Islamophobia is produced by an interconnected network of institutional spheres, not isolated actors

Evidence

Our discussion of the surveillance, religious profiling, detentions, deportations, hate crimes, and impediments to the free exercise of religion touches on the most prominent instances of the discrimination, exclusion, and even violence experienced by Muslims. While this is not an exhaustive list, it is a reminder of some of the overwhelming challenges facing Muslims who seek to live as productive members of Western societies. It is also a reminder that racism and bigotry are not confined to individual attitudes and actions but are systemic and take institutionalized form. The perpetuation of Islamophobia by government agencies and non-Muslim citizens reveals the magnitude of the problem. But is the problem insurmountable, or are there effective ways to combat Islamophobia? That is the question that concerns us in the final chapter. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 641 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

It is hard to say whether the organized networks of Islamophobia have in fact had the chief responsibility for pushing American opinion against Islam. There are clearly sectors of American culture that are predisposed to be hostile to Islam in any case. While it is true that conservative and evangelical circles typically hold anti-Islamic attitudes, as Juliane Hammer points out in her essay, there are also plenty of liberals who are quick to denounce the alleged sins and shortcomings of Muslims. Furthermore, as Kambiz GhaneaBassiri observes, news media and elected officials benefit from the fear of Muslim terrorism with enhanced revenue or political power. So, in effect, Islamophobia fits into certain structural aspects of the way American society deals with recent minorities during times of crisis. Anti-Islamic rhetoric draws upon the repertoire of religious bigotry as well as traditional American racism, but it is given a particular spice by the element of gender and stereotypes about oppressed Muslim women. Ultimately, as Andrew Shryock concludes, this kind of prejudice is a distortion and a distraction from the real issues that confront America. — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 35 (#expands, via linked claim)

Colin Powell has referred to this complex as the “terror industrial complex” in the twenty-first century, suggesting a continuity with the Cold War. This terror industrial complex provides the infrastructure of what I call the “matrix of anti-Muslim racism.” In what follows, I outline the spheres discussed throughout this book and place them together to illustrate the joint and interactive processes involved in the production of Islamophobia. The matrix, however, isn’t the last word on this question. One could fruitfully expand a structural analysis of this sort with an examination of social media, privatized military and policing agencies, NGOs, charitable foundations, defense contractors, and various public and private entities, all of which are part of the terror industrial complex in the neoliberal era. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 736 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Think tanks, academia, and media institutions jointly produce Islamophobia; Islamophobia networks are structurally integral to US empire — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 89; Anti-Muslim activism is a coordinated network spanning neoconservatives and broader right-wing factions. (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobia is systemic and institutionalized, not merely individual prejudice #corroborates (0.85) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 641
• Islamophobia works through structural incentives and preexisting prejudice, not organized networks alone #expands (0.82) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 35
• A terror industrial complex produces Islamophobia through interlocking institutions #exemplifies (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 736
• Islamophobia predates organized networks and serves structural functions across the political spectrum #qualifies (0.78)
• Islamophobia operates as an empire advanced by cooperating governments with distinct anti-Muslim agendas #expands (0.75)
• Islamophobia became a globally networked condition spread across states #corroborates (0.74) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 37
• Islamophobia is an empire advanced by a network of governments with distinct crusades #corroborates (0.72)