Work Cited & Consulted

Work Cited

Books/Journals

Fredman, Sandra, Discrimination and human rights: the case of racism Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2001

Petely, Julian, Pointing the finger: Islam and Muslims in the British media, Oxford: Oneworld, 2011

Allen, Christopher, Islamophobia; Farnham, Surrey ; Burlington, Vt. : Ashgate, 2010

Abbas, Tahir, Media Capital and the Representation of South Asian Muslims in the British Press: New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2004

Internet/ Newspapers & Magazines

Poole, Elizabeth Change and Continuity in the Representation of British Muslims Before and After 9/11 p.4 http://www.gmj.uottawa.ca/1102/v4i2_poole.pdf

London 7/7 Bombing Attacks http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/london_blasts/what_happened/html/

Ken Livingston View On Poll http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion?INTCMP=SRCH

Proud British Muslims Survey

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/jul/03/muslims-integrated-britain

Quote From Uni Student About Being A British Muslim

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/01/knee-jerk-islamophobia-why-trevor-kavanagh-wrong-about-british-muslims

Saeeda Warsi

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/sep/05/bradford-response-cabinet-reshuffle

Abu Hamza

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Hamza_al-Masri

Media Blamed For Islamophobia

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2011/07/22/media-blamed-for-islamophobia-in-britain

 Dr Bari , Muslim Council

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1528485/Media-contributing-to-rise-of-Islamophobia.html

Meaning of Islam

http://muslimvoices.org/word-islam-meaning/

Review on 4 lions http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8678000/8678570.stm

Citizen Khan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Khan

Moving Image Texts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5-LkJzhQrQ&feature=player_embedded 4 Lions Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bs4UvAHPvU&feature=player_embedded Citizen Khan Clip

Work Consulted

Books/Journals

Sheehi , Stephen Islamophobia : the ideological campaign against Muslims ;Atlanta, GA : Clarity Press, 2011

Gottschalk ,Peter; Greenberg , Gabriel; Islamophobia Making Muslims the enemy; Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008

Ansari,  Humayun : Hafez, Farid; From the Far Right to the Mainstream, Islamophobia in Party Politics and the Media; Frankfurt ; New York : Campus, 2012

Esposito , John L., Kalin , Ibrahim; Islamophobia: The Challenge of Pluralism in the 21st Century; Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2011.

Internet/ Newspapers & Magazines

Islamaphobia

http://www.channel4.com/search/?q=islamophobia

Citizen Khan Blog Offensive

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/29/citizen-khan-is-not-just-outdated-but-lazy-and-offensive/

Moving Image Texts

Tell Mama EDL Islamaphobia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luzMCi920J4&safe=active

Is Islamaphobia Acceptable

http://www.channel4.com/news/is-islamaphobia-becoming-acceptable

Undercover Islamic Extremists

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01n8zwn/Week_In_Week_Out_Undercover_Islamic_Extremists/

Western media insult Islam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUjUtdktExY

Channel 4 Documentary Insults Islam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NVPNKCzWcI

Case Study Islamophobia 1st Draft

Does the Media Encourage Islamphobia?

 Does the British Media Encourage Islamophobia? How Do Texts Such As Citizen Khan & Four Lions Fit Into The Post-9/11 Media Landscape?

It has been a decade since the 9/11 attacks, however Muslims are still labelled as terrorists and extremists. The headscarf, the word ‘Sharia’, the mosque and many more connotations of Islam is seen as a threat to the western world, which has led to the fear of the religion.“Islamophobia is a prejudice against, or hatred or irrational fear of, Muslims”[1]. Ever since 9/11 took –place Muslims have been negatively represented in the British media. “Since 9/11, Islam has rarely left the headlines in the UK, with one leading newspaper describing the Muslim community as a "troublesome minority"[2]. This essay will cover every type of representations and stereotypes given by mainstream British media institutions to Muslims pre and post 9/11.

“9/11 is marked out as a significant event in the current political and historical context in that it signalled a discernible shift to a new politics categorised in specific “Western” countries by the “war on terror”. [3] Pre 9/11 Muslims were represented as immigrants, the media spotlight wasn’t on Muslims as the western world didn’t have a strong reason to why they should unfairly represent Muslims.

