Liberal Islamophobia is racist and imperialist despite its gentler rhetoric

Evidence

The Obama era therefore came to be characterized by a shift to liberal imperialism and liberal Islamophobia. The key characteristics of liberal Islamophobia are the rejection of the “clash of civilizations” thesis, the recognition that there are “good Muslims” with whom diplomatic relations can be forged, and a concomitant willingness to work with moderate Islamists. Liberal Islamophobia may be rhetorically gentler than conservative Islamophobia and (as we will see in chapter 10) the language of the “Islamophobic warriors,” but it is nonetheless racist and imperialist in that it takes for granted the “white man’s burden.” It doesn’t occur to the likes of Nye, Albright, and Haass that it is for ordinary people in the Middle East to make decisions about their societies. Self-determination does not enter their framework—and “benevolent supremacy” remains unquestioned. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 430

Categorization

• DEFINE: This is Kumar’s formal definition of liberal Islamophobia — its three key characteristics and its imperialist core — a load-bearing concept for the reader’s whole chapter.
• XREF: The ‘good Muslim/bad Muslim’ framing connects directly to Mamdani, and the ‘benevolent supremacy’ notion echoes Grosfoguel on benevolent coloniality. — connects to: The good Muslim bad Muslim binary paved the way for political Islamophobia — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 262; Orientalist Muslim dehumanization legitimizes colonial and imperial adventures — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 44; Islamophobia includes polite liberal variants, not only conservative conspiracy theories — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 48 (+36 more)

Broader Connections

• Liberal Islamophobia under Obama worsened conditions for Muslims at home and abroad #exemplifies (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 436
• Islamophobia and Islamophilia share assumptions that produce the same political effects #expands (0.75)