Abstract
Malaysia is often regarded as a multi-ethnic nation that inherited a few ethnic groups who were taken as homogeneous unions. Still, the rise of Islamophobia in Western countries has increased the same sentiment among Malaysian non-Muslim Indians, with the HIND RAF protest in 2007 demonstrating their deep concern for religious freedom. This study aims to understand the formation of Islamophobia among Malaysian non-Muslim Indians and their perceptions of Islam. This study employed the focus group method to collect data, thematic analysis to analyze data and purposive sampling to recruit 16 non-Muslim Indian undergraduate students. Intergroup contact theory was used as a framework to understand the mechanism for the formation of Islamophobia. Results showed that although participants from public universities have more contact with Muslim classmates than those from private universities, their knowledge and perception of Islam, as well as the levels of their Islamophobia are quite the same. The results suggest that it is important not only to increase contact between Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia but also to increase knowledge of each other’s cultures and religions, because increasing contact without knowledge will only further strengthen the existing prejudice. Through increasing contact and knowledge of both Muslims and non-Muslims, it is believed that the Islamophobia among non-Muslims would be reduced, thus increasing harmony among different ethnic groups.
Bahasa Abstract
Malaysia sering dianggap sebagai negara multi-etnik yang mewarisi beberapa kelompok etnik yang dianggap sebagai kesatuan homogen. Namun, isu kebangkitan Islamofobia di negara Barat telah meningkatkan Islamofobia di kalangan masyarakat India non-Muslim di Malaysia. Protes HINDRAF pada tahun 2007 menunjukkan keprihatinan mendalam mereka terhadap kebebasan beragama. Studi ini bertujuan untuk memahami pembentukan Islamofobia di kalangan orang India non-Muslim Malaysia dan persepsi mereka terhadap Islam. Studi menggunakan metode kelompok fokus untuk mengumpul data, analisis tematik digunakan untuk menganalisis data, dan sebanyak 16 mahasiswa sarjana India non-Muslim dikumpulkan menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Teori kontak antara-kelompok digunakan sebagai kerangka untuk memahami mekanisme pembentukan Islamofobia. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa meskipun partisipan dari universitas awam lebih banyak melakukan kontak dengan teman sekelas yang Muslim daripada universitas swasta, pengetahuan dan persepsi mereka tentang Islam, serta tingkat Islamofobia mereka cukup sama. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penting tidak hanya meningkatkan kontak antara Muslim dan non-Muslim di Malaysia tetapi juga penting untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan tentang budaya dan agama masing-masing, karena peningkatan kontak tanpa pengetahuan hanya akan semakin memperkuat prasangka yang ada. Melalui peningkatan kontak dan pengetahuan baik pada Muslim dan non-Muslim, diyakini bahwa Islamofobia pada kalangan non-Muslim akan berkurang, sehingga meningkatkan kerukunan antara kelompok-kelompok etnik yang berbeda.
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Recommended Citation
Siah, P., Low, S., Mohd Anis, N., Tan, S., Tan, T., & Nainee, S. (2022). Islamophobia Among Malaysian non-Muslim Indian Undergraduate Students: A Focus group Study. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 26(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.7454/hubs.asia.3171121