discourses in the media over others, such as Islamophobia may, to some extent, provide a smoke screen to the social inequalities we face as a society today. T is is with the hope to pacify and distract us from issues such as, lack of housing, cuts to the NHS, lack of jobs, deprivation, the gap between the rich and the poor and access to resources by those that require it most. By locating the blame in Muslims, migrants, Jewish people and other minority groups our frustration and anger is redirected. I am in no way negating or justifying violent extremist ideology, or trying to fl y a fl ag for Islam. Nor is it my intention to imply that we as a society are that naïve. My intention is to highlight some of the myriad truths that play a part in constructing some of our ideas, assumptions and prejudices. Drawing upon Foucault’s ideas around institutions, power and how this is managed, as discussed in this paper, further upholds my hypotheses. I also have an awareness of the conspiracy theorist element to this and the paranoia this may evoke. However, with the clarity of systemic thinking to support me in considering the whole and the relationship between the parts in society, such as the media, politics, power, terrorism and language, this can only further promote refl ection and curiosity of one’s ideas and the impact this may have on all our relationships. Neither has it been my intent to locate


blame in the media. However, when our leader, Prime Minister Boris Johnson historically referred to Muslim women wearing the burka as resembling a bank robber and a let er box in his journalistic days leads me to wonder how this informs the structure of our society. Considering how social constructionism views the power of language for meaning-making, does this then facilitate unity or division and how does it further position Muslims in British society? A British internet-based market


research company (YouGov) conducted a survey in June 2019 to see if there was an issue of Islamophobia within the Conservative party. T ey concluded that there was a widespread anti-Muslim feeling in the party, and that those surveyed felt that “T ere should be limits placed on Muslims entering the country” (businessinsider.com). Or that the leader of the Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn


22


(also in 2019) was accused of being anti- Semitic and not addressing anti-Semitic views within his party. T e racism and xenophobia highlighted within our two main political parties further questions the fabric our society is built upon, which is claimed to be one of tolerance, diversity and acceptance. It would be remiss of me not to state the


anti-Islamophobic narratives within the media also, which actively condemn hate speech/crime. T e Hope Not Hate charity, also concluded from their research that, on the whole Western society had improved in its view toward Islam, as general race relations had improved. However, the fact remains that Islamophobia has become mainstream in our society, and the rise of prominent fi gures who hold extreme views further fuels hate for those that are most marginalised within our society, as highlighted in this article.


Conclusion It has been my intention to uphold a


pluralistic approach throughout, which aims to achieve a holistic view when thinking about the problem – which in essence is a core principle of systemic thinking. In doing so, I have at empted to unpack some of the wider contextual issues surrounding Islamophobia as a societal discourse with the hope of promoting professional self-refl exivity and curiosity to further promote best practice with the people that we work with. T erefore, it is incumbent upon us, as well as those in powerful roles and who have infl uence, to facilitate these discussions further. Additionally, my assumption is that I am preaching to the choir or to the more open and like- minded. How do we invite those who hold views that may be more linear, rigid or resistant to change or diff erence into a dialogical process with the hope of reaching a middle ground? I would suggest through the human connectedness and relational aspects of initial engagement, that is, fi nding commonalities as a bridge to build upon prior to emphasising our diff erences as a positive from the start. I would argue that diff erence is what is feared most, which can translate into hate, frustration and anger. T e discussions set out in this article


are not limited to Islamophobia, but to all societal discourses and the ideas we hold in relation to these. We must


continually question, wonder and tussle with the uncomfortable and the taboo if we are truly to be present in facilitating authentic change. As systemic theory posits, for something diff erent (from the norm) to occur, a curiosity driven approach through relational conversation has to be had which may then provide the catalyst for positive change, as it is “the diff erence that makes a diff erence” (Bateson, 1979).


References Allen, C. (2010) Fear and loathing: The political discourse in relation to Muslims and Islam in the British contemporary setting. Contemporary British Religion and Politics, 4(2), 221-236. Retrieved from: http://www.politicsandreligionjournal.com/ images/pdf_fi les/srpski/godina4_broj2/8%20chris %20allen%20vol.iv%20no.2.pdf. Bateson, G. (1979) Steps to an Ecology Of Mind. A Revolutionary Approach To Mans Understanding Of Himself. New York: Ballantine Books. Burham, J. (1986) Family Therapy: First Steps Towards a Systemic Approach. London: Tavistock Publications. Burr, V. (1995) An Introduction to Social Constructionism. London: Routledge. Carter, B. & McGoldrick, M. (1988) The Changing Family Life Cycle. A Framework For Family Therapy. 2nd edition. London: Gardner press. Dunn, K. (2001) Representations of Islam in the politics of Mosquebilli 1988 development in Sydney. Tijdschrit voor Economische en Sociale Geografi e, 92 (3). Harper, D. & Spellman, D. (2006) Social constructionist formulation. In: L. Johnstone & R. Dallos (eds.) Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Making Sense of People’s Problems. Hove: Routledge. Hedges, F. (2005) An Introduction to Systemic Therapy with Individuals. A Social Constructionist Approach. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Foucault, M. (1972) The Archaeology of Knowledge. London. Tavistock. Foucault, M. (1975) The Birth of the Clinic: An Archaeology of Medical Perception. New York: Vintage. Foucault, M. (1980) 1926-1984. Power/Knowledge. Brighton, Sussex: Harvester Press. Fourest, C. & Venner, F. (2003) ‘Islamophobie?’ ProChoix, 26-27 Autumn-Winter, Retrieved from: http://www.prochoix.org/frameset/26/ islamophobie26.html Gunther, R. & Mughan, A. (eds.) (2000) Democracy and the Media: A Comparative Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Krause, I-B. (2002) Culture and System in Family Therapy. London: Karnac. Hope Not Hate (2019) The Conservative Crisis Over Islamophobia Retrieved from https://www. hopenothate.org.uk/2019/06/21/conservative- crisis-islamophobia/ Richardson, J.E. (2007) Analysing Newspapers. An Approach From Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Palgrave. Richardson, J.E. (2009) ‘Get shot of the lot of them’: Election reporting of Muslims in British newspapers. In: Patterns of Prejudice, Vol. 43, Nos 3-4. Runnymede Trust (1997) Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All. London: The Runnymede Trust. Said, E. (1978) Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient. London, England: Routledge & Kegan Paul. van Dijk, T.A. (1998) News as Discourse. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.


Context 170, August 2020


Islamophobia – a systemic perspective: Unpacking prejudices and assumptions


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