▁War ▁and ▁the ▁success ▁of ▁the ▁Iran ian ▁revolution ." ▁O thers ▁find ▁Islam oph ob ia ▁present ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁far ▁earlier ▁and ▁argue ▁that ▁Americans ▁were ▁using ▁the ▁fear ▁of ▁Islam ▁as ▁a ▁un ifying ▁concept ▁in ▁defining ▁America . ▁Some ▁also ▁believe ▁that ▁the ▁phenomen on ▁of ▁Islam oph ob ia ▁is ▁a ▁psych ological ▁defense ▁mechanism , ▁which ▁is ▁spread ing ▁through ▁mass ▁media ▁like ▁a ▁virus . ▁Reg ard less , ▁negative ▁media ▁images ▁of ▁Muslim s ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 9 0 s ▁were ▁comp ounded ▁by ▁reporting ▁on ▁Islam ▁and ▁Muslim s ▁that ▁re lied ▁on ▁Samuel ▁Hun ting ton ' s ▁ 1 9 9 3 ▁idea ▁of ▁a ▁" cl ash ▁of ▁civil izations " ▁for ▁their ▁framework ; ▁one ▁that ▁" the ▁American ▁media ▁were ▁all ▁too ▁ready ▁to ▁em brace ▁after ▁the ▁fall ▁of ▁Commun ism ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 9 0 s ." ▁ ▁Islam oph ob ia ▁in ▁the ▁media ▁According ▁to ▁Nathan ▁Le an , ▁editor - in - ch ief ▁of ▁As lan ▁Media ▁and ▁a ▁research er ▁at ▁Ge or get own ▁University , ▁the ▁media ▁plays ▁a ▁major ▁role ▁in ▁prom oting ▁Islam oph ob ia ▁across ▁the ▁world . ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Elizabeth ▁Po ole ▁in ▁the ▁Encyclopedia ▁of ▁Race ▁and ▁Eth nic ▁Studies , ▁the ▁media ▁has ▁been ▁critic ized ▁for ▁perpet rating ▁Islam oph ob ia . ▁She ▁c ites ▁a ▁case