For the well-being of all Americans, it is necessary to understand and ameliorate the resurgence of Islamophobia in the post-9/11 USA. Many relevant works have been published since 2001; these can be organized according to whether they represent open or closed-view scholarship. Few seek, however, to comprehensively decipher the mechanisms and themes underlying Islamophobia. When these issues are explored, American Islamophobia emerges as a distinct, contemporary phenomenon with deep historical roots, driven by "othering" and exploited for personal gain. It becomes manifest in society in various ways, especially in polemical discourse. In order to better understand (and address) such polemics, we have focused on five themes within Islamophobic discourse: violence, relations with Judaism and Christianity, democracy, modernity, and misogyny. Finally, in order to mitigate Islamophobia, it is suggested here to further develop Christian-Muslim interfaith dialogue by including in it affective, behavioral, and cognitive methodological components.