Human interaction, both between individuals (A and B), and between groups (Y and Z) cannot be separated from cognitive processes. What we see from other people, or what others see from us is “information”. It enters into a cognitive process which is then processed by our thinking mechanism to give birth to a conclusion. This conclusion can be an assessment that can be measured in a positive vs. negative framework. For example, we have a friend who talks rudely. This way of speaking is something we catch from him, then we process it in our thinking system, and will produce certain conclusions. Let's say then we conclude that "oh my friend is a grumpy person". The process between information about how to speak rudely to giving rise to the judgment that the subject is an angry person is a process that takes place in our conscious mind.
The question then is, to what extent are our conclusions or judgments about something, or someone, in accordance with the facts about that person? This is certainly something worth asking. Furthermore, is it not possible for certain biases to occur which then make our judgments inaccurate? What's more, we often have limited information? Well, this appraisal process that often takes place even without a complex cognitive process is known as prejudice.why prejudice can occur and how to prevent it from continuing to interactions that are much more destructive in nature such as discrimination and conflict.Islam provides moral signs so that we stay away from negative prejudices.
The Qur'an, specifically Surah Al Hujuraat verse 12 provides an affirmation of this psychological process:
“Stay away from most of your prejudices. Verily, some of those prejudices are bad (sin)” (Q.S. Al Hujuraat: 12).
In the Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad also emphasized that:
"Stay away from prejudice, for verily prejudice is the worst word."
The above verse and hadith provide an affirmation of the badness of prejudice in the moral framework of Islam. This prejudice is, of course, very easy to appear, whether it's just in our minds, or we have articulated it in words or actions that are discriminatory in nature. Simply put, prejudice can arise in the process of making judgments before knowing relevant facts about an object or individual. It can also appear in an unreasonable attitude or also a tendency to judge things, even those that are completely unrelated to us.
When viewed from the extent to which prejudice arises (in individuals or in the process of social interaction), then prejudice can be divided into three levels. First, prejudices that are cognitive in nature or are still in our minds. This refers to the emergence of certain judgments against others based on information that is very likely to be limited or even invalid. Not to mention, we also often have certain biases that are born from our past experiences. At this level, prejudice is still in the mind of the individual and may not have any social impact except for psychological implications in our minds which, if continued, are likely to affect the way we interact with others.
On the other hand, the inaccuracy of this assessment is not always negative. In Islam, there is the term good prejudice (husnudzon), which although both depart from inaccurate judgments, but are more recommended, because they are healthier for our minds and can be the basis for the emergence of positive attitudes and behavior towards others. Second, the prejudices that have affected our feelings. At this level, our judgment of others has influenced our attitudes and emotions. For example, we label a certain trait or characteristic on a person (say: a liar). This judgment will then affect how we feel when we meet him. Conversely, positive or favorable prejudice will also produce more positive feelings when we are around the person who is the target of our prejudice. Again, although both are based on poor or even inaccurate assessments, this positive prejudice, in a general context (eg not in the process of investigating crimes by law enforcement) is more emphasized. Now, at the third level, the feelings that are born from these inappropriate judgments are very likely to appear in behavior. When it appears in behavior, it is very likely that the victim or target of prejudice, especially this negative prejudice, is socially harmed. The form of behavior that is born of prejudice is usually known as discrimination.
Discrimination can arise in the realm of interaction between individuals, and what's worse, it appears in a wider social interaction. There are many types of discrimination that occur based on factors related to such discrimination, for example: Islamophobia (discrimination against Muslims), racism (discrimination based on race), sexism (discrimination based on sex), ageism (discrimination against a certain age). What needs to be emphasized here is that our thoughts play a role in the emergence of negative phenomena in society such as discrimination. The big thing that departs from cognitive processes that are not accurate in making judgments or conclusions about other people (prejudice).