Exercise 1: The most common stereotype depicted in media: “Muslims are terrorists”

Time: 50 min

Goal: The aim of the task is to notice a stereotypical approach to Islam in the text and to develop the ability to analyse how an article should change in order to change the discourse about Muslims.

Methods: The Four Angles method is used for the analysis of the task. Through this method, it is possible to analyse the text in one group through four different perspectives. The method allows the group to be divided into four smaller groups where the students can discuss their chosen perspective with fellow students.
 

Instructions

The purpose of the task is to read the article and analyse the article to the different perspectives. The teacher prints the article for every student or allows the article to be accessed online by sharing the article link. The students are given 15 minutes to read the article. During this time, the teacher puts one perspectives of the article (a total of four different perspectives) into each corner of the room. The paper with the perspectives can be attached to a wall or placed on a table. Students choose the perspective that suits them, answer questions about it, and discuss their answers with other students. In the case of most students choosing only two or three of the four options, the student’s freedom of choice must be preserved. The perspectives could be, for example:

1. I fully agree with the author’s position in the text and support their arguments;
2. I take a completely opposite view to the one put forward by the author in the text and do not support their arguments;
3. In my opinion, the article is full of lies and prejudices;
4. Although this article presents stereotypical views, this article hides the truth.

The teacher can also formulate other perspectives. The students are then given c. 15 minutes to answer questions according to their chosen perspective and 15 minutes for discussion with other students who shared their perspective. Additionally, five minutes are allocated for short feedback from each group with a different perspective (from a different corner).

The questions for analysis can be selected from the following list: • Which words are used in relation to Islam and Muslims

• What image of Muslims is represented in the text?
• What purpose does the image of Muslims serve?
• What does the image of Muslims in the text tell us about the writer of the text?
• What are the factors influencing the various situations described in the article?
• Which tools (e.g. do not talk about all Muslims as a unified homogeneous group) can be used to change the image of Muslims in the text?

Text: Roy, Oliver. (2017, April 13). Jihad and Death: The Global Appeal of Islamic State: Biographies of ‘homegrown’ European terrorists show they are violent nihilists who adopt Islam, rather than religious fundamentalists who turn to violence. Hurst.