Some of the reservations about the term Islamophobia are rooted in the belief that the word incorrectly suggests that the object of fear is Islam as a religion. The most prominent representative of this view is Fred Halliday. Halliday’s words have been cited so frequently that they are worth reprinting here: “‘Islam’ as a religion was the enemy in the past: in the crusades or the reconquista. It is not the enemy now: Islam is not threatening to win large segments of western European society to its faith, as Communism did, nor is the polemic, in press, media or political statement, against the Islamic faith. . . . The attack now is against not Islam as a faith but Muslims as a people.” Halliday suggests that a more accurate term to reflect the focus on the people rather than the religion is “anti-Muslimism.”

DEFINE: Introduces the term 'anti-Muslimism' as a proposed alternative to 'Islamophobia,' distinguishing between targeting a faith versus targeting a people.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 87