New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims

by Khaled A. Beydoun, Kimberlé Crenshaw (Contributor)

The first book to examine global Islamophobia from a legal and ground-up perspective, from renowned public intellectual Khaled A. Beydoun.

Islamophobia has spiraled into a global menace, and democratic and authoritarian regimes alike have deployed it as a strategy to persecute their Muslim populations. With this book, Khaled A. Beydoun details how the American War on Terror has facilitated and intensified the network of anti-Muslim campaigns unfolding across the world. The New Crusades is the first book of its kind, offering a critical and intimate examination of global Islamophobia and its manifestations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and regions beyond and in between.

Through trenchant analysis and direct testimony from Muslims on the ground, Beydoun interrogates how Islamophobia acts as a unifying global thread of state and social bigotry, instigating both liberal and right-wing hate-mongering. Whether imposed by way of hijab bans in France, state-sponsored hate speech and violence in India, or the network of concentration camps in China, Islamophobia unravels into distinct systems of demonization and oppression across the post-9/11 geopolitical landscape. Lucid and poignant, The New Crusades reveals that Islamophobia is not only a worldwide phenomenon—it stands as one of the world's last bastions of acceptable hate.

Genres: Islam, Nonfiction, Politics, Religion, History, Sociology, Middle East

389 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2023

About the author

Khaled A. Beydoun is a leading voice on Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim identity, and he is widely regarded as one of the leading experts on Islamophobia globally.

He is an Associate Professor of Law at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law; he also serves as an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Western Cape Desmond Tutu Center for Religion and Social Justice (Cape Town, South Africa).

He is the author of the acclaimed books American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear and The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims, which are considered foundational works in the study of Islamophobia.

Reviews

[Cassidy A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beydoun focuses less on the traits and frameworks of global Islamophobia and more on the lived experiences of Muslims around the world in this book. It’s my understanding that he covers the former in his previous publication. I found this book very moving and informative as it described the layers of fear and disenfranchisement that Muslims are facing from New Zealand and Kashmir to here in Canada. Although his writing is definitely repetitive at points there is also a lot of beautiful prose and references to important Muslim authors, amongst others. With everything going on right now and the absolutely INSANE amount of Islamophobia I am seeing online and in person I think this work could not be more timely.

The number of times he highlights how massive rallies (of Trump in the US or Modi in India) were followed immediately by violence, mosque burnings, and murders really was very very eye opening. The connection of race to how we view very similar situations in Ukraine and Palestine was also very telling as to the current state of xenophobia in the West. It is reflective and very sad but he leaves room for hope both through Muslims themselves and through the actions of allies.

If you get a chance I highly recommend reading this or listening to it as that may help smooth over the more tedious repetitive segments.

[Imaduddin Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khaled Beydoun does a great job of documenting Islamophobia around the world and analysing it through a critical lens, both in books for posterity as well as on social media for current action.

[forky wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

love his global perspective.

[Julie J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book.

[Yassir Morsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beydoun puts together a book that showcases many of the global lived experiences of Muslims, highlighting how deeply Islamophobia has cut into and across nations. Unlike his first book, which focused on the American context, I found this one more aligned with my own thoughts, because it ties Islamophobia to colonialism and the long-standing legacies of Western imperialism.

Beydoun shows how the dehumanisation of Muslims in places like France, China, and India stems from colonial attitudes that cast Arabs and Muslims as perpetual "others."

What resonated most was his emphasis on centring the martyrs and not the monsters of Islamophobia; such as in Christchurch (the controversy about him on this aside, its an important point). Their stories are powerful.

Beydoun’s solution, calling for intellectual and political resistance, is where I think we depart He urges us to humanise and reconceptualise how we perceive Muslims, pushing back against fear-based narratives that fuel the Islamophobic crusades of today. I think there is a risk that will personally translate into more emotional and political burdens and labour on Muslims to try and win back their humanity from racists, although, granted, it all depends how its done, and for who

[Zara Jamshed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book, I stopped after chapter 3. As a Muslim reading this book as research for my poetry collection on Indian/global Islamophobia, I wanted to like this book. The writer comes off as arrogant, deeply condescending and infantilizing. I hate the way he writes about the people he interviews and uses as case studies. He sees them as defeated and helpless to circumstance, when they have resisted an amount of violence that no person should have to endure. Their strength is apparent even in his awful portrayals. His writing shows me what he thinks of the subjects of his work. His sense of superiority bleeds through the work. The people in this book are not pathetic shells of their former selves, they are deeply traumatized after being violently attacked or being forced to commit violence on behalf of an Islamophobic state because capitalism wrecked their other opportunities. No one chooses this. It is very clear that this is for a white audience and that the man is using his own community for clout. He also rolls with Shaun King, so maybe that also tells you what he’s about. The two stars are for the other people he references (when he’s not referencing himself).

[KayDee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal book. Reading through the news, either online or in print, it's easy not to realize how connected and pervasive anti-Muslim attacks have become. Connecting countries, political figures, fringe elements and more, the author truly makes connections that show a horrifying pattern which seeks to lump all Muslims into one category as the "other" who has no place in the world. It's heartbreaking but should be a wake-up call for all to be allies and to not put up with Islamophobia when its encountered or witnessed in life.

[Ziyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this read. Worth spending the time to read and digest this book. He covers a number of different topics, from the American War on Terror to the Uyghurs in China to the Kashmiris in India to the Hijab Ban in France and the BLM protests in the US. He connects all the different topics really well. While I felt the book was a bit too wordy in the beginning, towards the end of the book I appreciated the amount of detail that he provided on the different topics, including his personal touch on many of the stories.

[Mel24._ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I had been following Beydoun on Instagram for quite some time. His inspiring words and powerful responses to the events in Gaza were what motivated me to purchase his book.

His powerful language is also reflected in his writing. The unique stories are each told with strong and comprehensive explanations. However, I did find some parts a bit too long-winded. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable and meaningful read.

[Daniel Welsh]

Not strictly about the region, but I think helps to bring perspective to the conversation. Of course we know about Islamaphobia a la post 9/11 reaction, but most of us have little idea what it is for new Americans of West Asian origin to grow up in the heartland of America. Important to get some balance, push aside stereotypes and understand that Jewish people are not alone in encountering unwelcoming situations here.

[Ronny Hesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me it's a must read. Especially if you grew up in Europe or the USA, it shows you the world from a different angle to deconstruct the barriers between the western and the eastern world... to deconstruct the hate and the prejudice. One of the most important books I've ever read.

[Safwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good analysis of the different Islamophobia moments faced within the world.

All starts with post 9/11.

[Art Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less an academic study and more an impassioned account of personal stories and the variety of ways Islamaphobia rears its ugly head around the world, from China to France, from the United States to New Zealand, and more. Khaled is at times almost poetic in his recounting, though there are also moments where it seems he repeats his point too often.
That said, this is an important read.