The impact of Muslim religious identity to Islamophobia

Islamophobia, which expresses an unwarranted fear of Islam and Muslims and expresses all kinds of othering attitudes and behaviors, is a phenomenon that is on the rise today. Islamophobia can be said to be an attempt by the West to determine its own identity by producing another. Because identity is built on one another. After the fall of communism, the West needed another to build its identity and chosen Islam as its new enemy. Afterward, the West has developed its rhetoric on Islam and Muslims. There is no single cause of Islamophobia. There is also an aspect that looks at Muslims, as well as reasons that originate from Westerners. In this research, literature review technique was used and the effect of Muslim religious identity, a component of collective identity, on Islamophobia was discussed. In other words, today's Muslim religious identity is a step forward in the existence and continuation of Islamophobia. Although Islamophobia is based on Western civilization's view of Islam as a danger and prejudice nurture, today's Muslims are not out of the adventure of the formation and development of Islamophobia. Today's Muslims incite the negative thoughts of the West and confirm them in a way, as they put a religious cover on some of their actions. In this research, how Muslims acquire and live their religious identities through the ideal Muslim identity was analyzed. Key Words: Identity, Social identity, Muslim identity, Islamophobia, Fundamentalism, Psychology of religion