Islamophobia Contested in Public Space Post-2024 US Presidential Election
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Abstract
Donald Trump’s election is a contradictory phenomenon in the context of democracy in the US and the world at large. Donald Trump represents the antithesis of the democratization process currently underway in various parts of the world. Donald Trump implements anti-Muslim immigration policies and fosters nationalism through violent means. This study employs a qualitative approach, drawing data from articles written by experts, as well as recent literature reviews or relevant studies authored by experts and published in leading international journals, along with books and research reports covering the second phase—spanning from Donald Trump’s campaign through his election as president in 2024. The results of the analysis show an increase in Islamophobia in the US during the campaign period leading up to Donald Trump’s election. Donald Trump’s election ultimately sparked concerns and fears of discrimination, persecution, and physical violence against immigrants in the US. Donald Trump implemented anti-Muslim immigration policies and fostered nationalism through violent means. These findings suggest that political nationalism and anti-Muslim rhetoric during the Trump era reinforced Islamophobia in the United States, jeopardizing relations between Muslim immigrants and non-immigrants. This, of course, has an impact on the development of democracy in the United States and in countries with Muslim-majority populations like Indonesia.
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