The radicalized Muslim threat narrative is a fear instrument rather than a safety measure

Evidence

Statistically, Americans are more likely to die from a bolt of lightning than from an act of “terror.” The focus on “radicalized” Muslim Americans serves not to keep the American people safe, but to whip up a sense of fear and paranoia which can then be used to squash dissent and win consent for violations of civil liberties at home and wars abroad. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 32

Categorization

• SEED: Article angle: the statistical gap between lightning-death risk and terror-risk as the anchor for a critique of manufactured consent.
• XREF: connects to: Islamism spans violent and peaceful movements rather than one uniform threat. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 249; The West’s question should be why it fears Muslims, not why they hate us; The Great Replacement narrative exposes Muslims to threat from any direction worldwide — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 156 (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• State-perpetuated fear racializes Muslim bodies as terrorist enemies #expands (0.75)
• Structural Islamophobia operates through laws and policies that presume Muslims threaten national security #expands (0.70) — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 123
• Islamophobia is driven by state violence rather than mere ignorance #corroborates (0.70)
• Professional Islamophobia is a career path of deliberately manufacturing anti-Muslim fear #expands (0.65) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 435
• Counterterrorism rhetoric masks an offensive campaign against Muslims. #corroborates (0.65)
• Surveillance fear makes Muslims internalize discipline and self-police #expands (0.60)