Islamophobia and political extremism: xenophobia after September 11th in the USA

• Grant number: 18/09349-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 02, 2018
• Effective date (End): August 03, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Jefferson Rodrigues Barbosa
• Grantee: Hajar Jihad Jomaa
• Supervisor: Musa Mufady Ayoub Shteiwi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências (FFC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Marília. Marília , SP, Brazil
• Research place: University of Jordan,
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/21293-7 - Islamophobia and political extremism: xenophobia after September 11th in the USA, BP.IC

Abstract

The present project aims to analyze, through a research based on primary and secondary sources in the field of Political Theory and International Relations Theory, the contemporary multicultural society that witnesses an increase of anti-Islamic racism in the USA, also called Islamophobia. The research aims to describe this phenomenon, its characteristics and its severity among with the study of Islamic extremism and radicalization in the Middle East. In such light, it would be possible to understand the roots and drivers of extremism in the Middle East region and then link how this impacts the increase of Islamophobia in the United Stated, mainly after the attacks of the Eleven of September of 2001, in order to analyze the appropriation of this term by social and political actors in the United States. Thus, it is sought to elucidate the Islamophobic acts by means of empirical analyzes of the data provided by the US monitoring centers, CAIR and ADL. Islamophobia is considered a political and cultural phenomenon that has been increasing alarmingly in the country's internal and external policies (LOSURDO, 2010; DEMANT, 2014). The US hegemonic force around the globe has made this country one of the most powerful ideological influencers in the political, social and cultural spheres. The confusion between terrorism and Islamism underlies various discourses of hatred directed at the Muslim community in the American territory. Consequently, the American-Muslim population faces difficult challenges in the face of institutional, social and economic discrimination. These recurring attitudes evidence the limits of multiculturalism and the acceptance of the "other." Several nations nurture the idea of a monocultural state, but in reality, they have always been multicultural. Such a clash of cultures has generated tensions, conflicts and obstacles to the implementation of policies that discuss pluralism and integration. (AU)