“23 Questions and Answers on the Myth of Islamophobia”

By Dr Ko Ko Gyi @ Abdul Rahman Zafrudin

Per kind favour of help by Artificial Intelligence searches.

A New Islamic Educational Series Inspired by Saya Gyi U Nu of Bodawpaya’s Era

In recent months, a respected journalist friend asked me to assist him in writing a book on Islamophobia and the unfair “terrorist” label placed on Muslims worldwide. He presented 23 probing questions, each demanding careful, factual and honest answers.

As I began drafting my responses, I felt that these discussions should not remain private—they must reach the wider public, especially at a time when the world is awash with racism, religious hatred, misinformation, and political manipulation.

This is why I have decided to publish a serial essay titled:

“23 Questions and Answers on the Myth of Islamophobia”

Although the title is unusual, the tradition behind it is not. It follows the path of classical Myanmar Muslim scholarship, especially the work of Saya Gyi U Nu, a leading Burmese Muslim writer during the reign of King Bodawpaya, by the request of His Majesty Bodawpaya himself, who was the schoolmate at the Royal Monastry. They studied together: Burmese, Pali and poetry etc together since young.

ဘိုးတော်မင်းတရား လက်ထက် ရမ္မာဝတီ မြို့ဝန် စာဆိုတော် ဆရာကြီး ဦးနု – News @ M-Media

Sayagyi U Nu gifted future generations several timeless Islamic classics:

Islamic Book in Eleven Chapters
Islamic Book in Three Chapters
Saerajay Sharaei in 35 Chapters (“The Thirty-Five Chapters Book”)
Seven-Paragraph Poems on Disciplinary Teachings

He wrote these not for fame, but out of moral duty in a time of fear, suspicion and political pressure. His courage to educate peacefully is exactly what our world needs today.

A World Drowning in Fear, Divisions and Manufactured Hatreds

The sad reality is unmistakable:
Racism, right-wing extremism, and religious hatred exist everywhere—in the US, EU, India, ASEAN countries, Israel, and even within Muslim societies themselves.

Politicians and religious elites frequently weaponize faith, ethnicity, and fear to secure power. Yet, all religions teach compassion, justice, loving-kindness and humanity.

As former UN High Commissioner Mary Robinson wisely warned:

“Today’s human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow’s conflicts.”

Discrimination is a double-edged sword.
If we mistreat someone because they are “foreign,” then we too will be foreign to others, and they could justify mistreating us in the same way.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi once pointed out an uncomfortable truth:

“There are people who think that it is right to do anything in the name of their religion, their race, their family, or any organization to which they may belong.”

This is precisely the mentality that fuels Islamophobia and all forms of hatred.

Human Rights, Equality and the Foundations of Peace

The UN Charter clearly sets the moral compass:

The purposes of the United Nations include promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

Similarly, the Human Rights Committee’s emblem—
“Equality, Justice, Dignity”—
reminds us that these principles are universal, not selective.

Yet across decades and continents, millions have suffered discrimination based on:

race
skin color
religion
language
gender
nationality
ethnic origin
even appearance and accents

All forms of intolerance inflict real human suffering.

Racial discrimination: judging groups instead of individuals
Xenophobia: fear of the foreign or unfamiliar
Religious intolerance: denying respect for others’ beliefs

In many deeply religious, authoritarian, or less developed societies, sexism and racism are not even seen as wrong. Some believe they have the right to divide, exclude, and dominate others simply because they are “different.”

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reminded humanity:

“There is no country in the world exempt of discrimination… Racism can, will, and must be defeated.”

He added that ignorance and prejudice are the tools of propaganda, and only knowledge, tolerance and generosity can overcome them.

Why This 23-Part Series Matters

There is only one sustainable way to heal divisions between peoples of different faiths, cultures and histories:

Through peaceful dialogue, mutual respect, and honest education.

Islamophobia thrives because many people know little or nothing about Islam except what they see in sensational news headlines. Likewise, Muslims sometimes misunderstand other faiths or cultures.

This series—“23 Questions and Answers on the Myth of Islamophobia”—is my small contribution toward breaking these chains of fear, suspicion and prejudice.

If Saya Gyi U Nu could write Islamic classics during the turbulent era of Bodawpaya,
we too must speak clearly and calmly today.
Silence allows hatred to grow.
Education weakens it.

Kindly read the followup series listed here:

1/ Q/A No. 1. Before Islamization, what were the civilization and cultures of the Arabs?

2/ Q/A No. 2. How did Prophet started and spread Islam?

3/ Q/A No. 3. Had spread of Islam based on FORCED CONVERSIONS under sword?

4/ Q/A No. 4. What are the Islam’s views on non-Muslims or non-believers?

5/ Q/A No. 5. Why did Islam prohibit the praying to Idolatry or images?

6/ Q/A No.6. How did Islam regard on or protect non-Muslim places of worship?

7/ Q/A No. 7. Does Islam practice racial discrimination?

8/ Q/A No. 8. What did Islam taught Muslims how to treat the poor or lower standard persons?

9/ Q/A No. 9. Why did numerous countries think that Muslims are TERRORISTS?

10/ Q/A No. 10. Why there are a lot of Islamophobia around the world?

11/ Q/A No. 11. Are Muslims terrorists or all the terrorists are being Muslims?