Elites mobilized Islamophobia to advance their political agendas across centuries

Evidence

The history outlined in this chapter also shows that “the West” has not uniformly harbored negative images of Islam. During moments of conflict, political elites mobilized Islamophobia as a means to advance their larger agendas, whether papal supremacy over Europe or the expansionist ambitions of Christian rulers. Islam-bashing has been a useful tool in power politics for a very long time. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 98

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The politique des races included campaigns against Muslim religious elites.; Western hostility to Islam shifted from theological to political rationales across the centuries — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 106; The fear of Islam intensified amid Ottoman decline and colonial expansion — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 166 (+28 more)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobia is produced by state action, not only cultural bias #expands (0.60)
• Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia #corroborates (0.60) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 706
• Islamophobia adapts to each society’s own governing concerns #corroborates (0.50)