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There are more calls in the UK from the MCB (muslim council of Britain) to investigate the Conservative party for so called "Islamophobia". This comes on the back of recent investigations for "anti semitism" in the Labour party.
Racism and the hatred of minorities surely do exist in modern Britain as it does in the rest of the world and this obviously will encompass political parties too, as they are representations of the societies we live in.

Secular Democracy

Most, if not all, European democracies are secular. This means there is a separation between religious organisations and the workings of state. Religions are allowed to practice their faith freely but they are nor allowed to campaign for political office using their religion as a springboard. This safeguards, or should, the state from being controlled by one particular religion and the subjugation of others.

Phobias

Phobia is defined by wikipedia as:

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. The phobia typically results in a rapid onset of fear and is present for more than six months. The affected person will go to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed.

I'm not sure that the word"Islamophobia" is in fact the correct word to be used in relation to the phenomena of people being afraid of the increasing dominance of religious groups and their calls for what could be considered de facto "Blasphemy laws".
Is the fear really irrational?

Islamic Militant Groups

In recent times I'm sure everyone is aware of the increasing activity of Islamic militant groups. I know that they are not representative of the whole of Islam but they do follow the same theology from the same book.
In the last 10 years there have been many attacks across Europe aimed at journalists, politicians and others who critisize Islam. I'm sure everyone remembers the horrific attacks on the journalists of charlie hebdo. The cartoonists of the magazine of the same name had depicted muhammad in cartoons. Islam regards this as blasphemy and the cartoonists were sentenced to death by fatwa's from mosques in the middle east and radical mosques in Europe, including the UK. The Charlie hebdo attacks are the most publicised but there have been many attacks of this nature, on politicians and journalists and any other body or person who has deemed to have committed blasphemy against Islam.
There have been many surveys since those attacks that show that a majority of muslims have some sympathy with the idea's of the attackers, if not their methods!
Is the word "Islamophobia" just another plank in a process of trying to bring about "de facto" blasphemy laws to secular nations?

Can it really Be called a Phobia?

Can it really be justified, calling a concern about the retention of our liberal, secular society a phobia?
We have fought for hundreds of years to remove religious organisations from undue influence in our democracies? Fearing the return of democracy from the pulpit is surely a healthy worry?

Blasphemy

I fear that our liberal values are now being used by religious groups to subvert our democracies. Any laws on anti semitism and iIslamophobia are just de facto blasphemy laws aimed at stopping any criticism of those religious groups and their activities.
Journalists are now in fear whenever they think of disseminating a story about certain religious groups. Not just the fear of death but the fear of censure. A democracy isn't truly free unless it has a free press and citizens able to talk freely, without fear about any subject that is of concern to them.
Allowing any group, to in effect silence legitimate concern about their activities and prevent criticism of them is a very dangerous path to follow.
I think what applies to one group should apply to another. All my life i have laughed at comedy that is aimed at christian religions, the life of Brian and Monty python and the holy grail come to mind. Yet there has never been any serious attempt to stop these comedies that I'm aware of. Are they christianphobic?. Of course they aren't.

Criticism is healthy

It is surely only natural to question groups who have some values that seem contrary to those of the population as a whole. I'm sure people will be aware that some religious groups aren't as progressive as others in their regard of other minorities and things like women's rights.
The Christian church has been challenged for some time now on it's views towards the issues mentioned above. Although it has found this difficult, it has accepted that society has moved forward and has not sought out laws or special status to stop enquiry and criticism of it's values and actions.

Vigilance

Secular nations must remain vigilant to any erosion of their values and status. While religious freedom must be observed a balance must be struck. I fear that these claims of "Phobia's" are just a smokescreen behind which to hide religious intolerance.
It's not irrational to worry about a return to religious intolerance and it should never be a crime. Nor should anyone be censured for speaking the truth, even if that truth is critical of religion.
It took a log time and millions have died in the struggle to be free of religious dogma. Some religious groups have elements that believe their should be no separation between religion and state. These are dangerous to our liberal, secular democracies. Saudi Arabia comes to mind and sharia.

Protections

The freedom to practice ones religion however one wishes should be upheld. But should it be upheld at any cost? Even when that freedom infringes on others rights to live in a secular society, free from religious intolerance?
The modern world is becoming smaller. We all need to respect each other and be more tolerant. But that's a "two way street". I feel it's the religious who need to learn to live with others. We have challenged our own traditional religions on all manner of issues and religion has had to bend to accommodate the wishes of society, not the other way around.
Are we now to reverse that progress and allow some religions to dictate whether we criticise them or not?
This worry is valid and definitely not a phobia.

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