Islamophobia And Terrorism; The Christchurch Mass Shooting Case

Abstract

This paper is a study case research which influenced by two theories: Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the Great Replacement Theory. These theories expected to present the connection between Islamophobia and terrorism corresponding with the case of massacre in the two mosques of Christchurch, New Zealand. Rather than a holistic view of Islam as a religion of peace, it is generally believed to be fundamentalist, oppressive, and sectarian religion, therefore a danger to humankind. The assumptions that Islam cannot coexist and incompatible with other races and religions, especially those in the west, have resulted in hostile, discriminatory, violent acts thus created the legitimization of violence acts against Muslims, especially for Muslim migrants. The concept of Islam versus west, which stems from Samuel Huntington's book The Clash of Civilizations, a theory that believes the fundamental source of conflict nowadays is cultural, rather than ideological still prevalent belief. Huntington's view was influenced by the orientalist intellectual like Prof. Dr. Bernard Lewis, who since 1964 has been hinting regarding the revival of Islam in his attempting to determine who will be the West's "new enemy" after the Cold War. This seems to be in agreement with the remarks of Senator Fraser Anning, who further commented that the attack may have been caused by government programs that enabled Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand. Therefore, Muslims may have been both victims and perpetrators of alike attack. In the wake of this incident, there is an opportunity to initiate international dialogue to devise strategies on tackling Islamophobia, not only for New Zealand but for the rest of the world as well. By providing balanced information, one can overcome negative attitudes toward Islam because Muslims have been terrorized by terrorists, yet Islam does not endorse terrorism, radicalism, or militancy. After discussing the theoretical aspects of Islamophobia and Terrorism, this research proceeds to a series of in-depth interviews with New Zealand Muslims. This empirical findings and analyses focus on their experience of the case to the interaction and integration efforts, and strategies for combating misconception about Islam in multicultural societies.