In the group that “Fear Inc.” has described as validators of Islamophobic discourse, one can find, depending on the definition, a rather long list of names. Men and women who are either laying claim to their Muslim identity and thus speak on behalf and/ or against fellow Muslims, as well as a number of former Muslims who have renounced their affiliation with Islam but claim intimate knowledge of the religion, its practices, and its cultures.

DEFINE: Defines who counts as 'validators of Islamophobic discourse': both Muslims claiming identity and former Muslims claiming insider knowledge.

Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ Th…, loc. 557