The Associated Press style guide has prohibited use of the terms Islamophobia and homophobia. Under the heading “phobia” we find the following: “An irrational, uncontrollable fear, often a form of mental illness. Examples: acrophobia, a fear of heights, and claustrophobia, a fear of being in small, enclosed spaces. Do not use in political or social contexts: homophobia, Islamophobia.”

Update:  See Patrick Strudwick, “‘Homophobia’ and ‘Islamophobia’ are the right words for the job”, Comment is Free, 27 November 2012

As he points out: “Phobias are of course a spectrum. Someone who thinks that gay men might be too hedonistic to properly bring up a child is less phobic than someone who refuses to sit next to a Muslim because they are convinced anyone belonging to Islam is harbouring extremist tendencies. But they’re all symptoms of an irrational, disproportionate fear: a phobia.”