Anti-Muslim Rhetoric in the U.S – Is this your idea of Democracy?

 As a matter of fact, I know quite a few marines who will be willing to help these terrorists to an early meeting in paradise.- At Orange County Hate Rally, GOP Councilwoman Says She Wants Marines To Send Muslim Families To ‘Paradise’

“The most popular name in the United Kingdom this year for babies was Mohammed, am I racist to think that I’m alarmed by that? Because I am…’ –Bill Mayer

“Islam is a violent religion, no wait I can’t say religion, political system. Islam is a violent political system bent on the overthrow of the government and world domination.” -Pat Roberson, television evangelist.

For the first time in US history, at least 15 states have either approved or introduced bills banning Shariah Law this week. These very bills could present themselves to consider fasting and praying a crime for Muslims in the U.S. In Tennessee a Muslim could potentially face up to 15 years in jail for praying 5 times a day, fasting or even donating to charity as it would be defined as engaging in practices that are ‘shariah law’ hence forbidden to do as such according to the proposed unconstitutional and congressional hearings chaired by none other than Peter King, the republican representative.

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, Islamic scholar, convert and co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkley, California states that there is  ‘immense misunderstanding of Shariah Law’ within the U.S and further notes that ‘the Shariah Law is of no threat to the U.S.’

Have Muslims replaced the cold war communist boogie man in the american psyche? Why is Islam still considered to encompass attributes of pre-modern conceptions and why have such understandings become normative in places like the U.S?