Private Islamophobia and Social Media
Last night, the Hill twitter account released a quote said by a Conservative pastor named EW Jackson. Apparently, Jackson had stated that “the floor of Congress is going to look like an Islamic republic”. This expresses private islamophobia, a type of islamophobia where individuals can use their agency and power to instill fear and hatred of a certain group into the minds of other Americans through the forces that make that individual powerful; it is typically used by companies and businesses, but in this instance, it is used by a pastor with a social media presence.
Ilhan Omar, a future Congresswoman from Minnesota and the first practicing Muslim ever elected to Congress (alongside Rashida Talib), noticed this comment and utilized social media to strike back, posting a retort on instagram and other social media platforms. Support was garnered from every corner of the news world, from hundreds and thousands of comments appreciating her bravery to post retorts, to journalists writing articles about the comments and about Omar’s response.
Social media is definitely a place where private Islamophobia can be seen and the fact that is so pervasive shows how big of a problem Islamophobia is in the United States. It is a good sign though that Muslim women are getting elected to Congress and fighting back against this bigotry. Hopefully more representation will lead to more inclusive policies and laws.
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