QAnon followers fused mask mandates with the burqa as birther-style Islamophobic conspiracy.

Evidence

When the authors of Fear Inc. insist that the Islamophobic Right are a “fringe” and that anti-Muslim racism is not a significant problem in the United States, they not only fail to acknowledge how the individuals they name sit comfortably within the imperial infrastructure but also discount the dialectical relationship between liberal, conservative, and Far Right racism. … QAnon also claimed that wearing masks during the pandemic will lead to the full burqa in a few years and the institution of Sharia in the United States. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 724

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Aziz’s and Rana’s claims about Islamophobia as a routine state/political tool rather than fringe pathology; also the masquerade-as-trojan-horse fear pattern documented in Fear Inc. sources. — connects to: QAnon linked pandemic mask mandates to Muslim burqa and Sharia takeover
• CANDY: The specific QAnon claim that masks will lead to the full burqa is a striking, tweetable example of Islamophobic projection.

Broader Connections

• QAnon linked pandemic mask mandates to Muslim burqa and Sharia takeover #corroborates (0.95)