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My book “Outsiders at Home: The Politics of American Islamophobia” is now available!Please take a min to read this thread abt it & why we should pay attention to anti-Muslim disc in American politics
cc @womenalsoknow @POCalsoknow @CUP_PoliSci
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https://amzn.to/2AZZVcc
Islamophobia mattered in 2 distinct ways *just this past week* in American politics.
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1. #BoltonBook revealed that Trump encouraged Uighurs’ internment, confirming his contempt for Muslim lives and reigniting fears among US Muslims that the Muslim ban may be a precursor to possible internment *here* esp if another large-scale terrorist attack occurs in US
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2. In the Sunday edition of The Tennessean, “Future For America“ ran a full page ad claiming that a nuclear device would be detonated in Nashville and that the attack would be carried out by unspecific interests of “Islam.”
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We cannot talk about American elections w/o accounting for how Islamophobia shapes individuals’ political decisionmaking.
Anti-Muslim sentiment played a large role in shaping support for Trump in 2016.
It will likely matter again in November 2020.
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Anti-Muslim sentiment played a large role in shaping support for Trump in 2016.
It will likely matter again in November 2020.
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I wrote this book bc
-No one believed our stories nor that they mattered for politics
-Gag orders muted the stories of those who were/are detained
-Fed state & local law enforcement were trained to hunt Muslims & they ruined the lives of so many, even regular college kids
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-No one believed our stories nor that they mattered for politics
-Gag orders muted the stories of those who were/are detained
-Fed state & local law enforcement were trained to hunt Muslims & they ruined the lives of so many, even regular college kids
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But all along Muslims knew this was *really* happening. And we were scared.
Anecdotal evidence accumulated.
It shaped what we know as a Muslim community to be true about our experiences, & our stories bound us -- an incredibly diverse group of people -- together.
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Anecdotal evidence accumulated.
It shaped what we know as a Muslim community to be true about our experiences, & our stories bound us -- an incredibly diverse group of people -- together.
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But *they* (lawmakers, policymakers, academics, the media & the public) didn’t believe us
They wanted empirical evidence
They wanted causal identification
They wanted to close your hearts and minds to the destruction of millions of your neighbors and fellow Americans
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They wanted empirical evidence
They wanted causal identification
They wanted to close your hearts and minds to the destruction of millions of your neighbors and fellow Americans
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I was tired of no one believing us. So I decided to show the world.
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Outsiders at Home paints a broad landscape of disc & documents the numerous levels at which it occurs
To write this book, I
-Surveyed thousands of people
-Analyzed decades of media coverage
-Conducted numerous experiments
-Gave voice to US muslims themselves
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To write this book, I
-Surveyed thousands of people
-Analyzed decades of media coverage
-Conducted numerous experiments
-Gave voice to US muslims themselves
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I find..
1. Negative attitudes towards Muslims in America are pervasive. They matter for shaping a number of policies, including banning *AMERICAN* Muslims from their own country, patrolling their neighborhoods, and limiting immigration from Muslim countries of origin.
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1. Negative attitudes towards Muslims in America are pervasive. They matter for shaping a number of policies, including banning *AMERICAN* Muslims from their own country, patrolling their neighborhoods, and limiting immigration from Muslim countries of origin.
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2. Anti-Muslim attitudes matter for shaping Trump support. Let me state this clearly. Muslim American Resentment was the most powerful indicator, aside from party ID, for shaping Trump support in 2016. This is important. And it cannot be ignored as we move forward into 2020
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3. Most people are unwilling to vote for a Muslim candidate running for political office, regardless of the Muslim candidate’s race.
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4. The coverage of racialized groups in America—Blacks Latinos Asians & Muslims— is more negative than that of the avg story that airs on CNN, FOX, MSNBC. BUT, Muslims coverage is still more neg than even the rest of these groups we KNOW face substantial disc in the media.
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5. Negative media portrayals matter. Very brief exposure to neg coverage causes individuals to hold more hostile policy attitudes towards Muslims; largest differences emerge for policy to ban *AMERICAN* Muslims from entering their own country if they've left for any reason.
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6. Legislators are less responsive to their Muslim constituents, regardless of Muslims’ socioeconomic status. Circumstances improve, however, when religious leaders of the Muslim community seek representation from elected leaders in states where Muslims are numerous
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7. Muslims themselves are aware of their own low sociopolitical positioning. They hold heightened perceptions of discrimination, and fear for their lives. This takes an incredible toll.
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Findings show disc against US Muslims is rampant in many aspects of politics today
Group's sitch is worse than previously imagined & its getting worse
Media coverage & targeted attacks from politicians bear much of the responsibility, yielding devastating consequences
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Group's sitch is worse than previously imagined & its getting worse
Media coverage & targeted attacks from politicians bear much of the responsibility, yielding devastating consequences
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