Hijacking Islam: An Analysis of Positive Representations of Islam and Muslims in the U.S.

Abstract

In this dissertation, I analyze positive representations of Islam and Muslims in pre- and post-9/11 legal, political, and public discourses. I focus on the prisoners’ civil rights cases of the late 20th century, the 9/11 Commission Report, and the presidential discourse since Jimmy Carter as representative data. I argue that the attempt to distinguish Islam from “terrorism”—or other “violent ideologies”—has led to the formulation of discursive constructs that frame Islam as a corruptible religion that can be easily perverted, hijacked, and weaponized. This conceptualization of Islam legitimizes policing Muslim-presenting people and justifies dictating the true meaning of Islam to Muslims. I conclude that positive representations of Islam and Muslims undermine our efforts to counter Islamophobia because they create an illusion of acceptance for “good Islam” and obscure the underlying Islamophobic ideology that operates below the threshold of our notice.