Donald Trump also once famously said that “anyone who cannot name our enemy is not fit to lead this country.” In light of his statements giving white supremacists a free pass for their terrorism—by explicitly refusing to name them—there's compelling evidence that he has helped weaponize Islamophobia. By only condemning dark-skinned people and people with minority religions, and by failing to publicly condemn the right-wing racists who terrorize our fellow Americans more and more each year, he has only added fuel to the fire.

QUESTION: What evidence supports a causal link between selective condemnation and increased Islamophobic violence? Could be worth investigating further.

Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Gl…, loc. 229