Existence of Islamophobia Denied; Muslims Object

August 21, 2001

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On August 21, 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "a prominent national Islamic advocacy group today called on Jewish groups to repudiate materials distributed at a Washington, D.C., news conference by B'nai B'rith International that claimed Islamophobia, the irrational hatred of Muslims and Islam, is an 'invention' that can never exist. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today's incident is but one of many attempts by pro-Israel extremists to vilify and demonize Muslims." The position paper said that "the intent, in equating antisemitism with 'Islamophobia' and 'anti-Arabism,' therefore, is to strip the Jewish people of this moral capital and to negate the value and validity of antisemitism in Jewish advocacy."