Even benign literary-humanist gestures can align with Islamophobic civilizational rhetoric

Evidence

Although this credo may on one level be seemingly innocent, employed in this way and at this moment it stands alongside those other clarion calls of Islamophobia that urge us to safeguard the defining principles of “our civilization,” represented by scientific achievement and great art, to which Islam poses a threat. — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 117

Categorization

• XREF: This is the exact analytical mechanism the reader needs to weigh whether Hamid and Naqvi quietly reinforce Islamophobia despite liberal intent — contrasts with McEwan’s framing here.
• DEFINE: Defines how a ‘contesting’ novel can slide into reinforcement at the level of the liberal-humanist cure, not overt bigotry.