Media and Islam Essay

An area of popular research throughout the last two decades is the study of mainstream media and its depiction of individuals that follow the Muslim faith. It is evident that Muslims encounter unfathomable stereotypes through the lens of westernmostern media consumers. This bear witness will highlight events occurring after the September 11, 2001 World Trade Centre attacks and in the long run display the Islamophobia present inwardly politics. It is through this research that I will outline the stereotypes prevalent whilst providing contemporary media examples. Overall, this essay will argue that Islamophobia is prevalent in contemporary Western media however, combating this Islamophobia is as well evidently visible. Furthermore, due to certain media structures such as corporate ownership dominance and cultural consensus, Islam is viewed as the antagonist of Western culture. Overall, this essay will instruction on the two evident spectrums of media coverage of Muslims and thei r righteousness as a topic of discourse. Through this essay I will aim to conclude that though extreme Islamophobia is prevalent in Western media, there is many media outlets that look to eliminate Islamophobia and Xenophobia altogether. The media coverage that will be analyzed will be set off Quebecs political party Parti Quebecois proposal for secular changes to the Quebec take and the recent capital of Massachusetts Marathon bomb media coverage. I will begin this essay by defining the phrase Islamophobia and its significance within Western media coverage. Islamophobia is an ideology that radiates negative meanings to Muslims and Islam, thereby plentiful rise to negative attitudes and discriminatory practices against Muslims and Islam (ethnic). It is the venerate of followers of the Islamic religion and negative views on the religion as a whole. Islamophobia leads to many negative depictions of Muslims. Moreover Islamophobia is described as the belief that Islam is deficie nt to the west (GoGale). Also, it is studied as, barbaric, irrational, primitive and sexist Islam is seen as violent, aggressive, threatening, supportive of terrorism and eng olden in a clash of civilizations (GoGale). If one were to have the same views against an other(a)(prenominal) religion or ethnic group in the West, it would be considered racism. However, as stated by Gema Martin-Munoz, this is not the case with Islam. She claims Hostility towards Islam is used to justify discriminatory practices against Muslims and the exclusion of Muslims from mainstream society. Anti-Muslim hostility is seen as natural ornormal (GoGale).Islamophobia and the HijabIt is one of the reasons that the hijab is a controversial issue in contemporary Western societies and media. The lack of noesis of reasoning behind the decision of Muslim women to cover their heads leads individuals to assume that these specified women are oppressed as a result of clear sexism in the Muslim religion. Also, Islamo phobia is also prevalent with regards to the hijab as many Western media outlets describe it as a symbol of terrorism (examples will be described shortly). Overall, Islamophobia in the West is the fear and negative depiction of Muslims and Islamophobia with regards to the hijab is to view one choosing to wear it as a representation of oppression and terrorism. I will begin this section by summarizing the events for the two aforementioned political events. First, the capital of Massachusetts Bombing occurred on April 15, 2013 at the Boston Marathon. Two brothers were considered the alleged criminals for building and planting two pressure cooker bombs that detonate near the finish line of the marathon. This caused the death of three people and wounded more than 260 (Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Seeks Dismissal of Some Charges). Tamerlan Tsarnaev aged 26, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev aged 20, were involved in a police chase that evidently resulted in the death of the older brother, Tamerl an, during a police shootout, while Dzhokhar was eventually caught hiding in the Boston town of Watertown (Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Seeks Dismissal of Some Charges).Fox watchword stated, Authorities say he and his older brother, Tamerlan, ethnic Chechens from Russia who emigrated to the united States as children, planned and carried out the attack to retaliate against the U.S for its involvement in Muslim countries (Kelly). Authorities said Dzhokhar had scratched anti-American messages on the inside of the boat, including The U.S Government is sidesplitting our innocent civilians and We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all after the death of his older brother (Kelly). Radical Islamic views were deemed the origin behind the attacked by the alleged criminals. Further, the younger Tsarnaev brother was caught a few days after the bombing and is now facing over 30 federal official counts, including the use of weapons of mass destruction (Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Seeks Dismissal of Some Charges). Power is a critical aspect of gaining anaudience for the media. Individuals and groups that possess advocate are deemed countersignworthy. These organizations become the center of attention and information during political events and are the dominant hub of information that consumers are exposed to. This directly correlates to Fox give-and-take as it holds a large amount of forefinger in regards to