What is Islamophobia?

What is Islamophobia? Islamophobia is defined as a fear of and hostility toward Islam and Muslims. Islamophobia impact Muslims and those perceived as Muslims such as Sikhs. Orientalist stereotypes levelled against Muslims, such as Muslim men being constructed as violent and Muslim women as oppressed, fuel Islamophobia. Drawing on Iris M. Young’s (1990) framework of the Five Faces of Oppression, Islamophobia can be categorized as a form of religious oppression. In addition, Islamophobia also intersects with other systems of oppression such as sexism and racism.