The Islamophobia campaign began as a campus-police project against pro-Palestinian scholars

Evidence

As Max Blumenthal notes, the “Ground Zero mosque” controversy is “the fruit of an organized, long-term campaign by a tight confederation of right-wing activists and operatives who first focused on Islamophobia soon after the September 11th attacks, but only attained critical mass during the Obama era.” He explains that the efforts began in the early 2000s, when a coalition of Jewish groups ranging from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) to AIPAC came together to address what they saw as a sudden increase in pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses. The key targets on campuses were Middle East scholars whose work challenged the right-wing narrative of Middle East politics generally and of the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 526 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Anti-Muslim propagandists specialize in campus outreach and coordinated media distribution.; Campus watchdogs attacked Middle East scholars to police criticism of Israel — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 667; Pro-Israeli groups incubated organized Islamophobia years before Obama. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 665 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• The Ground Zero mosque controversy grew from an organized pro-Israel campus campaign. #exemplifies (0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 526
• Islamophobia is partly a product of state attempts to police Muslims. #expands (0.80)
• Campus Watch attacked Middle East scholars as a route to anti-Arab targeting. #exemplifies (0.80)
• Think tanks, academia, and media institutions jointly produce Islamophobia #corroborates (0.75)
• The US government manufactured Islamophobia as a disciplinary technique against black political activism #complicates (0.75)