Post 9/11 Muslims have become the centre of attention; most Hollywood movies now have a Muslim villain, whose plan is to kill everyone. The British media always has an issue to pick up on, a small problem would be enlarged which would make news headlines right away gradually demonising Muslims.

In 2005 Britain woke up to a shock, “four suicide bombers struck in central London on Thursday 7 July, killing 52 people and injuring more than 770.” [4] After a short investigation it was found that all four attackers were Muslim. The British media used this case as a tool to attract readership but at the same time they were encouraging Islamphobia. “Research into one week's news coverage showed that 91% of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative. The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, who commissioned the study, said the findings were a "damning indictment" of the media and urged editors and programme makers to review the way they portray Muslims.”[5] Terrorist attacks have affected many British Muslims living in the UK, with some Muslims struggling to find senior level jobs and unemployment among Muslims being far higher than what the national average should be.

Despite British Muslims being attacked in the media on a regular basis polls still show “83% of Muslims are proud to be British citizens, compared to 79% of the general public” [6]

However on the other hand “47% of Britons see Muslims as a threat & 58% of Britons associate Islam with extremism” [7] Kashif Hussein, 21, a student at University College London, said: “I feel British and Muslim but since 9/11 we have to show it more, to interact more, to show that we’re not that stereotype.”[8]

Baroness Warsi was the first and only British Muslim woman to have a senior role in the conservative party; she was the political party’s co-chair leader. She was an inspiration for other Muslim females to follow her steps as she showed that it is possible to be Muslim and still have such a high-ranking role. “David Cameron saw her real value as someone who could prop up the image of a modern reformist party comfortable in its multi-cultural skin.”[9] In 2011 the conservative party had a reshuffle, removing Warsi from her current role; many argued that the government was pushing on the idea of Islamphobia as it was causing a decrease of the party’s status.

The British media have also used Abu Hamza “an Egyptian-born and former imam, who has preached Islamic fundamentalism and militant Islamism and jihad[10] and represent him in the news as a leader of the Muslim community, allowing gullible readers to believe he is a representation of Islamic beliefs and ideologies. “The media is seeking out those with the loudest voices who fit their own agenda rather than fitting the agenda around the more significant voices, deliberately suggesting a cynicism where all Muslims have synonymous views.” [11]

 A survey in 2011 was commissioned about Islamphobia, using this academic research it is clear to understand that when Brits are put to the question “of the following groups who do you think is most to blame for Islamphobia in the UK", 29% of people blamed the media”. [12] This research is clear evidence that Muslims themselves don’t portray themselves negatively in person; it’s the media who mediate the story and blow up small issues onto a huge scale bombarding viewers with biased views and opinions, which create a negative hatred representation on Muslims which we now call Islamphobia.

 Dr Bari who is the leader of the Muslim council of Britain told The Sunday Telegraph. “But some police officers and sections of the media are demonising Muslims, treating them as if they're all terrorists — and that encourages other people to do the same”[13]. In the 20^th century "When the IRA was blowing people up, the entire Catholic population of Britain was not demonised, so why is it happening to the Muslim community?"[14] This is a very good point made by Dr Bari, how is it that Muslims have to face all of the negative press, when it is just a small group causing the problem.

The IRA was a large Irish republican army who caused much trouble and danger yet the media never thought to categorize the whole catholic community as “dangerous” or “trouble”, is this because there are not enough Muslim gatekeepers to speak out and stop the media from producing these texts that are progressively encouraging Islamphobia, or is it that the media have mercy on other religions. The problem with the British media is that it is “ridiculous that moderate Muslims had been accused of not speaking out. When we speak we are ignored by the media, but when Abu Hamza or Omar Bakri Mohammed says something they are all over the papers."[15] This is a prime example of the media causing moral panic for the public.

However in recent years many organizations have used the issue of terrorism and Islam as comedy. The perfect example is 2010 film, four lions this black comedy genre moving image text was brought to the British cinema screens 10 years after 9/11 which touched on the issue of Islam. This film is made to make people laugh but the topic is extremely important. 10 years after the terrorist attacks in the United States, some argue that society has now learnt to take an easier approach on the subject of terrorism and films like 4 lions are created for us to escape from real life problems and issues. There is a particular scene which pushes Islamphobia to the edge where non-Muslims may view and question that every Muslims mission is to kill people living in the western world which can cause moral panic.

