Islamophobic myths rest on distorted readings that have become unquestioned common sense.
Evidence
Since the events of 9/11, politicians and the media have not just promoted Islamophobia—they’ve turned the dial up to eleven. This rhetoric was not invented after September 2001; it has a long history, as we saw in the previous two chapters. This chapter will examine some images of Muslims that have persisted to the point of becoming “common sense”—ideas which are believed to be true and so obvious that they need no verification. In particular, we will look at five myths about Islam and Muslims. I use the term “myth” for both its meanings—as a traditional story of supposedly historic events that shed light on the worldview of a people, and as a false and questionable story. Myths about Islam in the twenty-first century are indeed historical, but they are based on a distorted or selective interpretation of the past. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 155
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines the book’s operative term ‘myth’ with its double meaning.
- XREF: Connects to Said’s Orientalism framework of the chapter’s premise. — connects to: Factual correction fails against holders of complex ignorance about Islam. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 653; Norms of secular textual reading mark Muslims as deficient by unstated Western standards.; Preconceptions about Muslims filter out information that contradicts them (+6 more)
Broader Connections
- Liberal reading habits themselves can fabricate Muslim difference
#expands(0.75) - Islamophobia in literature can reside in universalist reading practices rather than overt denunciation
#expands(0.70) - Religious cultural practices get read as evidence of Muslim men’s misogyny rather than doctrine.
#exemplifies(0.65) - Islamophobic claims serve to positively define their speakers rather than describe Muslims
#expands(0.60) - Islamophobic stereotypes of Muslims form a closed gendered loop.
#exemplifies(0.60) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 487 - Criticism that endangers Muslim safety crosses into Islamophobia.
#expands(0.50) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 80