Extremist claims get promoted because of rather than despite their absurdity

Evidence

Shoebat similarly tells his audiences that CAIR and the Islamic Society of North America are “the terrorist arms of the lawmaker: Sharia, Koran and Hadith.” Shoebat is even more extreme than his fellow ex-Muslims. His newfound Christian beliefs hold that during the “end times” of biblical prophecy, Muslims will fight alongside Satan on earth. Despite these outlandish claims (or perhaps because of them), he is enthusiastically promoted by his colleagues in the Islamophobic network. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 556

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Treating a metaphor literally exposes the absurdity of a claim — , A Year of World Stories, 2439; The false eighty-percent-mosque claim circulated unchallenged across mainstream media — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 559; Islamophobic claims serve to positively define their speakers rather than describe Muslims (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobic claims serve to positively define their speakers rather than describe Muslims #expands (0.70)
• Islamophobic provocation aims to elicit rage that confirms Muslim stereotypes #corroborates (0.65)
• Market incentives drive the media to reinforce rather than challenge religious explanations of terrorism #corroborates (0.60)
• Othering Muslims suppresses public outrage at their disparate treatment #expands (0.55) — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 767