Most people harboring anti-Muslim prejudice act from ignorance rather than malice.

Evidence

Patel’s advice to non-Muslims concerned with combating Islamophobia is to pay particular attention to how prejudices are formed and dismantled and to proceed strategically. “Do not castigate your run-of-the-mill Islamophobe,” Patel says. “Castigate the Islamophobes who know what they are doing. Castigate Pam Geller, David Horowitz, and others who are playing Wizard of Oz and who are creating Islamophobia.” Patel argues that most people who harbor prejudice against Muslims have a very limited knowledge base and are making judgments about Muslims based on that shallow pool of knowledge. Their intent is not malicious, so it therefore serves no purpose to call them racist. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 690

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes deliberate Islamophobia-producers from run-of-the-mill prejudiced people, sharpening the book’s definitional boundary.
• QUESTION: This runs against the grain of the reader’s likely stance — is Patel right that rank-and-file prejudice is never malicious? Worth chasing.
• XREF: connects to: Most people harboring anti-Muslim suspicion do so without deliberate malice. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 34; Anti-Muslim prejudice is fueled by lack of personal contact and by organized moneyed interests — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 817; Authoritarianism and preference for cultural homogeneity drive anti-Muslim stereotypes. — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 253 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Most people harboring anti-Muslim suspicion do so without deliberate malice. #corroborates (0.90) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 34
• Structural utility, not ignorance, sustains Muslim racialization. #contradicts (0.70)
• Anti-Muslim prejudice is fueled by lack of personal contact and by organized moneyed interests #qualifies (0.60) — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 817
• Anti-Muslim prejudice was deliberately deployed by elites at specific political moments. #complicates (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 25
• Islamophobia is produced by state action, not only cultural bias #complicates (0.60)
• Islamophobia is driven by state violence rather than mere ignorance #contradicts (0.60)
• Authoritarianism and preference for cultural homogeneity drive anti-Muslim stereotypes. #qualifies (0.50) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 253
• Suspicion of Muslims is based on association rather than evidence #expands (0.50)
• Islamophobia is systemic and institutionalized, not merely individual prejudice #complicates (0.50) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 641