Terminology and Exclusion: Muslims, Racism, and Concepts

The language used to describe racism against Muslims is a hot topic, but these discussions often don’t include the perspectives and experiences of Muslims themselves. This study looks at how Muslim organizations in Sweden use language, based on responses from 39 Muslim organizations. The organizations, including mosques and associations, were asked what terms they use to describe racism directed at Muslims. The survey is supplemented by digital searches on Swedish and English websites and a review of published academic studies. The results show that the concept of Islamophobia dominates strongly in the empirical material and that other concepts occur to a very limited extent. The article argues for the importance of integrating the perspectives of Muslim actors in work against Islamophobia, especially when it comes to understanding the significance of concept choice for anti-racist work and political strategies.