James Finn
Jul 15, 2023

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Oh, I think they recognized the symbol. Extremist conservative Christians often claim that Islam is Satanic. The hamza hand isn’t directly an Islamic religious symbol; it predates the founding of Islam by almost 1,000 years, which explains why it’s seen in other, non-Muslim populations in the Levant and the Maghreb. But the hamza is sometimes taken to be an Islamic religious symbol, even among some Muslims. I think that’s where the Satanism claims are coming from. Conservative Christians are deeply and unapologetically Islamophobic, often arguing that Islam isn’t even a “real” religion deserving of First Amendment protections.

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James Finn
James Finn

Written by James Finn

James Finn is an LGBTQ columnist, a former Air Force intelligence analyst, an alumnus of Act Up NY, and an agented but unpublished novelist.

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