The whole New Atheist movement and cries of cultural xtianity came about due to the rise of militant Islam. They were appealing to a particular audience.
It was always “religion is bad but Islam is especially bad” from Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris.
Personal recommendations. Sometimes I take a chance on random artists that I see on Bandcamp. Music/artists from TV shows and movies. Music I hear when out and about, Shazam is a wonderful app for identifying tracks.