One example illustrates how Islamophobic propaganda is amplified in the mainstream media. The new McCarthyites have long claimed that 80 percent of mosques are controlled by jihadists. In 2004, Republican congressman Peter King stated on the Fox News network's Sean Hannity Show that “eighty to eighty-five percent of mosques in this country are controlled by Islamic fundamentalists.” He backed up his claim by citing the research of Emerson and Pipes. This nonsense was repeated again and again by the Islamophobes, even in the mainstream media. In 2010, Pamela Geller stated that “four out of five mosques preach hate” on CNN. In March 2011, King held his “green scare” hearings on the supposed radicalization in American Muslim communities.

XREF: Connects to literature on propaganda amplification and media studies on how weak evidence gains credibility through repeated mainstream citation. QUESTION: How did Emerson and Pipes' underlying research support (or fail to support) the 80% figure?

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 559