---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the…"
description: "\"“Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the Western world. It could be defined as the expression of disproportionate adoration of Islam. I don’t say – becau..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/douglas-murray-12950_religion_islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-west_625279.jpg"
---

#  Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the Western world. It…

![“Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the Western world. It could be defined as the expression of disproportionate adoration of Islam. I don’t say – because I don’t think – that Islam has no redeeming features or that the religion has achieved nothing. But it seems strange to me that so many people…” quote by Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/douglas-murray-12950_religion_islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-west_625279.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/douglas-murray-12950_religion_islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-west_625279.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/douglas-murray-12950_religion_islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-west_625279.jpg)

> ““Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the Western world. It could be defined as the expression of disproportionate adoration of Islam. I don’t say – because I don’t think – that Islam has no redeeming features or that the religion has achieved nothing. But it seems strange to me that so many people today can be quite so asinine and supine when it comes to the religion. No other religion in the world today receives the kind of pass that Islam gets. Most religions currently get a hell of a time. But Islam does not. And people express their resulting feeling for it for a number of reasons. First, there are those who just think Islam is wonderful. This encompasses a huge range of people. For instance, some of them can be on the left/liberal side of the political divide while others can be right-wing conservatives.””

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Excessive admiration for Islam, termed Islamophilia, is critiqued as unbalanced.

**In simple terms:** Overpraise of Islam is called Islamophilia.

Key Takeaway

Recognize balanced perspectives.

Themes

religion culture bias politics

Mood

critical analytical

Type

explanatory critical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- media analysis
- interfaith dialogue
- public policy

Key Concepts

sociology media studies

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives disproportionate admiration?
- How can balanced critique be fostered?

A Different Perspective

Overpraise may ignore legitimate criticisms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Islam Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam-does-577365/) [Islam Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam-gets-1931965/) [Islam Redeeming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam-redeeming-5050702/) [Islam Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam-wonderful-5050703/) [Islamophilia Gripped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamophilia-gripped-5050701/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [Wherever Islam gets its foot on the ground, you see less freedom, less freedom of speech, less freedom of anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/wherever-islam-gets-its-foot-on-the-ground-you-see-less-freedom-less/)

[Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/)

> [The problem is that Islam does not have a pope, so there's no one guy to say, 'This isn't kosher'...Not that he would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fareed-zakaria/the-problem-is-that-islam-does-not-have-a-pope-so-there-s-no-one-guy/)

[Fareed Zakaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fareed-zakaria/)

> [Islam, as a religion, has been established in France for a long time, and the religious question has been resolved in this country. Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/islam-as-a-religion-has-been-established-in-france-for-a-long-time/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [“Jihadists trace their struggle to conquer the world for Allah from 632 AD. In light of those many centuries, what’s another year, or two,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/jihadists-trace-their-struggle-to-conquer-the-world-for-allah-from/)

[John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/)

> [“When you accept Islam, you don’t cease to be the person you were before in your identity and culture,’ he told me. ‘The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristiane-backer/when-you-accept-islam-you-don-t-cease-to-be-the-person-you-were/)

[Kristiane Backer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristiane-backer/)

> [Islam's basic principles of belief, worship, morality, and behavior are not affected by changing times. Islam does not propose a certain unchangeable form of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/islam-s-basic-principles-of-belief-worship-morality-and-behavior-are-2/)

[Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/)

> [Islam does not believe in democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or freedom of assembly. It does not separate religion and politics.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/islam-does-not-believe-in-democracy-freedom-of-speech-freedom-of-the/)

[Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/)

> [Islam does not preach hatred and violence and destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/islam-does-not-preach-hatred-and-violence-and-destruction/)

[Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/)

> [One of the challenges that happened in Europe is that in accepting many Muslim people they didn't explain to them that those countries have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-durie/one-of-the-challenges-that-happened-in-europe-is-that-in-accepting/)

[Mark Durie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-durie/)

> [Islam does give human dignity, certainly. The point I wanted to make is that it is great foolishness to try to impose our notions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/islam-does-give-human-dignity-certainly-the-point-i-wanted-to-make-is/)

[Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/)

> [Contrary to popular misconception, Islam does not mean peace but rather means submission to the commands of Allah alone. Therefore, Muslims do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjem-choudary/contrary-to-popular-misconception-islam-does-not-mean-peace-but/)

[Anjem Choudary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjem-choudary/)

> [Islam's basic principles of belief, worship, morality, and behavior are not affected by changing times. Islam does not propose a certain unchangeable form of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/islam-s-basic-principles-of-belief-worship-morality-and-behavior-are/)

[Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/)

