Targets of Weaponized Islamophobia: The Impact of Misinformation on the Online Practices of Muslims in the United States

Abstract

Online misinformation about Islam and Muslims has increasingly become a weapon in the arsenal of Islamophobia. Such content typically aims to marginalize and disempower Muslims and sow animosity between them and non-Muslims. However, there has not yet been an investigation of the impact of such targeted misinformation on the online practices of Muslims. Through semi-structured interviews with 19 Muslim participants from diverse backgrounds, we sought to understand how Muslims in the United States navigate and use the very online spaces that are leveraged to spread misinformation targeted at them. Our findings provide a nuanced understanding of how targeted misinformation subjects Muslims to misperceptions from non-Muslims and has the harmful effect of leaving Muslims exhausted and disempowered by the futility of their attempts to correct the misperceptions. In addition, we identify forces that drive Muslims to act or retreat in their online practices in response to being targeted by misinformation. These findings can be useful to industry, civil society organizations, and policymakers in order to curb injustices related to Islamic misinformation.