"Fear, Inc." Exposes the So-Called Experts and Donors Behind Islamophobia in the United States

A new report by the Center for American Progress called "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America" shows how a small group of self-proclaimed experts backed by a host of donors are spreading fear and hostility toward Muslims in the United States. According to the report, these so-called experts peddle Islamophobia in the form of books, reports, websites, blogs and carefully crafted anti-Islam talking points. It also notes that right-wing Norwegian murderer Anders Breivik repeatedly cited these "experts" in his so-called "Manifesto." Among those the report highlights is Robert Spencer, author of a blog called "Jihad Watch" and leader of the group Stop Islamization of America, which coined the term "victory mosque at Ground Zero" to refer to a local effort to build a moderate Islamic center in New York City, turning it into an international spectacle. We speak with one of the report’s authors, Faiz Shakir, vice president of the Center for American Progress and editor-in-chief of ThinkProgress.org. "[Spencer] wants basically a society in which we are concerned about the presence of all Muslims in America," says Shakir. "This is the running theme of all the Islamophobia network."