the 11 September attacks were an important turning point that changed the perception of Islam in the West and that this event led to the association of Islam with terrorism. The frequent use of terms such as 'Islamic fundamentalism' and 'jihadism' in politics and media contributes to the reinforcement of this prejudice. Terrorist organizations are perceived as an Islamophobic threat in the West, despite the fact that they stem from complex socio-political conditions, and this perception is used by politicians to legitimize domestic and foreign policies. The results obtained strongly support this claim. Consequently, concrete actions to promote peace and understanding between societies should be taken in conjunction with the proposed methods. This thesis reveals that although terrorism is a complex and multifaceted problem, the portrayals of Islam and Muslims in Western media and political discourse contribute significantly to the spread of Islamophobia.