“And believe in what I have revealed, verifying that which is with you, and be not the first to deny it, neither take a mean price in exchange for My communications; and Me, Me alone should you fear" (Qur’an 2:41).”

Although the Qur’an advises humans to fear only Allah, fear itself is actually one of the most prevalent ailments in today’s society. The European Union reports that nearly 33% of Europeans polled admitted to being fearful of foreigners (ECU). The Anxiety Network International reports that fear and anxiety disorders are the largest health problem in the world today (Richards). Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former president of the United States , said in his inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” However, in modern times fear has become the prime motivator for many people, especially Americans. Xenophobia, a specific fear directed at strangers, has, in fact, taken over the International Press without hesitation. In the West newspapers write about the violence of Muslims and in the Middle East newspapers write about the “devil that is America ”.

Xenophobia has also take over the citizens of the world. The phrase "Avenge USA - kill a Muslim now" was spray-painted on a mosque in the north of England shortly after the attacks on New York and Washington (Ford). In the European Union dissatisfaction with their life circumstances, fear of unemployment, insecurity about the future and low confidence in the way public authorities and the political establishment worked in their country were reasons cited by those who admitted the most fear of foreigners (ECU).

Amnesty International warns that governments have become xenophobic as well. They stated in a June 2002 report that, “In the name of fighting ‘international terrorism,' governments have rushed to introduce draconian new measures that threaten the human rights of their own citizens, immigrants, and refugees” (Ford).” Anthony Romero, the head of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), emphasizes that Arabs in America are being unfairly treated. He cites the methods of detainment and secrecy surrounding the arrest of over 500 Middle Eastern men since the September 11th attacks as one example (MSNBC).

Of course, governments themselves claim they are not fueling xenophobia. American political leaders have held very public meetings with members of the Muslim community and in Middle Eastern countries government leaders state to the West is that they do not hate Westerners. However, many experts argue that governments around the globe are the very source of xenophobia through recently strengthened immigration laws and their influence on the news media that guides the lives of the people who watch it daily.

One example is in Spain, where pressure on Muslims has become heavy. “Police intervention has grown,” says Yacine Bouzid, a Moroccan who has lived in Madrid for five years. "The police walk into our restaurants and ask for immigration papers, and when you don't have them, they throw you in jail," he says. "It has always happened, now it happens more” (Ford). In Britain , the government has also clamped down on immigration by announcing last week new measures to clamp down on illegal immigrants. Tauhid Pasha, head of legal policy for the independent Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, says that this move will likely curb asylum seekers' chances of finding a haven (Ford). The issues of immigration and terrorism are also grouped together in Australia , where the government has passed legislation that prevents appeals by people who are refused refugee status. Even in Germany , where just last year there was a move to encourage much needed immigrant skills, there has been a clamp down on the flow of much needed immigration (Ford).

Many experts suggest that governments around the world are cultivating this xenophobia to fuel their own political and expansionist motives. Studies show that in anxiety disorders, including xenophobia, that the governing environment of a person is a strong influence on the development of social anxiety. Psychologists observe that people with anxiety may acquire their fear from observing the behavior and consequences of others in person or on television through a process called observational learning or social modeling (freedomfromfear.com).

Scholars confirm the fact that fear can be a very powerful political tool. According to The American Political Science Review, Montesquieu, ideological co-founder of the American Constitution along with John Locke, argues that fear threatens a loss of self. He states that, “Disconnected from the exercise of reason, fear is an emotion that is supposed to prevent the individual from acting with any kind of moral or rational agency. Fear is also premised on the liquidation of civil society; intermediate institutions and plural social structures are destroyed so that despots can act with unmitigated power and violence” (Robin).

Political science scholars observe that fearful men and women seem unable to conceive any particular goals or goods beyond mere survival and become unable to reason about means and ends. They state that, “Fear becomes an experience unto itself, a wholly primitive passion that can be reduced to the apprehension of raw, unmediated, physical danger” (Robin).

Virginia Ramage Smith, CEO of The Best is Yet reflects their sentiments when she says, “Listening to the news these days is like reading the Tim LeHaye books concerning Armageddon. Too much of that can be traumatizing. After reading one of the series, I decided they were not good for my health. I feel the same now about the doom and gloom that flow constantly from radio and television, to say nothing of the newspapers and tabloids” (Smith).

She recounts her experiences going to college under the fear of Russian invasion and remembers how her professor spent more time talking about bomb shelters than the class topic. She subsequently learned from years of experience that, “To listen hour after hour to repeats of the same information affords me nothing beyond reinforcing my feelings of impotence and frustration. Nothing I can do that will change things immediately. I can control only my attitude and my activities” (Smith).

Frank Hebert, who wrote the science fiction novel Dune, under the influence of Islam, also addresses fear in his novel as a prime prevention of fairness in society. In his novel, Paul states, "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

The influence of fear on humanity can be easily observed beyond the realm of xenophobia as well. In a famous case in McMinnville , Tennessee , fear actually spread disease around a school (Bowers). When a teacher reported smelling gas and developed headaches and nausea Illness spread rapidly through an area high school on Nov. 12, 1998 . By the end of ten days 141 students and teachers had been admitted to the hospital and examined. However, The New England Journal of Medicine reports that nothing was ever found. Instead, the McMinnville outbreak stemmed from anxiety and fear about possible poison exposure, contended epidemiologist Timothy F. Jones of the Tennessee Department of Health in Nashville and his colleagues. These feelings and related physical symptoms spread like a contagion in a closely congregated group, they say (Bowers). Comparable outbreaks of "mass psychogenesis illness" have been noted for centuries and probably occur more commonly than assumed by many researchers, Jones' team asserts. Physicians often shy away from this diagnosis for fear of causing shame and anger in those affected, the investigators add.

In the same way waves of xenophobia could spread across regions if people do not become aware of the signs and dangers of this disease.

“Yes! whoever submits himself entirely to Allah and he is the doer of good [to others] he has his reward from his Lord, and there is no fear for him nor shall he grieve (Qur’an 2:112).”

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." – Ambrose Redmoon.

For Hope:

Read the following list of “Alternatives to War and Fear.” Compiled by a respected International publication:

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0140/neumann.php

• Herbert, Frank. “Litany Against Fear.” Dune. 1965.

• Ford, Peter. “Xenophobia Follows US Terror.” Christian Science Monitor. October 11, 2001 .

• ECU. “Xenophobia and Racism.” The European Commission. 2002.

• Robin, Corey. “Montesquieu and the Politics of Fear.“ American Political Science Review. June 2000.

• MSNBC. “Jailed Without a Cause.” Newsweek Web Exclusive. Jan. 18, 2002 .

• Richards, Thomas, PhD, Psychologist. “The Anxiety Network International.” The Anxiety Network. 2002.

• Mujica, Hugo. “Xenophobia.” IVM.org. 2002.

• Smith, Virginia Ramage. “Feeding Fear Itself.” The Best is Yet Organization. June 25, 2002 .

• FFF. “Freedom from Fear.” Freedom From Fear Organization. 2002.

• Bower, B. “Xenophobia across the Globe.” Science News. Jan 15, 2000 .    

The Sea Set on Fire Genetically Engineered Cassava: A New Salvation for Africa? Modern Health Care Acknowledges the Principles of the Past Journal of an Herbalist: The Ethics of Healing The Deadly Arsenal of the Rogue State The Scientific Collapse of Materialism Smallpox Vaccine: A New Kind of Terrorism? The Battle of the Corn Health & Science Archive Search Articles