Anti-Muslim prejudice is fueled by lack of personal contact and by organized moneyed interests
Evidence
The greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. As we have seen throughout this book, one of the things that people around the world with negative attitudes toward Muslims have in common is that they claim they have never met one in their everyday lives. Misconceptions are rife, and they are scary. … Great conglomerates exist with moneyed interests in keeping people afraid, and in stoking misconceptions and stereotypes, no matter how hurtful. There are also politicians who will try to retain their power by promoting the idea that Muslims are inherently dangerous and invading — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 817
Categorization
- XREF: Synthesizes the cross-country finding (never-met-a-Muslim) that ties this book’s global thesis to the single-nation studies like Beydoun’s New Crusades and Kumar. — connects to: Most people harboring anti-Muslim prejudice act from ignorance rather than malice. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 690; Most people harboring anti-Muslim suspicion do so without deliberate malice. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 34; Personal contact with Muslims predicts more favorable attitudes toward them — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 400 (+2 more)
- SEED: The ‘never met one’ pattern across nations and the structural actors profiting from fear could anchor the concluding synthesis chapter on global Islamophobia.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 817
Related
- Most people harboring anti-Muslim prejudice act from ignorance rather than malice. (similarity 0.81)
- Most people harboring anti-Muslim suspicion do so without deliberate malice. (similarity 0.79)
- Personal contact with Muslims predicts more favorable attitudes toward them (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Personal contact with Muslims predicts more favorable attitudes toward them
#corroborates(0.80) — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 400 - Sustained daily contact tempered hostile European images of Muslims.
#corroborates(0.75) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 51 - Anti-Muslim prejudice was deliberately deployed by elites at specific political moments.
#corroborates(0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 25