Islamophobia means irrational fear of Islam and Muslims and Islamophilia is a word which is not yet accepted by the Oxford Dictionary but it should be. Islamophilia I would like to argue means an irrational and uncritical defence and apology for all actions undertaken in the name of Islam.
Just imagine, in Jhang today some Shia was killed in a most gruesome manner by a fanatic on grounds that the Shia had committed blasphemy.
It is just a chance he was a Shia. It could be anyone else and we know recently an Ahl Hadis bank manager was shot dead by the bank guard who was a fanatical Barelvi.
Under the circumstances, it is not surprising that Islam and Muslims are increasingly being seen as a threat by others.
In India, the Hindu extremists have created their own vigilantes who kill Muslims who are allegedly not respectful to Hindu beliefs.
The liberal, free and pluralist West has not come about automatically out of Christianity or some other ideology.
People had to fight bitter class struggles and struggles against racial, ethnic and religious extremisms to win the Battle of Democracy and Human Rights.
It is perfectly legitimate for such a liberal, free, tolerant and pluralist West to impose restrictions on all those who want to subvert such a social order.
Islamic extremism is real and to confront it and defeat it is not Islamophobia. It is part of the struggle for democracy, freedom and peace for all human beings.
It would mean Muslims in the West accepting the rules of the game on which Western democracy, human rights and freedoms are based.