Elite political rhetoric legitimizes anti-Muslim racism among constituents

Evidence

Each time candidates and elected officials peddle such propaganda, anti- Muslim racism is legitimized among their constituents. Thus it should come as no surprise that in 2015, a Pew Research Center survey found that 46 percent of Americans believe Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, and 49 percent report they are “very concerned” about the rise of Islamic extremism in the United States. — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 827

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the sociological literature on moral panics and elite-driven prejudice, e.g. Cohen’s moral panic framework already discussed. — connects to: Elite rhetoric substantially raises public conspiracy talk — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 679; Islamophobic warriors are establishment insiders who legitimize overt racism, like McCarthy did; Anti-Muslim racism takes reactionary, conservative, and liberal forms in the media — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 751 (+4 more)
• QUESTION: Worth chasing: the causal direction here — do officials cause or merely echo constituent sentiment? Pew’s numbers alone don’t settle it.