> [The first thing Islam does is to destroy the self image of the believers. It convinces them that without Islam they are worthless creatures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/the-first-thing-islam-does-is-to-destroy-the-self-image-of-the/)

[Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/)

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/)

[David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/)

## More by Douglas Murray

> [“The same uneven application of values applies in the weird worlds of academia and the think tanks. Like the media, they choose to close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/the-same-uneven-application-of-values-applies-in-the-weird-worlds-of/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“Nevertheless, although modern European guilt is currently described as though it is a terminal condition, there is no certainty that it will be. Will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/nevertheless-although-modern-european-guilt-is-currently-described-as/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“But under President Obama, as much as under his predecessor, the continuing call to celebrate Islam rather than any other religion – like Christianity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/but-under-president-obama-as-much-as-under-his-predecessor-the/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [ISIS may seem un-Islamic to President Obama, but to anybody who has read Islam's core texts, it might appear to be a fairly straightforward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/isis-may-seem-un-islamic-to-president-obama-but-to-anybody-who-has/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [Fanaticism is at its very strongest when it has political or, better still, religious motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/fanaticism-is-at-its-very-strongest-when-it-has-political-or-better/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“growth solely accounted for by immigration – led to the usual strains”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/growth-solely-accounted-for-by-immigration-led-to-the-usual-strains/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [Fanatics end by subverting their own argument. For instance, animal rights activists have some point, and many people feel sympathy with them. But animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/fanatics-end-by-subverting-their-own-argument-for-instance-animal/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“By 2015 more British Muslims were fighting for Isis than for the British armed forces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/by-2015-more-british-muslims-were-fighting-for-isis-than-for-the/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“Sad to say, this Islamophilia problem does not occur only at the low-ranking level of Director of the CIA. But at least you’ve always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/sad-to-say-this-islamophilia-problem-does-not-occur-only-at-the-low/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“And so all the time the European brain has held onto two contradictory things. The first is the dominant established narrative of a generation:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/and-so-all-the-time-the-european-brain-has-held-onto-two/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“Such visible failure and a sense of lost moorings can be – for the individual as for society – not only a cause for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/such-visible-failure-and-a-sense-of-lost-moorings-can-be-for-the/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“The problem for US officials is the same problem that filters through all the other sections of our societies. It goes something like this.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/the-problem-for-us-officials-is-the-same-problem-that-filters-through/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“On 11 September 2012 crowds of friendly locals in Kabul, Afghanistan, were chanting the usual ‘Death to America’ slogans. At the same time American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/on-11-september-2012-crowds-of-friendly-locals-in-kabul-afghanistan/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [“To immerse oneself in popular culture for any length of time is to wallow in an almost unbearable shallowness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/to-immerse-oneself-in-popular-culture-for-any-length-of-time-is-to/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

> [In Israel, you see strong borders as the best way to ensure peace, while in Europe, people see it as a cause of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/in-israel-you-see-strong-borders-as-the-best-way-to-ensure-peace/)

[Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

[Explore all 52 Douglas Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/)

## More Israel quotes

> [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/)

[David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/)

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [In the Green Zone in Iraq you have your radio, you have your food, you have your own electricity, your own toilets. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/in-the-green-zone-in-iraq-you-have-your-radio-you-have-your-food-you/)

[Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/)

> [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/)

[Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/)

[Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/)

> [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [“Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Much to the bafflement of the Allies, however, Pope Pius XII said nothing. He refused to condemn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrus-shahrad/hitler-invaded-poland-on-1-september-1939-much-to-the-bafflement-of/)

[Cyrus Shahrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrus-shahrad/)

> [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/)

[Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I am a peace supporting Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-am-a-peace-supporting-jew/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/)

[James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/)

[Browse all 16,724 Israel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the Western world. It could be defined as the expression of disproportionate adoration of Islam. I don’t say – because I don’t think – that Islam has no redeeming features or that the religion has achieved nothing. But it seems strange to me that so many people today can be quite so asinine and supine when it comes to the religion. No other religion in the world today receives the kind of pass that Islam gets. Most religions currently get a hell of a time. But Islam does not. And people express their resulting feeling for it for a number of reasons. First, there are those who just think Islam is wonderful. This encompasses a huge range of people. For instance, some of them can be on the left/liberal side of the political divide while others can be right-wing conservatives.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Douglas Murray"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-western-world-it-could-be-defined/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Israel"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-western-world-it-could-be-defined/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/douglas-murray-12950_religion_islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-west_625279.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/douglas-murray-12950_religion_islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-west_625279.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/douglas-murray-12950_religion_islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-west_625279.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the Western world. It could be defined as the expression of…” — Douglas Murray",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Douglas Murray",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-western-world-it-could-be-defined/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-western-world-it-could-be-defined/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
