The national—and global—rise in Islamophobia can be credited directly to opportunistic right-wing politicians like Trump who have stoked the “clash of civilizations” narrative to arouse animus and hatred for which there is no good reason. Frustratingly, this is only helping America’s true enemies, and is threatening the freedoms enjoyed by all democratic societies around the world.

XREF: Connects to broader discussions of populist nationalism and manufactured culture wars in contemporary politics.

XREF: Connects to the broader clash-of-civilizations thesis, a well-known framework for understanding post-9/11 politics.

Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Gl…, loc. 354