Muslims now occupy the pariah racial position blacks once held

Evidence

Since 9/11 therefore, a ‘problem’ with Islam and Muslims has become apparent at both the local and global levels, so as ‘race’ became the lens through which the crisis was understood in the 1970s, so ‘Islam’ has become the lens through which contemporary crises have become understood: Islam being to Muslims what race was to black males. — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 814 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Muslims have always been, and still remain, black. The claim that “Muslims are the new blacks” ignores the extensive history of black Muslims in the United States, and ignores the very existence of black Muslim communities, indigenous and immigrant, today. — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 419 (#responds-to, via linked claim)

For what seems to have happened since the events of 9/11, but particularly during the presidential election of 2008, is the semiotic transmutation of “blacks” and “Jews” into “Arabs” and “Muslims”, respectively, in the evolving lexicon of American racism—and for this reason Benjamin Emanuel’s remark deserves closer attention, as does the entire presidential election in 2008, during which, on countless occasions, this recodification of American racism was fully on display, particularly when it came to the figure and phenomenon of Barack Hussein Obama himself. — Hamid Dabashi, Brown Skin, White Masks, 565 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Tools of racecraft honed on Blacks and Native Americans get retargeted at Muslims — Cyra Akila Choudhury, Racecraft and Identity in the Emergence…, 41; African American Muslims are racialized as Black before being seen as Muslim — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes…, 116; Muslims move down the racial hierarchy rather than becoming a new race (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Islam functions for Muslims today as race did for black males in the 1970s #corroborates (0.95) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 814
• The ‘Muslims are the new blacks’ claim erases black Muslims’ longstanding existence. #responds-to (0.93) — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 419
• American racism has recently recoded blacks and Jews into Arabs and Muslims #corroborates (0.92) — Hamid Dabashi, Brown Skin, White Masks, 565
• African American Muslims are racialized as Black before being seen as Muslim #complicates (0.82) — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 116
• African American Muslims experience racialized religion differently due to distinct history #complicates (0.80) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 478
• Muslims can evade racialization by concealing religious difference #complicates (0.74)