Patel’s advice to non-Muslims concerned with combating Islamophobia is to pay particular attention to how prejudices are formed and dismantled and to proceed strategically. “Do not castigate your run-of-the-mill Islamophobe,” Patel says. “Castigate the Islamophobes who know what they are doing. Castigate Pam Geller, David Horowitz, and others who are playing Wizard of Oz and who are creating Islamophobia.” Patel argues that most people who harbor prejudice against Muslims have a very limited knowledge base and are making judgments about Muslims based on that shallow pool of knowledge. Their intent is not malicious, so it therefore serves no purpose to call them racist.

QUESTION: How does one reliably distinguish ignorant prejudice from deliberate promotion of it in practice?

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 690