Does Islamophobia exist?

There is a lot of chatter amongst the political class as to what is the best definition of ‘Islamophobia”. The Labour Party spells it out as follows;

The policy lists prohibited actions, including inciting hatred, perpetuating stereotypes (e.g., linking Muslims to terrorism), using slurs, or denying Muslims’ societal contributions. Discussions on Islam must remain respectful, safeguarding secular critiques of religious symbol

I approach this from the more simple perspective - does Islamophobia even exist?

I am torn between two viewpoints.

The first is that expressed by Andrew Cummins and often misattributed to Christopher Hitchens, is that Islamophobia is “a word created by fascists, and used by cowards, to manipulate morons.” I think there is much mileage in this perspective, which denies that there is such a thing as Islamophobia in the first place! It suggest that it is a made up fiction used to close down debate on Islam. But why should Islam be afforded such an exalted position in a Christian country?

The other perspective is that any phobia is defined as an “irrational fear” Given the many dreadful acts of Jihad terrorism carried out by Islamists in just about every western nation in recent decades, surely it is only rational to be Islamophobic?

No one is saying we should not be kind and respectful towards individual muslims but why should their ideology be immune from criticism? If we don’t like barbaric practises like Halal slaughter we must be able to say this without fear of censure. If we find first cousin marriages revolting, if we find female genital mutilation repulsive - then say it.

I worry that by legislating “Islamophobia” laws this will simply be used by Islamists to further advance their takeover of our modern pluralist democracies. It may pander to Labour’s Muslim voting base in the short terms but the consequences will be much more enduring and none of them will be good.