SECULAR CAPITALISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA

Yıl 2021, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 1, 127 - 144, 15.04.2021

Hakan Samur

Öz

During the search for a new order after the Cold War, Islamophobia has been one of the concepts that the United States and West European States kept on their agenda. After the collapse of the communist experience, Muslims had the highest potential to rival Western modernization, which developed over the centuries with its secular and capitalist aspects and reached an enormous global capacity. Impeding this potential could only be possible with a comprehensive and planned project to be carried out under a concept such as Islamophobia and through portraying Islam and Muslims as negative and dangerous. In this study, we will try to explain two important reasons why Islam and Muslims have become such a potential rival for the West again. By the 1990s, becoming of a serious power of Muslims who emphasise on their Islamic identities in many countries through staying within democratic processes has been the primary of these reasons. In the same way, emerging of Islam as an alternative lifestyle for the Western individual who is overwhelmed by the problems of the secular and capitalist understandings intensified in the postmodern period.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Islamophobia, Secularism, Capitalism, Modernism, Postmodernism, Conversion to Islam

Seküler Kapitalizm ve İslamofobi

Öz

Soğuk Savaş sonrasındaki yeni düzen oluşturma arayışlarında, Birleşik Devletlerin ve Batı Avrupa devletlerinin en fazla gündemde tuttukları kavramların başında İslamofobi gelmiştir. Seküler ve kapitalist yönleriyle yüzyıllar içerisinde gelişen ve muazzam bir küresel kapasiteye ulaşan Batı modernleşmesinin önünde, komünist tecrübenin de çökmesinden sonra, rakip olabilecek en yüksek potansiyel Müslümanlarda bulunuyordu. Söz konusu potansiyelin durdurulabilmesi ise ancak İslamofobi gibi bir kavram altında yürütülecek ve İslam’ı ve Müslümanları olumsuz ve tehlikeli olarak gösterecek kapsamlı bir proje ile mümkündü. Bu çalışmada İslam’ın ve Müslümanların neden ve yeniden Batı için böylesine potansiyel bir rakip haline geldiğinin iki önemli sebebini açıklamaya çalışacağız. 1990’larla birlikte İslami kimliğine vurgu yapan Müslüman grupların demokratik süreçler içerisinde kalarak pek çok ülkede ciddi bir siyasi güç haline gelmeleri bu sebeplerin başında gelmektedir. Aynı şekilde İslam’ın, özellikle postmodern dönemde yoğunlaşan seküler ve kapitalist anlayışların doğurduğu sorunlardan bunalan Batı bireyi için alternatif bir yaşam tarzı olarak belirmeye başlaması da ikinci sebebi oluşturmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

İslamofobi, Sekülerizm, Kapitalizm, Modernizm, Postmodernizm, İslam'ı Kabul

Kaynakça

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