Islamophobia predates organized networks and serves structural functions across the political spectrum

Evidence

If we persist in portraying Islamophobia as an irrational force of misperception—the bad citizen’s response to the bad Muslim—we will render ourselves oblivious to Islamophobia’s ultimate causes, which are not simply ignorance or xenophobia. Pastor Terry Jones is rightly criticized for both, but he has never invaded and occupied an independent (Muslim-majority) nation-state, authorized the torture of (Muslim) alien combatants held in secret prisons, killed hundreds of innocent (Muslim) people in unmanned drone attacks, propped up (Muslim) dictators against the will of their (Muslim) subjects, and given orders to detain, deport, and assassinate (Muslim) terror suspects without trial. — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 706 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

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 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Islamophobia is systemic and institutionalized, not merely individual prejudice — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 641; Free speech concerns about the Islamophobia concept are shared across the political spectrum — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 78; The good Muslim bad Muslim binary paved the way for political Islamophobia — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 262 (+26 more)

Related

• Islamophobia is increasingly theorized as a form of racism rather than mere religious prejudice (similarity 0.89)
• Elites mobilized Islamophobia to advance their political agendas across centuries (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia is a largely unwarranted social anxiety about Islam and Muslims (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia is produced by an interconnected network of institutional spheres, not isolated actors (similarity 0.86)
• Capital instrumentalizes Islamophobia rather than being driven by it (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia works through structural incentives and preexisting prejudice, not organized networks alone (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia is driven by state violence rather than mere ignorance (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia is systemic and institutionalized, not merely individual prejudice (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia is an empire advanced by a network of governments with distinct crusades (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia is rooted in centuries of religion-politics-warfare conflict (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia operates as ambient background noise masking concrete injustices (similarity 0.83)
• Islamophobia stems from nationalism’s ambiguities rather than fear of Islam (similarity 0.83)
• Islamophobia networks are structurally integral to US empire (similarity 0.83)
• Islamophobia is powered by the overlap of Muslims being both inside and outside (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia #corroborates (0.75) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 706
• Elites mobilized Islamophobia to advance their political agendas across centuries #corroborates (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 98
• Islamophobia is produced by state action, not only cultural bias #expands (0.70)
• Islamophobia is political rather than religious and must be fought politically #corroborates (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 576