television. Specifically, in 2013 Fox tidings was the number one ranked news station for the twelfth unbent year. As studied by TVNEWSER, Fox News remained on top in 2013, capping off its 12th consecutive year as the most-watched cable news network among both total viewers and A25-54 viewers (Knox). This ranking is due to its news content being exposed to almost two million consumers cursory (Knox).Ultimately, this creates a problem, as Fox News is an obvious right wing conservative news channel. It is to be noted that Fox News is commonly witnessed using the news channel to express the partisan beliefs of its owners and news team. The power Fox News holds has played an integral part in the framing of Muslims accompanying the Boston Marathon Bombing attacks. Framing is defined as the way in which we talk about an issue or event that puts it into a context, and it has important implications for unexclusive view and the alternatives available for addressing the issue (Ridout, 150). Following the bombings in Boston, framing was observed through Fox News and its media outlets. Specifically, on April 20th, 2013 (five days after the bombing) Fox News correspondents indirectly claimed Islam as the evident factor behind the motive of both of the main suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The heading during this specified newscast was The Mind of A Terrorist, Factors that May Lead to a Radical Path. As the newscast prolonged correspondents were expressing radical frames to the brothers. Specifically, they continued to frame the plot and reason behind the alleged attack to directly correlate to the Islamic religion of the two brothers. As the panel discussed, one correspondent questioned the wife of the older brother, Tamerlan, and her involvement in the alleged plot. He stated, I just oddity that if under questioning she can honestly say that she had no idea that her husband who spent a year away and prayed five clock a day, that she had no indication that he was capable of this (The Mind of a Terrorist). Stating this, the correspondent undeniably created a relation to terrorism and the Islamic act of praying five times a day. This correspondent framed the bombing to put terrorism in the same context as thereligion of Islam. Additionally, with the large consumer numbers of Fox News, this opinion had reached a number of people providing them with a framed context on a political event. Fox News continued their coverage of the Boston Bombing whilst focusing on and stressing the Muslim religion of both the Tsarnaev brothers. At the same time, media outlets that disregarded their religion were ignored as importance of their Islamic roots grew rapidly. Overall, the power of Fox News in contemporary media enables the outlet as newsworthy, regardless of the content media and partisan biases present within the origins of the organization as a mankind outlet.Though the Boston Marathon Bombings were encircled around the fact that there were two male Muslim victims, the media found a way to deepen the Islamophobia already prevalent with attacks on the hijab. Specifically, the wife of Tamerlan, Katherine Russell was a convert who wore the hijab. This directly made her a terrorist in the eyes of Fox News and its correspondents. One example of this was witnessed by Ann Coulter, a Fox News correspondent and avid Conservative. When speaking about Katherines knowledge of her husbands alleged plans to bomb the Boston Marathon, she spoke about her exceedingly negatively. When her peers sta ted that Katherine must have had ideas that Tamerlan was having terrorist-like thoughts, Coulter stated, I dont care if she knew about this. She ought to be in prison for wearing a hijab (Insider). This is a clear example of cultural consensus. As explained by Professor Katherine Bullock, the cultural elite in Western society deem the Western states as the hero, the Muslims as the villain and the citizens of the state as clear victims (Bullock). Also, it is important to note that with regards to Fox News, there is a lack of diversity in views. The news channel has correspondents that region similar views and as a result, the consumer receives and interprets one-sided media coverage. This is a clear problem with Western media outlets as the lack of diversity supports bias opinions. Overall, Fox News is a prime example of the stereotypes Muslims face in Western contemporary societies.The Parti Quebecois Quebec Charter ProposalDifferentiating greatly from that of the Western media vi ews on the Boston Marathon Bombings, the media coverage of the proposed Charter changes by the Parti Quebecois was vastly different. The media coverage around the partysdisapproval of overt and conspicuous sacred symbols worn within the government was relatively negative. This evidently shows a different perspective showing that that combating of Islamophobia is prevalent in some Western media outlets. The change to the Quebec Charter was issued by the Parti Quebecois a popular political party of Quebec. In early September of 2013, the Parti Quebecois held a press conference at the National fictionalisation in Quebec City (global). At this press conference, the Bernard Drainville, the Minister responsible for Democratic Institutions and Active Citizenship discussed how his party planned to shed light on unearthly accommodations and Quebec determine (global). With the ultimate goal of religious neutrality of the state, he stated, these offer harmonious relations and social cohes ion for