Historical aspects of Islamophobia

Islamophobia, which is an important determinant in the relations between Islam and the West, is a social problem that is tried to be compressed into its theological dimensions with static and irrational discourses about Islam. Evaluating Islamophobia from the point of view of theological conflicts independent of socio-political factors hinders understanding of Islamophobia in all its dimensions. Islamophobia is a historical phenomenon as it is a reductionist and simplistic theological interpretation of Islam. In these respects, examining the socio-political origin of Islamophobia blended with theology will provide an important perspective in understanding Islamophobia. In this study, in which the socio-political origins of Islamophobia are examined with an understanding and explaining approaches, the historical sociological context of the periods that constitute the breaking and turning stages of Islamophobia is analyzed with the documentation method in the focus of socio-political factors that develop Islamophobia. The key concepts obtained from the related period analyzes are discussed with the method of comparison and induction. The corresponding contexts of these concepts in the socio-political roots of Islamophobia are discussed in the context of sociological theories. It was concluded that Islamophobia is the theological visibility of socio-political struggles in Islam and Western relations. It has been determined that the conflicts in power relations are largely determinant in these socio-political struggles, and that the governments use art, media and science functionally to create the Islamophobic public opinion in the context of identity politics. With these aspects, the originality of the research; It can be said that dealing with Islamophobia together with its entire historical development process, discussing the theological/socio-political integrity in the company of sociological theories, and trying to introduce a new definition.