Anti-Muslim sentiment operates independently of local political ideology

Evidence

The difficulties Muslims face in obtaining permits to build mosques and the introduction of anti-sharia bills in state legislatures reflect the growing hostility to the Muslim presence in the United States. One might assume that in a politically liberal city such as Chicago, anti-Muslim sentiments would be fewer. Yet the experiences of the Muslim Americans I interviewed suggest that these negative sentiments transcend political ideology. In other words, anti-Muslim feelings and Islamophobia are present regardless of the political leanings of the local population. An examination of Muslim American life in cities like Chicago and the Dallas/Fort Worth area sheds light on the increased racialization of Muslim Americans that has occurred in the years since 9/11. — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 119 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

A similar finding was made by another empirical study that inquired into whether or not attitudes toward religious beliefs and practices affect public opinion toward Muslims. This study concluded that they did not have a definitive effect. Rather, “Muslim stereotypes are underpinned by a similar set of factors to those that underpin stereotypes of blacks, Hispanics, and Asians—notably, authoritarianism and a preference for cultural homogeneity.” — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 253 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

In this book we have journeyed from the seventh century to the twenty-first and found that the relationship between the “East” and “West” has not been characterized by a transhistoric “clash of civilizations.” We also saw that the image of the menacing “Muslim threat” has been mobilized largely by ruling elites to serve a political agenda, whether the domination of Europe by the papacy in the eleventh century or US expansionism today. An external enemy is usually paired with an internal one against whom palpable fear and hatred are generated. It follows that Islamophobia is about politics and not religion; it is therefore in the realm of politics that Islamophobia must be fought. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 576 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Dominant ideology recruits the dominated by neutralizing rival ideologies’ antagonism; The politique des races included campaigns against Muslim religious elites.; French secularism and anti-Catholic school history predate and complicate anti-Muslim motivations. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 613 (+22 more)

Related

• Anti-Muslim sentiment persists regardless of local political ideology. (similarity 0.92)
• Anti-Muslim sentiment spans opposing political groups, not just white conservatives (similarity 0.88)
• Islamophobia is increasingly theorized as a form of racism rather than mere religious prejudice (similarity 0.86)
• Anti-sharia panic manufactures political support while Muslims pose no such threat (similarity 0.85)
• Authoritarianism and preference for cultural homogeneity drive anti-Muslim stereotypes. (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia is political rather than religious and must be fought politically (similarity 0.84)
• Anti-Muslim sentiment is shifting from terror fear to cultural-threat framing (similarity 0.84)
• Anti-Muslim racism contains internal contradictions and countervailing tendencies that resist neat causal models (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia stems from nationalism’s ambiguities rather than fear of Islam (similarity 0.82)
• Islamophobia is structural racism rooted in empire, not religious intolerance (similarity 0.82)
• Anti-Muslim prejudice now frames Muslims as cultural rather than security threats. (similarity 0.82)
• Anti-Muslim racism remains entrenched despite Muslim inclusion in imperial systems (similarity 0.82)
• American anti-Muslim sentiment is old but stayed politically latent until recently (similarity 0.82)
• Islamophobia and racial prejudice are entangled in distinct ways across Western contexts (similarity 0.82)
• Anti-Muslim sentiment predated and undergirded the War on Terror (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Anti-Muslim sentiment persists regardless of local political ideology. #corroborates (0.90) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 119
• Authoritarianism and preference for cultural homogeneity drive anti-Muslim stereotypes. #contradicts (0.70) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 253
• Islamophobia is political rather than religious and must be fought politically #qualifies (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 576