With gay marriage fast becoming a non-issue with the public, Dean Obeidallah expects Islamaphobia to be the GOP’s go-to motivator in the lead up to 2016:
First, Muslims are a small percentage of our nation’s population at approximately 1 to 2 percent. Second, there are horrible Muslims who do commit terror in the name of our faith, which does offer cover for anti-Muslim bigotry. Third, we still don’t have many allies outside of our community that stand with us. Sure, we have some interfaith supporters. But when anti-gay comments are made, like in the case of “Duck Dynasty’s” Phil Roberson in 2013, the response by the left was swift and united. But with anti-Muslim bigotry, we don’t see that. …
My hope is that I’m wrong. But after seeing close to a thousand people over the weekend protesting a Muslim-American event in Texas that was ironically organized to counter extremism, I’m not so optimistic. The more conservative parts of the GOP base tend to vote in higher numbers in the primaries. So don’t be surprised when you see Republican candidates trying to get their attention with this cut of red meat.
The Dish 