The 2016 race weaponized nonspecific Muslim fear for electoral gain

Evidence

On a macro level, this fear is disconcerting because of how easily it can be weaponized for political gain. In the 2016 presidential election in the United States, we saw a veritable “race to the bottom” when it came to positioning Muslims as a dangerous enemy of the state. Candidates seemed in a hurry to outdo one another when it came to who could vilify Muslims the most. These political candidates often spoke of Islam as though it were indistinguishable from terror groups like ISIS. — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 33

Categorization

• XREF: This election weaponization parallels the far-right electoral success in Europe described in the following paragraphs, supporting the transnational thesis. — connects to: Anti-Islamic propaganda reached tens of millions of voters through shadowy funding; Explicit Islamophobia has become an effective electoral strategy — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 508; Muslim American voters expected Clinton’s victory would end brazen Islamophobia. — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 537 (+18 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 33

Related

• Explicit Islamophobia has become an effective electoral strategy (similarity 0.87)
• Muslim American voters expected Clinton’s victory would end brazen Islamophobia. (similarity 0.84)
• The 2016 presidential election intensified public interest in Islamophobia research (similarity 0.84)
• Hillary Clinton’s front-lines rhetoric marginalizes American Muslim political agency (similarity 0.83)
• Anti-Muslim fear is being weaponized electorally in Europe and India simultaneously (similarity 0.83)
• Anti-sharia panic manufactures political support while Muslims pose no such threat (similarity 0.82)
• Electoral politics incentivize both parties to weaponize anti-Muslim racism for career gain (similarity 0.81)
• Islamophobia and immigration anxiety drove the Brexit vote and European racist resurgence (similarity 0.80)
• Political Islamophobia’s modern form began with Obama’s 2008 presidential election. (similarity 0.79)
• War on Terror Islamophobia empowered populist demagogues to seize power against Muslims (similarity 0.79)
• Islamophobic campaign rhetoric is traded for votes and converted into policy (similarity 0.78)
• Islamophobic power can deploy oppositional tactics to advance Muslim marginalization (similarity 0.78)
• Right-wing politicians stoked a clash-of-civilizations narrative that globally increased Islamophobia. (similarity 0.78)
• Islamophobia is increasingly theorized as a form of racism rather than mere religious prejudice (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• State-perpetuated fear racializes Muslim bodies as terrorist enemies #corroborates (0.85)
• Islamophobia has material and political causes beyond ignorance or xenophobia #corroborates (0.80) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 706
• Anti-sharia panic manufactures political support while Muslims pose no such threat #corroborates (0.75)
• Islamophobia is political rather than religious and must be fought politically #corroborates (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 576
• Anti-Muslim sentiment spans opposing political groups, not just white conservatives #corroborates (0.65)
• Democratic and Republican parties practice different but complementary forms of Islamophobia #corroborates (0.60) — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 327
• Counterterrorism rhetoric masks an offensive campaign against Muslims. #corroborates (0.60)
• The good Muslim bad Muslim binary paved the way for political Islamophobia #expands (0.55) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 262
• Islamophobia stems from nationalism’s ambiguities rather than fear of Islam #complicates (0.50)
• Islamophobia springs from citizenship ambiguities rather than fear of Islam itself #complicates (0.50) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 716