At first glance, Islamophobia would appear to be the product of a rigid, polarized worldview. It demands that Muslims be seen negatively, as threatening figures who want to dominate the West, a geopolitical space in which they do not belong and to which they cannot adapt. Yet appearances are misleading. In practice, Islamophobia owes more to the convergence of cultural and political spaces than to their separation. 40 Polarization is what Islamophobes desire, but cannot quite achieve. Anti-Muslim activists like Terry Jones, Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, the Bible Believers, and the Westboro Baptist Church are drawn to Dearborn because they see it as an abomination, as a dangerous exception to the American norm. In fact, Dearborn is proof that an alternative American reality, one in which Islam is normal and Muslims enjoy political support, is possible and will become increasingly common in future.

XREF: Contrasts with conventional framing of prejudice as stemming from division or separation; connects to broader literature on contact theory and how hostile movements often target spaces where integration succeeds.

Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ Th…, loc. 707