Proving Islamophobia requires demonstrating a prior causal ideology, not mere outcomes

Evidence

Consequently, exclusionary practices can therefore only exist where a process of determination can be identified and subsequently proven. In doing so, one cannot retrospectively assume that a particular discourse or ideology has duly been causal or influential in any process of exclusion or discrimination, but must instead determine and prove the presence and direct influence of such an ideological or discursive labouring. Thus one must assess not the products or manifestations of such labouring and simplistically put these forward as either evidence for or against, but instead demonstrate that prior to any policy or practice being implemented or indeed any process of discrimination being undertaken, a distinctly Islamophobic ideology or discourse was present that catalytically initiated and socially, economically or politically realised the subsequent and emergent agenda, policy or practice. Whilst this may be controversial in that it renders much of that put forward as being Islamophobia as invalid – much of which has already been proven to be invalid through methodological or empirical weaknesses – it firmly establishes a foundation and methodological criteria upon which further critical investigation be undertaken and from which grounded and empirical conclusions might ensue. — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 805

Categorization

• QUESTION: This causal standard is stringent enough to invalidate most existing Islamophobia research — worth holding against Bleich’s looser attitudinal definition.
• XREF: connects to: Public Islamophobia debate lacks empirical grounding and nuance — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia: Still a Challenge for Us…, 42; Separating Islamophobia as ideology from racism undermines anti-racist struggle — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia: Still a Challenge for Us…, 159; A neutral, usable concept is a prerequisite for causal analysis of Islamophobia. — Erik Bleich, What Is Islamophobia and How Much Is…, 10 (+6 more)