a Quebec that is increasingly multiethnic and multireligious (global). In other words, the Part Quebecois aimed to eliminate large religious symbols identifying a specific individuals religious beliefs and values. It is to be noted that the main purpose of this sanction was to instill equality between both sexes along with religious neutrality within the government institutions of the province of Quebec.These five proposals are as listed 1. Enshrine the questions of religious accommodation in the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms by outlining the separation of religion and state, the religious neutrality of the state and the secular nature of its institutions, taking into account our common diachronic heritage 2. Ensure that religious neutrality for government employees in the performance of their duties is established in law 3. Outline what is considered conspicuous religious symbols for government employees during working hours (the proposal is subject to a right of withdrawal for a period of up to five years, renewable for certain sectors) 4. Ensure that the face is visible when giving or receiving government services 5. Establish a policy to implement the religious neutrality of the state and the management of religious accommodation for government agencies. Drainville conclude the press conference by stating, Our proposals will be a source of greater understanding, harmony and cohesion for all Quebec and all Quebecers, regardless of their religion or origin (global). This was an evident political issue, as all public servants were no longer allowed to publicly associate themselves with the religions they previously followed. However, public servants were allowed to wear inconspicuous religion symbols such asnecklaces, rings or earrings with religious symbols, e.g the Star of David (global). The controversy arose as individuals realized that the Parti Qubcois would be preventing individuals from wearing things such as a headscarf, hijab, t urban or kippa (global). This evidently would strip public servants of the fundamental rights stated under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Specifically, the Fundamental Rights section within the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states, 2. Everyone has the following fundamental libertys(a) freedom of conscience and religion(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication(c) freedom of peaceful assembly and(d) freedom of association. (Charter)The proposed Quebec Charter changes would contradict those within the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This caused a clear backlash as individuals stated that the charter changes were unconstitutional and racist. The criticism witnessed through media ultimately showed the combating of the Islamophobia of the Parti Quebecois. Canadian newspapers and stations discussed this issue heavily and conclusively noted this new proposal as racist and xenophob ic. CBC News reported differing opinions than that of the Part Quebecois evidently labeling the Charter proposal as racist. For example, CBC interviewed William Steinburg, the mayor of Montreal town Hamstead as he stated, We will not comply with a racist and immoral law and further continued stating, In the event that the Quebec government passes this odious bill, which will force people to choose between their religious beliefs and their jobs, it will not be enforced in Hampstead (CBC).Steinburg irrefutably is combating Islamophobia and Xenophobia altogether that was brought upon by the Parti Quebecois. Another CBC hold reported on the hijab and its relation to the proposed secular Quebec Charter as they interviewed non-Muslim university professors donning the hijab to avouch against it. It interviewed Nora Jaffary of Concordia University and McGill Universitys Catherine Lu. Both women chose to wear the hijab to protest the Charter changes. Nora Jaffary stated that for many Mu slim women that reside in Quebec, the hijab and veiling in general, is notsomething that is forced upon them by parents or husbands and continued by stating that the proposed ban on the hijab would target groups of minorities in the Canadian province of Quebec (cbc). Specifically she believed it would target and single out Muslim women (cbc). The article continued by stating that if more people joined the protest alongside Jaffary and Lu, there could be a major impact on the proposed legislation. Overall, CBC News showed its stance on the proposed secular Charter changes in Quebec. The media outlet continuously spoke against the Charter changes and advocated the fundamental freedoms of Muslim women and all other minorities that would be unfinished of their right to practice religion as inhabitants within Canada. News coverage by a different Canadian media outlet showed similar results. Specifically, when analyzing Global News media coverage of the Quebec Charter changes, it was evi dent that Global News also looked to eliminate discrimination and as a result, Islamophobia. For example, a post doctoral individual from Concordia University, Emmanuelle Richez, commented on this Charter change with negativity as he stated, So theyre not saying it, but its going to be more confining for people that are not part of the religious majority. Overall, the Parti Quebecois stated that it was attempting to move towards religious equality, however, it was attempting to ban fundamental freedoms of the Canadian people of religious freedom and forcing assimilation.