#Republican Anti-Muslim rhetoric 'widespread' among candidates in Trump era - report
Anti-Muslim rhetoric 'widespread' among candidates in Trump era report
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/22/anti-muslim-rhetoric-widespread-among-candidates-trump-era
Sharp rise in tactics that echo attempts to inflame fears around immigration and minorities ahead of midterm elections
Mon 22 Oct 2018 00.01 EDT
Last modified on Mon 22 Oct 2018 10.19 EDT
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Muslims, anti-Trump and anti-racist activists protest in June 2017 in New York City. Conspiracy theories targeting Muslims have increasingly entered the political mainstream.
The 2018 midterm elections have seen a dramatic rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric, a new report has found, as political campaigns are emboldened by Donald Trumps ascent to the White House.
The findings demonstrate the depth of anti-Muslim messaging ahead of the 6 November vote, tactics that echo attempts to inflame fears around immigrants and people of color.
Weve seen anti-Muslim candidates running in every region, said Scott Simpson, public advocacy director of Muslim Advocates, which commissioned the report.
Weve seen them running at every level of office, from the school and planning boards all the way to governor and Congress. Weve seen it in liberal places and conservative places.
It has really taken root and become very widespread.
The report examined more than 80 campaigns across the US run by candidates who have engaged in anti-Muslim campaign attacks over the last two years. Almost all of the candidates are Republican.
Conspiracy theories targeting Muslims have increasingly entered the political mainstream. The majority of the candidates openly targeting Muslims 64% are either elected or appointed officials or boast of a presidential endorsement.
More than a third have claimed that Muslims are inherently violent or pose an imminent threat, the report found, and have propagated the existence of a Muslim conspiracy to take over communities or infiltrate government.
Just under a third of the candidates considered have called for Muslims to be denied basic rights or declared that Islam is not a religion.
Many such attacks echo rhetoric used by Trump and other Republican presidential contenders in 2016, as anti-Muslim sentiment reached new heights within the partys primary electorate...................................................