Islamophobia in America is out of control. Perhaps no video demonstrates this better than the one above by Media Matters, showing some of the many times that TV news outlets like Fox News and CNN vilified Islam and Muslims throughout 2015.
Sometimes the Islamophobia takes subtle forms, such as asking for an apology after a terrorist act. After the Paris attacks in November, CNN anchor John Vause said, "Why is it that no one within the Muslim community there in France knew what these guys were up to? … Surely, someone beyond the seven guys who have been killed over the last 48 hours would have to have known something, and that was probably within the Muslim community, but yet no one said anything." He added, "I've yet to hear the condemnation from the Muslim community on this."
Sometimes it's much more direct. In a statement shown on Fox News, Christian commentator Pat Robertson claimed, while condemning the religion, "Islam is a political system that is intent on world domination." Fox News contributor Monica Crowley said, "The truth is the truth. And Robertson has it mostly right."
Similarly, Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly at one point claimed, "This is where the precinct of terror lies — in Islam."
Other times, it's hard to describe what's even going on. In January, for example, CNN anchor Don Lemon asked Muslim-American human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar if he supports ISIS, drawing a clearly baffled Iftikhar to ask, as Lemon nodded, "Wait, did you just ask if I support ISIS?"
Regardless of its form, the message of this kind of media coverage of Islam is clear: Even though the vast majority of Muslims in the world are peaceful, they all carry at least some of the blame, in some of the media's view, for terrorism perpetuated by a few extremists. This is the very definition of bigotry: It demonizes an entire group for the actions of very few people within that group. Yet so often in TV news media, it's apparently acceptable.
