http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/12/23/d61223020327.htm
Islam, Muslims and the European media Muhammad Zamir Recent statements by Pope Benedict XVI, Mr J Straw, a former senior member of the British Cabinet, and current British Communities Minister Phil Woolas have all reflected a common thread of thought -- anxiety about the growing presence of Islam within the body-fabric of Europe. Their comments have highlighted not only the sociological impact of Muslims within Europe but also questioned whether fundamental values, part of the Islamic faith, have any relevance for the host community. The Western media, for obvious reasons, have followed this growing debate with great interest. This in turn has created and determined public perceptions about Islam and Muslims. It has also generated its own fall-out in local politics. Evidence of this has already become apparent in Netherlands and France. The latest local elections in Belgium have also been tarred with the same brush. One of the political parties in this election has gone to the extent of stating in its manifesto that examination is required as to whether Islam is to be treated as a recognised religion. This view appears to have coincided with the media trend that Islam, as a religion is not only political in character but violent in its manifestations. As expected, this has fuelled anti-Muslim sentiment and racist incidents. The media, both electronic and print, have an indispensable place in the West. They modulate and create brands by which group-images are enhanced or destroyed. Unfortunately, in recent years, there has been a noticeable and gradual shift in the tone of media coverage with regard to Islam and Muslims. In this context, the media appears to have found a limited agenda. It is rarely positive and focuses almost exclusively on the involvement of Islam in politics and violence. Human interest articles which reflect everyday life in Islam and in Muslim countries have practically disappeared from the scene. Nowadays, in general, little attention is paid by the western media to the history and centuries-old relationship between the Middle East and Europe. I find this very disappointing. It would appear that one of the major barriers to 'realistic' reporting has arisen out of the superficial media misconception that Islam is a political rather than a religious ideology. What started after the Iranian Revolution in 1978 has now grown more intense after the events of 11 September, 2001. Today, most of the issues concerning Muslims within Europe relate to their integration as well as their cultural values. There is also the tendency to portray Muslims as a problem group which needs to be integrated into broader society. The media, in general, play an important role in this regard. Consequently, it was not surprising that the comments of Straw and Woolas created such a storm. Both of them touched a sensitive chord. Straw was slightly general in his observation, but Woolas more specific, questioning whether 'Muslim women wear the veil as an expression of their faith or because they are compelled to do so.' In doing so, both ministers reflected the unease of British politicians over the issue of integrating Britain's 1.65 million Muslims (which has been high on the domestic political agenda since the bombings of July, 2005). The British media have loved these comments from the two senior politicians. They tended to display a form of dual track "enlightened Islamophobia." Subsequent observations have tried to emphasise that European Muslim communities should not be confused with radical Islam. The benefit of such comments has however been lost and undermined through politicised reporting of Islamic issues in other articles. One can only observe that in such situations, journalists instead of practising self-regulation are often ending up with oversimplification of complex political and cultural issues. Inaccurate media representations are also beginning to create mistrust between Muslim communities and journalists. An example in this regard was the relentless media coverage of one radical cleric in the UK. This created the unfortunate impression that most Muslim clerics might be associated with terrorists. Such unfounded assumptions even prompted proposals for laws to close down mosques in the UK. Fortunately, Great Britain is a functioning democracy and such moves did not succeed. One thing is however very clear. There is consensus among Muslim community leaders all over Europe that journalists need to understand the complexity of community issues and also take steps to present not only a more positive image of Muslim communities in Europe but also a basic knowledge of the issues central to Islam. There is also general agreement that journalists should not attribute individual acts to the collective Muslim community, but should differentiate between acts associated with Muslim culture and those related to the Islamic religion. Jörg Reckmann, Brussels correspondent for the 'Frankfurter Rundschau', has recently made some interesting comments with regard to Islam, Muslims and the media. He has pointed out that before 9/11 few people cared about Islam in Europe. This changed after the terrorist attacks in the USA and on European soil. After this, Islam and the Middle East were no longer romantic or remote. They were factors that affected security and stability in daily lives. Mr. Reckmann has analysed this scenario and reflected that this development has been treated differently by quality and tabloid media. The former has been capable of putting forward a nuanced and representative perspective. Tabloids, on the other hand, by their very nature (arousing curiosity among mass readers) and also because of popular journalism, have tended to be less hesitant in calling the glass half-empty when it could have been called half-full. This has often affected the perception of the true situation. In this context, Reckmann has suggested that the key role for journalists should be to explain the changes in Europe, and seek to understand them, in a critical, yet unbiased way. I agree with him. There is bound to be media distortion and absence of balance unless this takes place. Another factor is also beginning to affect media perception. It is the use of controversial terms by the political leadership. An example of this has been the recent use of the phrase 'Islamic fascism'. This immediately influenced media coverage of Islamic issues and events related to the Muslim community. I think that linking Islam with fascism is as reprehensible as using the term 'Christian terrorism' or 'Jewish terrorism' to describe violence by other fundamentalist groups. To this can also be added the pressure generated by 24-hour news channels. Need for new stories and 'breaking events' on a continuous basis often lead to a blurring of the distinction between tabloid and quality news. Fiction and subjectivity creep in and negative images of Muslims continue to haunt the air-waves for hours. A theft or a robbery by an Asian Muslim is then no longer just another incident. It becomes a societal and ethnic indictment. The other emerging elements are online blogs and discussion forums. This indirect expansion of media 'space' is also generating in its own way, influence with western communities. I feel that this gradual erosion of self-confidence within the Muslim communities is dangerous. The political leadership and European civil society have a difficult task ahead. They have to take the initiative to persuade the media not to lump together Islam's cultural and religious aspects with political issues. One way out would be to urge the media to focus more on human-interest stories to counter-balance the association of religion with violence and conflict. Although media is totally free in the West, pressure could still be applied in this regard on editors rather than on the journalists to broaden the Muslim agenda. A good way to tackle this problem might be to emulate the manner in which China is positively reflected in the media. Few news stories today focus on China's authoritarian government. More than 50 per cent of stories justifiably highlight its new-found economic power. However, tackling the boon or being the bane of media attention also rests with the Muslim communities in Europe and in other western countries. Being emotional will not solve the problem. Improving the image of Islam and Muslims could also be helped through introspection within the Muslim community. Muslims have to act and speak responsibly, reflecting and upholding their values and professionalism in an informed way. Dialogues between Muslim representatives and journalists and other stake-holders could also be helpful in removing prejudice, combating stereotyping and promoting mutual understanding. Muhammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador who can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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