Indeed, Islamophobia—like all prejudices—actually reveals more about those holding the prejudice than it does about its objects. … A demonic Islamic enemy is all the better for diverting attention from intractable economic and social problems caused by late capitalism and the socially eviscerating tendencies of neoliberalism.

XREF: This projection psychology parallels scapegoating theories and the way out-groups function as displacement targets for systemic economic failures.

Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, loc. 40