Muslims in the USA: A Question from a Non-Muslim

Salaam alaikum! I want to start by saying I'm not a believer-I'm an atheist. But I believe in judging folks by what they do, not what faith they follow. Lately in the US, there's been a flood of anti-Muslim hate. Like, really nasty stuff-neo-Nazi level. People are freely harassing and threatening Muslims who are just going about their lives, even suggesting violence. They justify it by pointing to extremists, even though the people they're targeting are innocent. One new thing I keep hearing from folks (mostly Christians) is: "Islam isn't a religion, it's an ideology!" Anyone know where this idea came from and why it's spreading so fast? My guess is they're trying to separate Islam from being a protected religion so they can claim it's just an ideology, and then freedom of religion wouldn't apply to Muslims. That way they can bypass the Constitution and push for bans on Muslims. (Not to mention it's used to excuse awful things like what's happening to Palestinians.) But normally, these talking points build up slowly. This one seems to have appeared everywhere all at once. So where is it coming from? InshaAllah someone can shed some light. Jazakallah khair!