Americans are increasingly being accused of “Islamophobia”; Islamophobia being defined using such words as prejudice, discrimination, harassment, aversion, bigotry, and hatred. Phobias, traditionally, have been defined as anxiety disorders – where the primary feeling is fear. Rather than saying that Americans are becoming more and more anxious and fearful, accusers are saying that Americans are purposely being prejudiced, bigoted, and hateful toward Muslims. Rather than trying to understand why this is happening, the accusers just keep accusing, with no regard for the possible causes of this supposed Islamophobia. Americans, on a daily basis, are confronted on every side with images and words depicting Islam as something to fear. Case in point: the large menacing picture on the front of the Nation/World section of the November 21st issue of the Herald-Times. How many frightening pictures like this have we seen; how many pictures of violence, carnage, blood, and gore? How many pictures of hooded figures with Arabic symbols and writing, brandishing weapons? How many threatening and terrifying commentaries being aired via television throughout the world? I think rather than accusing and claiming offense, the accusers need to realize that Americans are afraid; they are suffering a collective anxiety disorder with regard to Islam and what the media constantly refers to as Islamic terrorism. Americans, for a change, need to be understood, and efforts made to help them work through this anxiety in positive ways. Americans need an outlet – a way to say, “I’m really scared; I’m terrified”, then respected for saying so. The mass media, with all its power and influence, could also make a concerted effort to present Islam in a more positive light, so that Americans can, genuinely, begin to distinguish true Islam from what we’ve all come to know so well as Islamic terrorism or what some are now calling “Islamofascism”. Mark Zacharias