Eh I'm sure Zayn was very much aware of the Islamophobia he faced at the time. It's not exactly something you miss. And if he minimized it maybe it's because nobody around him wanted to deal with the reality of it. As someone who has faced racism having to deal with it often tends to make other people uncomfortable so they'd rather you just minimize it so they can too.
Yeah and even if he didn't no one would have believed him either way , a previous ask on here reminded me what was the public reaction when he actually to an extent came to terms with his ED + anxiety. People compare it with the experience of the other 4 , if they didn't say or backed up what Z said then he's lying or trying to gain sympathy. It's actually someone we pocs face regularly whether it's because people feel uncomfortable or just denial of our experiences they try to negate it to make themselves feel better.
I’m sure that’s true and it’s common. We tend to brush off anything that might cut too close to home or make us feel complicit.