British Islamophobia was weak pre-1857 partly because Muslims posed no threat.

Evidence

For perhaps three reasons, British publications—at least when not written by missionaries—demonstrated few Islamophobic tendencies before 1857. First, the Mughals’ precipitous decline meant that no Muslim group credibly challenged British domination. — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 123

Categorization

• QUESTION: This directly supports the reader’s core thesis — that intolerance tracks the fearer’s felt threat. Worth contrasting with post-1857 intensification if the book covers it.