Islamophobia stems from nationalism’s ambiguities rather than fear of Islam

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 (#expands, via linked claim)

In this book we have journeyed from the seventh century to the twenty-first and found that the relationship between the “East” and “West” has not been characterized by a transhistoric “clash of civilizations.” We also saw that the image of the menacing “Muslim threat” has been mobilized largely by ruling elites to serve a political agenda, whether the domination of Europe by the papacy in the eleventh century or US expansionism today. An external enemy is usually paired with an internal one against whom palpable fear and hatred are generated. It follows that Islamophobia is about politics and not religion; it is therefore in the realm of politics that Islamophobia must be fought. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 576 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Crusades were tied to enduring European xenophobia rooted in Greek thought; Perceiving Islam as monolithic and static drives most Islamophobia — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 53; Just as conversions aren’t causing massive demographic shifts, jihadists aren’t causing massive numbers of terror attacks on Western soil. Therefore, it seems clear that Western fears of both jihadist attacks stem from insecurities about Western power and the ability of Western nations to fend off terror attacks. Fears of jihad and national security rest primarily with male converts, while female Muslim converts bring about a different set of anxieties for nationalist commentators. Female Muslim converts challenge false stereotypes about oppressed Muslim women and create fear for nationalists by challenging Western societal norms of objectification of women. Objectification of women means the West hyper-sexualizing female bodies for mass consumption. (+31 more)

Related

• Islamophobia is increasingly theorized as a form of racism rather than mere religious prejudice (similarity 0.92)
• Islamophobia is a largely unwarranted social anxiety about Islam and Muslims (similarity 0.89)
• Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia (similarity 0.89)
• Islamophobia is political rather than religious and must be fought politically (similarity 0.86)
• Perceiving Islam as monolithic and static drives most Islamophobia (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia springs from citizenship ambiguities rather than fear of Islam itself (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia functions as a screen hiding Western geopolitical responsibility (similarity 0.86)
• Islamophobia is powered by the overlap of Muslims being both inside and outside (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia operates as ambient background noise masking concrete injustices (similarity 0.85)
• Islamophobia is driven by state violence rather than mere ignorance (similarity 0.85)
• Capital instrumentalizes Islamophobia rather than being driven by it (similarity 0.84)
• The West’s question should be why it fears Muslims, not why they hate us (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia’s political origin explains gaps in empirical knowledge about it. (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia originates in ambiguous citizenship models, not in fear of Islam itself. (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobia descends directly from Orientalism’s civilizational divide between Islam and the West (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia #expands (0.70) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 706
• Islamophobia is refusing Muslims a role in building national identity #expands (0.70)
• Islamophobia is political rather than religious and must be fought politically #corroborates (0.65) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 576