The Muslim image in the European media – how to change the conversation regarding Muslims in the contemporary world?

Abstract

The Fear of Muslims and Islam as the violent other in Europe has not disappeared. Over the last twenty years, the media have perpetuated various prejudices against Islam and the image of Muslims as a non-peaceful people. In this growing Islamophobia context, it is becoming increasingly important to ask: how to change this stereotyping of Islam and Muslims. In order to make this shift, it is necessary to analyse the prejudices and stereotypes portrayed and perpetuated in the media? How they are designed and how can they be transformed? The aim of this e-module is to present, through multi-perspective analysis of different texts and videos, stereotypes and prejudices about Islam and Muslims. Within the module, the participant has the opportunity to study how these images of Muslims and Islam are represent in text, what is the purpose of their constructed biased position and also ask how we can deconstruct the resulting image? After completing the module, the participant will know how to pay more attention to why certain stereotypes arise, change and ask uncomfortable and sensitive questions regarding the Muslim image in Media and look for answers to those questions.
 

Module aims

The compilation of the module is based on the understanding that the media plays a major role in shaping the image of the Islamic faith and Muslims in the modern world. The aim of this e-module is to present articles and videos of Islam and images of Muslims from different media platforms in connection with various debates on Muslims and Islam. The module gives participants the opportunity to analyse these different articles and thus understand what type of images and stereotypes Muslim texts depict, what is the purpose of their constructed images, and also to ask how we can deconstruct the resulting images and stereotypes. The module not only deals with the identification of stereotypes in the texts, but provides methods for analysing and discussing the topic from different points of view. After the analysis, students will be able to understand how to interpret and explain stereotypical views in media in connection to Muslims and Islam. The module presents an opportunity to look for solutions to changing the conversation about Muslims in the modern world and where such change can start.

The articles for the module were selected from three different media platforms from 2017 to present day. This choice has been made to highlight both the differences and similarities as well as changes in the depicted image of Muslims. The Qantara as a German-English-Arabic media platform has been chosen as the media platform for a positive focus on Islam; the Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/international) is a media platform which is not afraid of sharpness and focus on political issues, and the European Conservative magazine as a middle right-wing magazine. The videos selected from Oxford Union discussion 2014 about the topic “Islam is / is not a peaceful Religion”

Module Objectives

• Improve the ability to discuss sensitive topics as well as ask sensitive questions.
• Develop an understanding of how the media create stereotypes.
• Develop the ability to analyse stereotypes depicted in articles and question what those depictions imply about prejudices connected with Islam and Muslims from a multi-perspective approach.
• Provide an opportunity to discuss how to change the conversation regarding Muslims in the modern world.

Target group: Gymnasium students, university level students, teachers.

Keywords: Muslims as the other, Islam religion, Islamophobia, Images of Muslims in Media