The false eighty-percent-mosque claim circulated unchallenged across mainstream media

Evidence

One example illustrates how Islamophobic propaganda is amplified in the mainstream media. The new McCarthyites have long claimed that 80 percent of mosques are controlled by jihadists. In 2004, Republican congressman Peter King stated on the Fox News network’s Sean Hannity Show that “eighty to eighty-five percent of mosques in this country are controlled by Islamic fundamentalists.” He backed up his claim by citing the research of Emerson and Pipes. This nonsense was repeated again and again by the Islamophobes, even in the mainstream media. In 2010, Pamela Geller stated that “four out of five mosques preach hate” on CNN. In March 2011, King held his “green scare” hearings on the supposed radicalization in American Muslim communities. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 559

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the earlier chapters’ myth-dismantling, framing anti-Muslim surveillance as a repeat of Cold War red-baiting. — connects to: Media framing constructs the reality audiences accept about Islam. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 497; Mainstream media misattributed the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing to Muslims. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 504; Anti-Islamic propaganda reached tens of millions of voters through shadowy funding (+14 more)

Broader Connections

• Extremist claims get promoted because of rather than despite their absurdity #expands (0.75) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 556
• Preconceptions about Muslims filter out information that contradicts them #exemplifies (0.65)
• Media coverage of Muslim violence superficially supports an Islam-violence link #expands (0.60) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 282
• 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%… #corroborates (0.60)
• Market incentives drive the media to reinforce rather than challenge religious explanations of terrorism #complicates (0.55)
• Unchallenged propaganda legitimized monitoring Muslims like Cold War reds #expands (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 559
• Suspicion of Muslims is based on association rather than evidence #exemplifies (0.50)
• Media frames Muslim terrorists as religion-driven simpletons while psychologizing non-Muslim perpetrators #expands (0.40) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 506