First off, yeah this thread is going to end
really well.
I too would like to use this thread as a socially acceptable outlet to vent my casual racism!
Being Muslim is a race now?
No, it's not. However "Muslims" in Europe are generally associated with immigration from Middle East countries that are seen by westerners as "barbaric". It is sort of like how anti-Catholic movements in the 19th-early 20th century were all about opposing "the wrong sort of people."
I'm not sure if "racism" is the exact word I would use (though I don't see how Xahar is far off the mark if you connect the dots), but there is a pretty obvious cultural aspect beyond religion at play here.
EDIT: Modified after noting that this post would exclude the large numbers of European converts to Islam under original wording.
