Liberal Islamophobia rejects clash rhetoric yet retains imperial paternalism toward Muslims

Evidence

The need for a cultural shift articulated earlier now became central under the Obama administration. Nye acknowledged the diversity of opinion in Muslim-majority countries from the MENA region to South Asia and advocated the use of soft power to win hearts and minds. The Obama era therefore came to be characterized by a shift to liberal imperialism and liberal Islamophobia. The key characteristics of liberal Islamophobia in the Obama era were the rejection of the “clash of civilizations” thesis, the elevation of “good Muslims” both domestically and internationally, and a concomitant willingness to work with “moderate” (or pro-American) Islamists. While Orientalists like Lewis and his neocon associates view the culture of Islam as backward and as instrumental in fomenting political violence, liberals differentiate between the mass of Muslims and “extremists.” They view the latter as driven by a totalitarian ideology. Liberal Islamophobia may be rhetorically gentler than conservative Islamophobia, but it is nonetheless imperial racism in that it takes for granted the “white man’s burden.” — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 512

Categorization

• DEFINE: Gives the sharpest working definition of liberal vs. conservative Islamophobia in the book — the former splits ‘good Muslims’ from ‘extremists’ but keeps the ‘white man’s burden’ frame intact.
• XREF: connects to: Liberal Islamophobia includes Muslims only on imperial terms — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 89; Liberal-reformist Islamophobia remains imperial racism cloaked in benevolence — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 500; Liberal rejection of open Islamophobia masks the same racializing policies — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 622 (+14 more)

Broader Connections

• Liberal Islamophobia is racist and imperialist despite its gentler rhetoric #corroborates (1.00) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 430
• Liberal Islamophobia rejects blatant rhetoric while instituting the same Muslim racialization policies #corroborates (0.98)
• Liberal Islamophobia rejects Islam-bashing while enacting policies that target Muslims #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 583
• US Islamophobia has liberal and conservative wings, both imperial #expands (0.90) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 380
• Culturalist framing of Islam enables respectable liberal Islamophobia #expands (0.85) — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia, 167
• Liberal Islamophobia and right-wing racism are interchangeable imperial instruments #expands (0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 544
• Islamophobia is structural racism rooted in empire, not religious intolerance #expands (0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 91
• Liberal defenses of Muslims framed Islamophobia as intolerance, not empire-linked racism #qualifies (0.80)
• Liberal containment of Islamophobia serves counterinsurgency strategy, not tolerance #expands (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 574
• The liberal case for the war on terror abetted later Islamophobia #expands (0.80) — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 123
• Islamophobia flourishes on both the nativist right and among self-proclaimed liberals #corroborates (0.80) — A. Hussain, N. Meer, Framing Muslim Integration, 689
• Anti-Islamophobia frameworks can reproduce the very homogenization they oppose #complicates (0.75) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 397