Islamophobia functions as scapegoating that diverts attention from capitalism’s failures.

Evidence

Islamophobia—like all prejudices—actually reveals more about those holding the prejudice than it does about its objects. A demonic Islamic enemy is all the better for diverting attention from intractable economic and social problems caused by late capitalism and the socially eviscerating tendencies of neoliberalism. Islamophobia makes its claim to the ground of common sense by providing simplistic explanations and scapegoats for society’s ills. It directs the attention of those who have suffered most at the hands of an inequitable system away from national political failures toward an alien wedge portrayed as intent on mayhem and carnage. — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 40

Categorization

• XREF: Functionalist explanation of prejudice parallels the Frankfurt School material already in the library — ideology as displaced class resentment, scapegoating logic in Horkheimer/Adorno on anti-Semitism. — connects to: Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 706; Islamophobia functions as a screen hiding Western geopolitical responsibility — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 513; Islamophobia operates as ambient background noise masking concrete injustices (+10 more)
• ADDENDUM: The scapegoat dynamic here parallels the mechanism in ‘On Sacrifice’ — collective anger discharged onto a designated victim to stabilize an inequitable order.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 40

Broader Connections

• Capital instrumentalizes Islamophobia rather than being driven by it #corroborates (0.85)
• Islamophobia functions as a screen hiding Western geopolitical responsibility #expands (0.75) — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 513
• Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia #expands (0.70) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 706
• Islamophobia operates as ambient background noise masking concrete injustices #expands (0.60)
• The pandemic generated new Islamophobic scapegoating across countries #exemplifies (0.55)
• Islamophobia operates as a marketable commodity across media forms #expands (0.50) — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 354