Key Facts
Key Information
About
The Islamophobia Network refers to a highly organized and well-funded ecosystem of individuals, think tanks, media outlets, and organizations that collaborate to promote anti-Muslim sentiment and policies, as conceptualized in reports by the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). It comprises an inner core of 39+ interconnected groups structured across five tiers: funders (e.g., Donors Capital Fund, Richard Mellon Scaife Foundations), ideologues (scholars and pundits generating misinformation framed as national security expertise), the echo chamber (media outlets and bloggers amplifying rhetoric), grassroots organizers (e.g., ACT for America mobilizing local chapters to influence school boards and legislatures), and political actors. Funding has been substantial, with ~$42 million from 2001-2009 to establish expert credibility post-9/11, over $1.5 billion from 2014-2016 to mainstream anti-Muslim rhetoric in national politics, and ~$196 million from 2017-2019 to influence judicial appointments and travel bans, including support for 'anti-Sharia' laws.