This is an era of communication. The Media shapes public opinion and covers realities by their censorship. The media shapes the world how we see it.
When it comes to reporting incidents committed by Muslims, there is disparity on an international scale on coverage. There exists a double standard in the media when acts committed by Muslims receive more international attention than similar action committed by any other ethnic or religious group.
There was an informational vacuum that developed after 9/11. Individuals framed as “experts on Islam” created misconceptions about the faith and its followers. As such, every time a Muslim did something wrong it got added to the list and got referenced the next time another Muslim did something wrong. This did not happen with other extremist groups such as the white supremacist and their acts were considered as “individual anomalies” rather than evidence of a trend.
It was this media that created a public panic portraying Muslims as terrorist threats. Thus the new word “Islamaphobia” was conjectured to show that Muslims were a threat to security. “Islamic terrorism” became the dominant coverage on TV shows in the West, and let’s not forget the term “Islamic Bomb” that suddenly came into existence. Supporting this belief led to the production of the film “Fitna” by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders which simply added fuel to the fire of hatred in the West against Muslims.
It is time now the West needs to review the idea of its own “Self” and the “Other.” The representation of Muslims in the western media and the western world has to change.
This is an era of communication. The Media shapes public opinion and covers realities by their censorship. The media shapes the world how we see it.
When it comes to reporting incidents committed by Muslims, there is disparity on an international scale on coverage. There exists a double standard in the media when acts committed by Muslims receive more international attention than similar action committed by any other ethnic or religious group.
There was an informational vacuum that developed after 9/11. Individuals framed as “experts on Islam” created misconceptions about the faith and its followers. As such, every time a Muslim did something wrong it got added to the list and got referenced the next time another Muslim did something wrong. This did not happen with other extremist groups such as the white supremacist and their acts were considered as “individual anomalies” rather than evidence of a trend.
It was this media that created a public panic portraying Muslims as terrorist threats. Thus the new word “Islamaphobia” was conjectured to show that Muslims were a threat to security. “Islamic terrorism” became the dominant coverage on TV shows in the West, and let’s not forget the term “Islamic Bomb” that suddenly came into existence. Supporting this belief led to the production of the film “Fitna” by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders which simply added fuel to the fire of hatred in the West against Muslims.
It is time now the West needs to review the idea of its own “Self” and the “Other.” The representation of Muslims in the western media and the western world has to change.