Kafirophobia

Submitted by Dr. Donald Frommer (Australia), Jun 7, 2016 at 20:30

Dear Daniel,

I am on your mailing list and enjoy reading your articles.

However I have not read any article on the use of the term "kafirophobia". I had thought that I had invented the term but then found it on the internet. Islamophobia is a widely used term and is sometimes used to suppress justified criticism of some actions by Muslims or of doctrines promulgated by some Muslims. Many people in the West don't realise that there is a mirror image of Islamophobia among a significant proportion of Muslims, i.e. a distrust of, contempt for or hatred of non-Muslims and their ways.

You have often written about this phenomenon but without giving it a name. Just as a blanket islamophobia is unjustified so is kafirophobia. Giving it a name would remind liberal Muslims of the need to fight it and non-Muslim Westerners of the up-hill battle needed to achieve a consensus with the Muslim world.

Do you think that it is worth trying to popularise the term and if so would you use in your articles and interviews? If so maybe we will eventually get a university department dedicated to "Studies on Kafirophobia"!
I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely
Donald Frommer

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