Muslim citizens and immigrants almost throughout the western world, of late, have been facing an unprecedented wave of hatred, even open hostility in some places. On both sides of the Atlantic, from Europe in the east to the United States in the west, the Muslim is a victim of what can only be described as deliberate mischief.

They call it Islamophobia. But it is actually Muslim- bashing. Muslims are being openly discriminated against and provoked by various means. During travel, at the work place or in the bazaar, they are harassed in the name of Islamophobia. Muslim passengers have been offloaded from planes and buses just because of the imagined fear of some passenger; they are bullied in the place of work merely for their style of dress or for keeping beard. Women wearing hijab or veils are most often the targets of such tormentors. Educational institutions are also not free from the menace and Muslim students face various kinds of discrimination.

Lately, Muslim places of worship have also become targets of this hatred. Even the holy Prophet, peace be upon him, and the Muslim holy book, are not spared by the hooligans. During the past two years there have been several instances when caricatures of the holy Prophet were published by some papers. Now for the past few weeks the pastor of a church in a US town has been hurling open threats of burning the holy Quran merely to offend Muslims.

What is surprising is the wide response such mad antics have been getting in the western countries. Instead of condemning such fanatics and stopping them from carrying out their mad threats, the media and human rights organizations in the west come to their defense in the name of freedom of expression and human rights. They do not seem to care in the least about the rights and feelings of the Muslims.

The latest in the series of anti-Muslim acts is the furor being raised over the establishment of a Muslim community centre and mosque in an old building two blocks away from Ground Zero in New York .Not only in the US but in many European countries too many right wing organizations have been protesting at the establishment of a mosque so close to the place where the twin towers once stood. The anti-mosque campaigners held a demonstration recently in New York in which Geert Wilders the Dutch leader who has earned notoriety for his anti-Muslim stance, was also seen. The protestors held placards and banners saying "No Mosque at Ground Zero". Other banners said," No Sharia", "No Surrender". Members of the extreme rightist English Defense League also came all the way from England to take part in the demonstration.

These rightwing nationalists and Christian fundamentalist organizations are not without powerful backers. We should not be unmindful of the behind the scene machinations of the Zionists, the Neo Cons and the Indian lobby in this Muslim-bashing.

The situation is becoming so alarming that it warrants a joint stand by the Muslim countries.

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