The Islamophobia network framed a conspiratorial alliance between Islamists and the Left

Evidence

It is hard to say whether the organized networks of Islamophobia have in fact had the chief responsibility for pushing American opinion against Islam. There are clearly sectors of American culture that are predisposed to be hostile to Islam in any case. While it is true that conservative and evangelical circles typically hold anti-Islamic attitudes, as Juliane Hammer points out in her essay, there are also plenty of liberals who are quick to denounce the alleged sins and shortcomings of Muslims. Furthermore, as Kambiz GhaneaBassiri observes, news media and elected officials benefit from the fear of Muslim terrorism with enhanced revenue or political power. So, in effect, Islamophobia fits into certain structural aspects of the way American society deals with recent minorities during times of crisis. Anti-Islamic rhetoric draws upon the repertoire of religious bigotry as well as traditional American racism, but it is given a particular spice by the element of gender and stereotypes about oppressed Muslim women. Ultimately, as Andrew Shryock concludes, this kind of prejudice is a distortion and a distraction from the real issues that confront America. — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 35 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Islamophobia lifted Harris, Hirsi Ali, Ben Shapiro, and their ideological allies to new levels of acclaim. They dismissed Islamophobia as a “myth,” a Trojan horse used by Muslim civic organizations to push extremist agendas while “masquerading as a human rights organization.” Although self-styled “progressives,” Harris, Hirsi Ali, and those who shared their views discounted the suffering inflicted upon Muslims by the American War on Terror, or dismissed the gravity of the new crusades it fed. Islamophobia served as an ideological meeting point for pundits with disparate ideologies. For instance, right-wing pundits like Jordan Peterson found rare agreement with the likes of Bill Maher, who similarly delivered “messages to Muslims” that claimed that the struggles of its adherents came exclusively from within the faith, its scripture, and its sectarian fault lines. — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 317 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Anti-Muslim activism is a coordinated network spanning neoconservatives and broader right-wing factions.; A network of named think tanks and groups produced the Muslim takeover conspiracy narrative.; Anti-Islamist books framing a Left-Islamist conspiracy inspired Breivik’s massacre (+15 more)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobia predates organized networks and serves structural functions across the political spectrum #complicates (0.85)
• Islamophobia works through structural incentives and preexisting prejudice, not organized networks alone #complicates (0.85) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 35
• Islamophobia unites pundits across the political spectrum as an ideological meeting point #complicates (0.85) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 317
• Liberal Islamophobia legitimizes and amplifies right-wing anti-Muslim conspiracy theories #complicates (0.80)
• Liberal framing of the good-bad Muslim divide enables right-wing conspiracy theories #complicates (0.80)
• Liberal security politics amplified right-wing Islamophobia’s reach and power #complicates (0.80)
• Think tanks, academia, and media institutions jointly produce Islamophobia #complicates (0.80)
• European anti-Semitism and Islamophobia mirror each other in structure. #complicates (0.80) — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 465
• Dismissing Islamophobia as a myth unites right-wing and left-wing pundits #complicates (0.75) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 317
• Islamophobia networks are structurally integral to US empire #complicates (0.75) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 89
• French anti-racist activism linked antisemitism to Islamophobia beneath surface divisions #complicates (0.75)
• Four interconnected groups jointly project the Muslim-enemy image #complicates (0.75) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 537
• A US-based transatlantic counter-jihad network exports Islamophobia to Europe #complicates (0.75)
• The Ground Zero Mosque backlash was orchestrated by organized Islamophobia networks #complicates (0.75) — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 274
• Islamophobia responds to political organizing, not just interfaith education. #complicates (0.75)