It makes sense given a few things, although it's not as bad as you're saying: 1. The median American lives in a city and has exposure to Muslims and is most likely not Islamophobic. 2. Due to the voting structure of the U.S., people who don't live in cities and don't get exposure to Muslims get outsized voting rights. 3. Most American electeds are much more well travelled than Americans who don't live in cities.

So basically, elites have to necessarily balance (and exploit) the biases of over-represented minorities with their own largely metropolitan beliefs.

All of this is made more ironic in that the moral structures of the Abrahamic religions, including Islam, are all influences on and in line with, traditional American values, which American elites don't follow (see Epstein) but Americans who don't live in cities largely do.

> The median American lives in a city and has exposure to Muslims and is most likely not Islamophobic

Most Islamophobic people I know live in cities. Is there really that much of a change related to urbanism for Islamophobia, one you adjust for political alignment and religiousness?

For reference, this is the America I see every day:

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/epic-citys-vision-sp...

Collin County is >90% "urban", as much as what counts for urbanism in the US.

>, including Islam, are all influences on and in line with, traditional American values

My brother, in Sunni Islam practicing countries, they can kill you for drawing a stick figure.

Traditional American values include freedom of speech.