Terrified

How Anti-Muslim Fringe Organizations Became Mainstream

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Marriage & Family, Political Science
Cover of the book Terrified by Christopher A. Bail, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christopher A. Bail ISBN: 9781400852628
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: December 21, 2014
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Christopher A. Bail
ISBN: 9781400852628
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: December 21, 2014
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

In July 2010, Terry Jones, the pastor of a small fundamentalist church in Florida, announced plans to burn two hundred Qur'ans on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Though he ended up canceling the stunt in the face of widespread public backlash, his threat sparked violent protests across the Muslim world that left at least twenty people dead. In Terrified, Christopher Bail demonstrates how the beliefs of fanatics like Jones are inspired by a rapidly expanding network of anti-Muslim organizations that exert profound influence on American understanding of Islam.

Bail traces how the anti-Muslim narrative of the political fringe has captivated large segments of the American media, government, and general public, validating the views of extremists who argue that the United States is at war with Islam and marginalizing mainstream Muslim-Americans who are uniquely positioned to discredit such claims. Drawing on cultural sociology, social network theory, and social psychology, he shows how anti-Muslim organizations gained visibility in the public sphere, commandeered a sense of legitimacy, and redefined the contours of contemporary debate, shifting it ever outward toward the fringe. Bail illustrates his pioneering theoretical argument through a big-data analysis of more than one hundred organizations struggling to shape public discourse about Islam, tracing their impact on hundreds of thousands of newspaper articles, television transcripts, legislative debates, and social media messages produced since the September 11 attacks. The book also features in-depth interviews with the leaders of these organizations, providing a rare look at how anti-Muslim organizations entered the American mainstream.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In July 2010, Terry Jones, the pastor of a small fundamentalist church in Florida, announced plans to burn two hundred Qur'ans on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Though he ended up canceling the stunt in the face of widespread public backlash, his threat sparked violent protests across the Muslim world that left at least twenty people dead. In Terrified, Christopher Bail demonstrates how the beliefs of fanatics like Jones are inspired by a rapidly expanding network of anti-Muslim organizations that exert profound influence on American understanding of Islam.

Bail traces how the anti-Muslim narrative of the political fringe has captivated large segments of the American media, government, and general public, validating the views of extremists who argue that the United States is at war with Islam and marginalizing mainstream Muslim-Americans who are uniquely positioned to discredit such claims. Drawing on cultural sociology, social network theory, and social psychology, he shows how anti-Muslim organizations gained visibility in the public sphere, commandeered a sense of legitimacy, and redefined the contours of contemporary debate, shifting it ever outward toward the fringe. Bail illustrates his pioneering theoretical argument through a big-data analysis of more than one hundred organizations struggling to shape public discourse about Islam, tracing their impact on hundreds of thousands of newspaper articles, television transcripts, legislative debates, and social media messages produced since the September 11 attacks. The book also features in-depth interviews with the leaders of these organizations, providing a rare look at how anti-Muslim organizations entered the American mainstream.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Faith of a Heretic by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Flyover Country by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Dreams of Other Worlds by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Syllabus of Errors by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Slumming by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Addiction by Design by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book The Virtues of Our Vices by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book How Old Is the Universe? by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Power Lines by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book American Zoo by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things? by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Remaking Muslim Politics by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book Euripides and the Politics of Form by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book A Lot of People Are Saying by Christopher A. Bail
Cover of the book The Devil's Tabernacle by Christopher A. Bail
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy