As former Muslims ourselves, we’ve experienced how the term “Islamophobia” can blur that boundary and suppress religious dissent—including open critiques of doctrine and human-rights concerns. Protecting individuals matters. Protecting ideas from scrutiny does not.

when reporting on prejudice toward Muslim individuals, using “anti-Muslim bigotry” rather than “Islamophobia” helps clarify that the issue is discrimination against people, not critique of an ideology (in this case, Islam).

@natashalennard.bsky.social, thanks for your insightful coverage of Zohran Mamdani’s win. One small—but important—suggestion:

Thank you for NOT using “Islamophobia” in the headline to describe the bigotry Hassan faced! Your use of “anti-Muslim bias” allows space for religious critique while condemning real discrimination. 👏🏽 Protect people, not ideas.