Supremacist Theological Entanglements: Christianity, Supersessionism, Racism and Islamophobia
Most histories of Islamophobia begin where most genealogies of colonialism and racism begin: 1492. However, this lecture traces Islamophobia further back: Christian supersessionism (replacement theology), anti-Judaism, and medieval anti-Islamic theology are all connected in the formation of contemporary Islamophobia. These supremacist entanglements, which also include antisemitism and Orientalism, arguably find their discursive foundation in the words, symbols, narratives, and metaphors that historically constituted a Christian supremacist theology of religion in general, and a theology of Islam in particular. After tracing these supremacist entanglements, the lecture will offer constructive and praxis-oriented theological responses to subvert and challenge global Islamophobia today.