Right-wing Islamophobia shaped media bias before and independently of state power

Evidence

Yet the private Islamophobia of the media was no aberration at all in this respect, but rather an extension of the structural Islamophobia shaped and enforced by the state, which likewise built its suspicion and surveillance of Muslim Americans, like Ahmed in Minneapolis, on the slimmest pieces of evidence, overwhelmingly focusing on the religious identity and lifestyle of the actor. In the words of my younger brother Mohammed, “The more you pray, the more you’re prey.” — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 375 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Conservative Islamophobes shaped media frames even when they lost foreign-policy battles — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 423; Sustained media focus reframed Muslim citizens as enemies of the state; Progressive media also contain liberal Islamophobia despite hosting dissenting voices (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobia is produced by state action, not only cultural bias #complicates (0.90)
• Private media Islamophobia extends rather than deviates from state structural Islamophobia #complicates (0.88) — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 375
• Media and state mutually reinforce Islam-violence associations for distinct functional reasons #complicates (0.82)