On 14 November, Emad Al Swealmeen, an asylum seeker from Syria, died when his homemade device exploded outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital in the UK. The failed terrorist attack prompted the government to raise the threat level in the country from “substantial” to “severe”- meaning another attack is highly likely. The Muslim community, meanwhile, has been facing a racist backlash as a result of the incident. This is known as Islamophobia. But what exactly is Islamophobia?
