Abstract

This paper critically examines the ideological and conceptual roots and current state of being of Islamophobia in the United States and other Western nations. Drawing upon the relevant literature, the paper interrogates and deconstructs the neo-Orientalist Islamophobic narratives and discourses developed and promoted by Bernard Lewis and Samuel P. Huntington. In this regard, we critically analyze acclaimed studies and books penned by Lewis and Huntington to identify and uncover the intellectual and theoretical underpinnings of neo-Orientalism and Islamophobia in their discourses. We also look into how neo-Orientalist Islamophobic narratives and perspectives facilitated by Lewis and Huntington impacted the foreign policy of the United States under George W. Bush administration and on Islamophobic trends in American society. We specifically focus on Lewis and Huntington because the current Islamophobia in the US and other Western nations mostly draws on their narratives and views. The results of our study demonstrate that Lewis and Huntington greatly contributed to neo-Orientalist Islamophobia in the West, steering the US and other Western nations into a perpetual war against Muslims and other people of color. We also observe that Islamophobic trends go beyond the West, manifesting itself in other countries, including in Kazakhstan. In this regard, we conclude that the so-called Western liberal democracies cannot be considered role models and emulated by other non-Western nations due to their religious intolerance, xenophobia, racism, hatred and hostility towards Islam, Muslims and other non-white people.

Keywords: Islamophobia, neo-Orientalism, Islam, Muslims, Lewis, Huntington, USA, West