“Islamophobia affects democracy in at least three ways,” said Dalia Mogahed, co-author of the book Who Speaks for Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. “Firstly, the anti-Sharia legislation movement is really part of a larger problem, as the same lawmakers that are targeting Muslims are targeting other minorities as well. Secondly, Islamophobia hurts our democracy in that it scares people,” she continued. “Fear makes people more accepting of authoritarianism, conformity, and prejudice. And thirdly, it manipulates people, and manipulates the public to consent to policies that they would otherwise not agree.”

QUESTION: Which historical cases support or contradict the claim that fear reliably pushes democracies toward authoritarian acceptance? Useful for evaluative follow-up.

Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Gl…, loc. 635