Students at a rally against Islamophobia at San Diego State University, Nov. 23. Photo: Reuters

Anti-Muslim bigots often try to escape accusations of racism by proclaiming that Islam is not a race.

Vilifying, marginalizing or hating others because of their gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or skin color is not acceptable. But beyond bigotry, current anti-Muslim sentiments are racist.

Racism is racial prejudice powered by actions and institutional structures.

All elements that define racism are prevalent in the recent anti-Muslim wave of xenophobia.

The Islamophobia industry is not attacking Muslim theology, but Muslim people. It is not a movement based on ideas countering ideas. It is an extremist cult with communities of color in the crosshairs of its hatred.

I do not identify spiritually as a Muslim. That did not spare me Islamophobic slurs with racial undertones on social media. My name and skin color make me a target.

Brown non-Muslims have often been assaulted by Islamophobic criminals. 

In Grand Rapids, a robber shot a Punjabi store clerk in the face after calling him a “terrorist.”

The shooter told the clerk he used to kill people like him in Iraq. The statement shows a clear White supremacist attitude. The victim is neither Arab nor Muslim. By “people like you”, the robber, who is supposedly an Iraq veteran, meant he used to shoot brown people. 

Sikh communities across the country have been victims of hate crimes perpetrated by hateful individuals.

On Dec. 5, a Sikh temple was vandalized in Orange County, California. In 2012, a White supremacist killed six worshippers at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Anti-Muslim bigotry does not belong in the realm of thoughts; it is xenophobia and fear of others who look different— people of other nationalities and ethnicities.

“Go back home” are words that anti-Muslim social media users frequently direct towards Muslims. This statement has nothing to do with religion. Rather, it conveys hostility toward immigrants and channels a nativist, racist notion that the United States cannot be home to “non-Whites.”

Powerless bigots’ attitudes do not constitute racism. Islamophobia is not mere dislike of those suspected to be Muslim because of their race; this xenophobia is accompanied with tangible crimes and political influence at the local and national levels.

Anti-Muslim sentiments are being promoted and perpetuated by organizations, pundits and politicians who are mostly White. Those are powerful players pursuing policies that victimize people based on their race.

On the institutional side, mayors, county executives and governors who spoke against the resettlement of Syrian refugees focused on the national origins of those fleeing the war.

In November, David Bowers, the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, cited the shameful internment of Japanese Americans during World War II to justify blocking Syrian refugees.

In 1980, an investigation by a Congressional commission found that the treatment of Japanese Americans during the war was based on racial bias.

Bowers’ analogy demonstrates the link between irrational fear of Muslims and racism.

The New York Police Department’s unconstitutional surveillance program against the Muslim community in the years following 9/11 was an echo of past tactics against anti-war and African American activists.

Sen. Rand Paul (R.-KY) suggested banning immigration from the Middle East after the San Bernardino shooting. His plan would apply to Arab Christians and other religious minorities.

The Visa Waiver Program bill that passed overwhelmingly in the House in December excludes dual nationals who have Iraqi or Syrian citizenship from entering the United States without a visa, even if they are natives of participant countries in the VWP.

It is bewildering that some liberal and secular pundits, like Bill Maher, claim to oppose xenophobia and criticize Republicans’ bigotry but fully endorse the racism of anti-Muslim sentiments. 

Bottom line, Islamophobia seem to be the last acceptable facade of racism. And those who promote it are in the same camp as the Ku Klux Klan, which is — by the way — using hate against Muslims to recruit new members.