A Religious Literacy Approach to Islamophobia : Focusing on the Analysis of Disgust Emotion and Phobia Discourse

This study discusses the background of the formation of the term “Islamophobia” as a phenomenon of religious discrimination within the scope of religious literacy. The reason for using the term “religious literacy approach” is to analyze the psychological characteristics of disgust sentiments and interpret the sociocultural context in which disgust is formed, prior to the religious studies approach. Religious discrimination is considered a form of religious illiteracy resulting from inadequate knowledge of various religious traditions and inappropriate religious attitudes. Effective religious literacy programs aimed at alleviating religious illiteracy require basic knowledge and understanding of religious thoughts, ultimately contributing to fostering religious tolerance and practical interfaith engagement. Analyzing Islamophobia as a case study of religious literacy may seem detached from the immediate context of contemporary Korean society. From this perspective, a critical reflection on the term “Islamophobia” will be a valuable perspective for understanding the dynamics of encounters with Islam as well as other religious and faith communities in Korean society. The term "Islamophobia" may have originally been used to reveal the problem of anti-Muslim tendencies, but it may have unintentionally transformed into a mechanism for reinforcing the spread of anti-religious sentiments. However, it is important to recognize that disgust as an emotion is inherently complex and carries multi-layered meanings. Expressions that emphasize the inappropriateness of disgust toward a particular religious group can paradoxically result in associating the emotion of disgust with the religious group.