Islamophobia has become embedded in the modern lexicon, particularly since the beginning of this century. The 9/11 atrocities in the USA brought the question of terrorists promoting an anti-West agenda firmly to the forefront like no other act of terrorism up until that point, prompting the so-called 'War on Terror' that has engulfed Afghanistan, and then, indirectly, Iraq, Libya and more recently, Syria. Unfortunately there is a common denominator among the nihilist murderers who do what they do in the name of some fantastical notion of a just cause. Their murderous activities are framed in the context of a 'holy war' or 'jihad'.

Because of this, ignorant minds are all too quick to conflate the tiny number of activists describing themselves as islamist militants as somehow representative of Islam. This is evidenced in the reaction to the appalling massacre that took place at the Manchester Arena, when a bomber allegedly detonated a suicide bomb in the foyer of the concert hall, killing 22 people and injuring many more.

Amidst the widespread revulsion following this utterly senseless crime - a cowardly mass murder and certainly nothing deserving the term 'political' - ordinary Mancunians of all faiths opened their doors to strangers when public transport was curtailed. The other effect of the carnage was to bring Islamophobes out in their droves, on social media, or to graffiti mosques or smash the windows of Muslim-owned businesses.

Like the anti-semitism that drove mid-20th century fascism, ultimately leading to the Holocaust, Islamophobia is worrying because it has the potential to be so corrosive and divisive. Western society is becoming increasingly segregated into liberalism and rightwing populism. Rightwingers blame jihadi crimes on the way western societies have become multicultural, while liberals regard scapegoating an entire swathe of the population after the actions of a few lunatics as something that will only alienate Muslims further and play into the hands of those seeking to radicalize youth.

Let’s first of all define the Islamophobia , it is actually an exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life. Islamophobia existed in premise before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but it increased in frequency and notoriety during the past decade. The Runnymede Trust in the U.K., for example, identified eight components of Islamophobia in a 1997 report, and then produced a follow-up report in 2004 after 9/11 and the initial years of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The second report found the aftermath of the terrorist attacks had made life more difficult for British Muslims. Most people think that the cause of Islamophobia in the West is terrorism carried out by Muslims. I thought this as well, until I looked at the evidence. I found that anti-Muslim sentiment actually went down in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, and did not change after the Boston bombing, or even after San Bernardino or Orlando. Instead, Islamophobia spiked in the run up to the Iraq war and during the 2008 and 2012 election season, especially among Republicans.

Islamophobia has also entered into politics throughout the West, not just in the form of Donald Trump's popular 'Muslim ban'. Anti 'extremist Islam' parties have sprung up all over Europe, including the English defence League in the UK, Alternativ fur Deutschland in Germany and Party for Freedom in the Netherlands. The Hungarian president has also been quoted as saying 'not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims' partly as a reason to exclude migrants.
Many of the supporters of such parties have migrated from other parties on the hard right and carry traditional racist ideologies with them. In many ways Islamophobia resembles traditional racism, even if it is (theoretically) based on religin rather than ethnicity. The supporters of such parties are generally opposed to mass immigration in general which would suggest a very traditional fear of the outsiders or 'others' which fuelled the equally politically popular anti-semitism of the early 20th century.

Islamophobia according to the dictionary is dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Moslems, especially as a political force. Islamophobia is when Moslems are the victims of attacks just because of their religion. Before 9/11, Islam is just another minor religion in the Western societies. But after the attack of the WTC towers and US invasion to Iraq, people starts to have prejudices about it and some Moslems in the Westers became the victims of these. Moslems are seen as extrimists and practices jihad (the act of combatting enemy) everyday. When in reality, the main jihad in a Moslem is fightiing the enemy within ourselves. Islam itself is a religion of peace and love. The effect of this phobia includes attacks on Moslems and mosques in Western communities, the prohibition of using headscarves in schools and offices, the complication of people with certain names and religion to enter a Western country, and the refusal of some Western countries to accept Islam migrants. But there is a benefit is this phobia, there are more people learning about Islam and even converted to Islam when they find out the beauty of it. Many people think Islamophobia is created when a person doesn't properly understand what Moslems do or believe, and that the best way to combat it is to have a better understanding of Moslems and Islam.

Islamophobia is irrational fear of, aversion to or discrimination against Islam or people who practice Islam (Merriam-Webster).

Dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims especially as a political form. (Oxforddictionaries).

Effects on the Western society: out of this fear a lots of prejudices arouses in people when dealing with Islam or Muslims. People tend to generalize things: if there are many Islamic terrorists, then all Muslims are bad not knowing that Islam is religion of peace and love, like any other. Consequences are social isolation of Muslims, reduction of its civil rights, the social stigma of unwanted people, discrimination against Muslim individuals and communities. It can bring political radicalization of countries where the Muslim minority is large. Refusing to accept Muslim migrants into county is also effect of Islamophobia.

Muslims are often depicted in TV movies and series as terrorists which helps in spreading fear and prejudices. That stigma forces Muslims to deal with questions like does your husband beat you, or are you a terrorist and to justify themselves to complete strangers.