Islamophobia in Western Media: A Case Study

Feminist Media Studies, 2002

2019

Since the 9/11 and the following Italian military support in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Italian media have paid particular attention to Islām and terrorism trying to describe the characteristics of this religion and analysing the radicalisation process. The so-called ‘Arab Spring’, the affirmation of Daesh in the Middle East and North Africa, and the subsequent migration crisis have affected the Italian media becoming the main topics covered by journalists, TV talk shows and Social Networks. For more than a decade experts, journalists, politicians have discussed the ‘real nature of Islām’ and the possibility of cohabitation between Italians and migrants coming from the Muslim-Arab world. The recent terrorist attacks in Europe have marked the debate on Islām and terrorism causing a serious repercussion on the Italian public opinion’s perception of Muslims and migrants and an increase of Xenophobia and Islamophobia. The Italian government led by both the left and the right wings parties has always publicised the existence of a ‘modern Islām’ in TV talk shows with limited success. Although the past Italian government led by the Democratic Party felt even the necessity to sign with Muslim associations and organisations a “National Pact for an Italian Islam” to highlight the coexistence between Italian and Muslims guaranteed by the Italian legal system, the document remained unknown and did not have particular prominence in the Media. With the current government led by the Five Stars Movement and the Northern League the Italian media appear to be more divided between those belonging to the right-wing or the so-called ‘populist’ parties which emphasise the connection between Muslims, migrants and terrorism and those linked to the left-wing parties which remark the necessity of host migrants. A media and public debate exacerbate by politicians’ Social Network profiles such as those of Matteo Salvini (Northern League) or Giorgia Meloni (Brothers of Italy) where every week are published news, pictures and status against illegal migrants and Muslims “who do not want to respect the Italian cultural and Christian traditions and legal system”. Due to the sociopolitical impact of migration crisis and the threat of radicalisation on the Italian soil, this paper desires to analyse how the Italian media and political parties describe Islām and terrorism that have become fundamental issues in the national agenda and political campaign. This investigation also aims at underlining the significant impact of media and politicians’ Social Network on the Italian electorate which has been exposed to a pro or against Islām and migrants propaganda and a series of pictures, Social Network status and videos whose authenticity is questionable.

This research discovers the portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the news reporting by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from March 6th, 2015 to April 6th, 2015 and retrieves the required data from their online editions, BBC News. It is a content analysis of 141 news titles that focusing on the Islam and Muslims around the globe. The findings clarify that news reporting illustrated Muslim and Islam negatively in the writing. The news reporting concentrated mostly in issues such religious affairs, security, politics and least on social, education, diplomatic, history, women, health and entertainment. Key words: Islam, Muslim, BBC Online News

This study is dedicated to the current discussion in the UK around Islam. The conversation and general discourse indicates that Islam is bad and something to be feared. Mainstream media has tapped into this, and at times use it to sensationalize and sell stories to their readership. The perpetuation of certain stereotypes proves increasingly dangerous particularly in our interconnected. globalized environment.. The way in which stories are framed and agendas are set can influence public mood and opinion. This can also have further implications on our understanding of social, economic and political climates. Opinion is morphing into fact and accountability is becoming increasingly absent. Given that 5% of the British population are Muslim, and it is the only religion that has shown an increase between the 2001 and 2011 census’ (+2%) (Stokes and ONS, 2013); this unhelpful, harmful and potentially life threatening discourse will continue to affect more people year upon year. There is an obvious absence of Muslim identities in public spaces, in business, politics and the arts; absence that increases fear and anxiety around mysterious Muslim identities (Richardson, n.d.). This study uses both primary and secondary resources and a mix of qualitative and quantitative data to explore the representations and coverage of Islam in the British Media. This study also contributes original results with an analysis of 198 headlines from Britain’s 6 most popular newspapers from 2000-2016.

Este artículo examina las representaciones del Islam a través de un análisis de los titulares en The New York Times y The Wall Street Journal dos meses antes y después del ataque contra la revista Charlie Hebdo para comprender las manifestaciones de la islamofobia en los medios después de un ataque terrorista de alto perfil. Los resultados encontraron que la mayoría de los titulares analizados relacionaban el Islam y los musulmanes con los conflictos violentos. Aunque esta correlación se disparó en los días posteriores al ataque, los titulares anteriores también a menudo hacían referencia al Islam al informar sobre conflictos violentos, lo que indica una forma de islamofobia encubierta. / This article examines representations of Islam and Muslims by analyzing The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal headlines two months before and after the Charlie Hebdo attack to better understand manifestations of Islamophobia in the American national media after a major terrorist event. Results found a majority of headlines related Islam and Muslims to violent conflict, war and terrorism (73% in The Wall Street Journal and 63% in The New York Times). This correlation spiked directly after the attack. Headlines prior also mostly referenced Islam and Muslims when reporting on violent conflict, indicating covert Islamophobia.

By examining a news story and reader responses published in the Daily Mail Online (DMO), our study discursively argues that this daily newspaper promotes an Orien- talist perception of Islam and Muslims. The religion and its adherents are both framed and perceived as a threat to British society and its “Western values”, thus reinforcing Islamophobia within society. This study also argues that the DMO espouses the perceived Orientalist threat posed by Islam through juxtaposition, exag- geration and manipulation of facts, through lexical choices and visual images that eventually establishes the perception of a cultural clash. In addition, by examining the readers’ responses toward the news story, this study demonstrates that the vast majority of respondents perceive Islam and Muslims as a threat to “the West”. Their comments, as triggered by the text, also contribute to the discourse of Islamo- phobia and the perceived Orientalist view of an Islamic threat.

Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 2018

University of Glasgow, 2018

The purpose of this research is to understand better what’s going on in the case of the Grand Mosque in Bucharest and knowing how media could affect the opinion of Romanian about Islam, especially in Bucharest. The researcher also chose this topic to satisfy the personal interest as a global security researcher. This research will be a significant contribution to the future knowledge of other scholars or researchers who are interested in the security issue, especially when it comes to religion and security. Hopefully, this research will impact the policy of the government to keep the news neutral and makes people aware of the real threat of this world, not the threat caused by the prejudice.

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