The Rise of Islamophobia and Religious Intolerance: A Menace to Pluralism and Global Peace

Abstract

The rise of Islamophobia, religious intolerance, and racism has been a major threat to global peace and plurality. The study aims to analyse the Islamophobia literature that misinterprets religious teachings and fuels hatred and violence towards Muslim communities around the world. This is an alarming trend that must be addressed to build a more peaceful and tolerant society as the consequences of Islamophobia are damaging to global peace. Islamophobia indicates that religious intolerance is increasingly accompanied by hatred, fear, and antagonism around the globe. This essay examines the trends, underlying reasons for, and consequences of religious intolerance and Islamophobia on global harmony and peaceful coexistence. Religious intolerance permeates physical and verbal assaults forging discrimination and marginalization of Muslim communities and leading to the erosion of civil liberties as well as the rise of xenophobia and social disintegration. It fuels prejudice, animosity and terrorism against Muslims, and fosters an upsurge in human rights violations, civil liberties, political turmoil and global unrest. The study presents workable measures to slow the spread of religious intolerance and Islamophobia.