Powell's study also claims that the media is much more likely to blame religion for the actions of Muslim terrorists than for white non-Muslim terrorists. This is evident in CNN's description of…

Powell’s study also claims that the media is much more likely to blame religion for the actions of Muslim terrorists than for white non-Muslim terrorists. This is evident in CNN’s description of Luke Halder, a university student who set off pipe bombs throughout the Midwest in 2002, as ‘an intelligent young man with strong family ties’ and the media’s speculation that his actions were motivated by mental instability.

Evidence

Looking at Christianity’s brutal history today, one might well advance an argument that all Catholics are bloodthirsty fanatics. Indeed, this logic would be analogous to the argument that Islam is inherently violent and that Muslims have a “predisposition” toward violence. Yet such a generalization is unthinkable. To my knowledge, no mainstream newspaper or magazine has drawn a straight line between the Crusades and the Nazi Holocaust of Jews, let alone between the birth of Christ and various acts of terrorism committed by Christian fundamentalists. Furthermore, as Talal Asad argues, the same people who call the actions of suicide bombers unjustified legitimize the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands. In short, only the violence of certain groups is highlighted and coded as a product of those groups’ religious affinity. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 198 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Media frames Muslim terrorists as religion-driven simpletons while psychologizing non-Muslim perpetrators — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 506; Powell’s study concludes that white, non-Muslim men who commit domestic terrorism or other mass shootings are frequently described as being ‘mentally unstable,’ whereas Muslim terrorists are frequently described as angry extremists who are motivated primarily, if not solely, by religion.; Media coverage of Muslim violence superficially supports an Islam-violence link — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 282 (+8 more)

Related

• Powell’s study concludes that white, non-Muslim men who commit domestic terrorism or other mass shootings are frequently described as being ‘mentally unstable,’ whereas Muslim terrorists are… (similarity 0.93)
• The media codes only certain groups’ violence as religiously motivated (similarity 0.91)
• Media frames Muslim terrorists as religion-driven simpletons while psychologizing non-Muslim perpetrators (similarity 0.88)
• Only Muslim violence is read as caused by the perpetrators’ religion (similarity 0.87)
• Media coverage of Muslim violence superficially supports an Islam-violence link (similarity 0.85)
• Popular blame of religious belief for violence remains scientifically untested (similarity 0.84)
• Islamophobic ideology selectively attributes violence to religion only in the Muslim case. (similarity 0.83)
• Muslim-perpetrated attacks receive dramatically disproportionate news coverage (similarity 0.83)
• Media and state mutually reinforce Islam-violence associations for distinct functional reasons (similarity 0.82)
• 53% of Americans think that coverage of Islam and Muslims by American news organizations is generally unfair to Muslims and Islam. (similarity 0.82)
• Sustained media focus reframed Muslim citizens as enemies of the state (similarity 0.82)
• Applied to Christians or Jews, such rhetoric would be considered taboo (similarity 0.81)
• Western media frames Islam chiefly through terrorism and women’s oppression. (similarity 0.81)
• Christian violence is never generalized to all Christians, but Muslim violence is. (similarity 0.81)
• Radicalization discourse was built to serve counterterrorism policy, not science. (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Powell’s study concludes that white, non-Muslim men who commit domestic terrorism or other mass shootings are frequently described as being ‘mentally unstable,’ whereas Muslim terrorists are… #expands (0.90)
• The media codes only certain groups’ violence as religiously motivated #corroborates (0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 198
• Whiteness is categorically dissociated from the label of terrorism regardless of evidence #corroborates (0.80)
• Media coverage of Muslim violence superficially supports an Islam-violence link #corroborates (0.70) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 282
• Media framing shapes American attitudes toward Islam and jihad #expands (0.60) — Asena Karipek, Portrayals of Jihad, 75
• Clash of civilizations framing located terrorism’s cause within Islam itself #corroborates (0.60) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 266
• Media and state mutually reinforce Islam-violence associations for distinct functional reasons #expands (0.55)
• Among American Muslims who said it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the U.S. in recent years, the second most-answered reason for this was ‘negative media portrayals.’ In addition, 53%… #expands (0.55)
• Muslim-perpetrated attacks receive dramatically disproportionate news coverage #expands (0.50) — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 217