The Islamophilia Problem

A phobia is an irrational and persistent fear or aversion to something. It refers to an intense and persistent fear disproportionate to the real danger posed by the activity, idea, object, or situation.

A philia, in the psychiatric sense, is an irrational and persistent attraction or desire toward something. It refers to an intense and enduring fascination disproportionate to the appropriateness or safety of the activity, idea, object, or situation.

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“A muslim, a young person, a progressive, a democratic socialist. There are so many different communities that are looking to you.” pic.twitter.com/4Q4aOAnk8M

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 28, 2025

Suppose one can suffer from Islamophobia, an irrational and persistent fear or aversion to Islam. In that case, one can suffer from Islamophilia—an intense and enduring obsession with a dangerous and inappropriate belief system.

While what is defined as Islamophobia may not be a phobia, since Islam is harmful to others (especially children, homosexuals, and women), as well as inappropriate to a free and open society, and therefore one is rational to fear and loathe it. However, Islamophilia is a pathology for precisely the same reason: it constitutes an irrational and pathological adoration of an ideology that is dangerous and inappropriate.

Islamophiles tell you that the word “Islam” means “peace.” In Arabic, الإسلام literally means “submission” or “surrender,” specifically submission and surrender to the will of Allah. You have to be crazy to want to live in that world.

You can apply the same reasoning to such notions of transphobia or fasciophobia. Such constructions are designed to normalize dangerous ideas by smearing their critics with a false accusation of irrationality and pathology. They are making rational fear and loathing appear as bigotry.

The real problem is Islamophilia. The Islamophile desires to live in a totalitarian society run by Muslim clerics.

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I had to carefully prompt ChatGPT to generate the cover image for this essay. I copied a paragraph from a website promoting Islamization. ChatGPT was more than happy to create an image based on the new prompt. ChatGPT will tell you that it is not ideological or political. It is profoundly ideological and political.