This clip represents Muslims in a negative approach for example the character who is dressed to be a radical Muslim, wearing Islamic clothing, has a full grown beard and is shown with a gun in his hand firing it into the sky this clip can connote that all Muslims are on an undercover mission to be terrorists. The accent of the character is a northern English accent which gives a negative representation on Muslims living in the north of England. The use of the word “paki” is reminding audiences that the character is Muslim and it creates an image of all Pakistanis to be extremist and violent people. The character makes a joke about James bond which is associated with the western world.

The representation in this film is made by what the media have gradually represented all Muslims to be. Non-Muslims would say this representation is fair as they image Muslims as a threat, especially the ones living away from the western world. Muslim audiences will challenge this as an unfair representation as the religion of Islam is about peace even though it is a comedy, “In Arabic, the word “Islam” means submission or surrender – however, it was derived from the root word “salam”. From this root word, you can also derive the words with peace and safety”[16]. The film's controversy spread before it opened to the public; families of those killed in the London bomb attacks in 2005 appealed to cinemas to not show the film. “Four lads from the north, all with strong Yorkshire accents - and the bombers were from Yorkshire - travelling down to London. It's very specific. It's very aligned to what happened in 2005 and they talk about bombing in London. That's not parodying or being satirical about terrorists. It's making money about a specific attack."[17] This again argues the point of should the regulatory bodies or authority such as the government be allowing the media to take a mockery of terrorism to this extent where it can hurt family members who have lost loved ones in terrorist attacks, or has society just dumbed down and accepted to have a laugh about real life events?

Another representation of Muslims were made recently in 2012 with a family based comedy sitcom called Citizen Khan which was bought to the British nations television screens on public broadcaster BBC 1. “It is set in Sparkhill, Birmingham, described by its lead character Mr Khan (Adil Ray) as "the capital of British Pakistan." Citizen Khan follows the trials and tribulations of Mr Khan, a loud-mouthed, patriarchal, self-appointed community leader, and his long suffering wife.”[18] The representation given by the BBC to Mr Khan is a devoted Muslim, who follows British ideologies. “Some British Muslims have claimed that the show "ridicules" and "insults" Islam.”[19]. Throughout the text Mr Khan is wearing the Islamic religious headwear but at the same time is wearing a suit, this could allow personal identification for the viewers and show comparison of both Pakistani and British cultures. This could be a fair representation of the media showing audiences how Muslims want to start embracing British lifestyles but this representation isn’t shown all the time, the other representation that is showed a lot is how Mr Khans daughter is being a “bad Muslim” whenever her father is there she pretends to read the Quran or puts on her headscarf but once he is gone she goes to her British lifestyle such as going on her phone and taking off her headscarf. This could allow non-Muslims to feel and think that, all Muslim parents make their children study religion (Sharia law). This could be a threat for some people in relation to what they hear on the news or read in the newspapers which add to the panic of Islamphobia.

On the other hand there is a point where one can argue, do you have to be famous and contribute towards the country’s pride to be accepted. For a Muslim to be accepted by todays British society they must ensure they follow western qualities and ideologies. One example can be Amir Khan who is one of very few British Pakistani Muslim males who is a popular sporting icon and is praised by the British media for his work and is frequently appearing on many television shows. This shows a different representation by the British media as usually Muslims are represented as terrorist or immigrants whereas with Amir Khan he is represented as the nation’s hero for winning bronze at the 2004 Olympics. Amir Khan now in his professional boxing career at times decides to wear shorts which have both the Pakistan and Union Jack flag on the side; this is a way for him to represent his Muslim Pakistani roots and at the same time his place of birth which is in the United Kingdom.

As time moves on and we look into the future of new digital technology, with media consumers becoming media producers, there is a chance of hope for Muslims to stop being represented as “barbaric, ignorant, closed-minded semi-citizens, maddened terrorists or as intolerant religious zealots” [20] As UGC continues, the representation of Muslims may change and become positive. Consumers of the media can upload videos on to YouTube which can circulate around the world. All it takes is one video of a Muslim being captured doing something which audiences would want to see, for example saving someone’s life in a train station. Even though UGC is growing, the main media such as new stations and tabloids will always remain as viewers need to refer and relate to something they feel is real, reliable and professional.

To conclude, the representation of Muslims post 9/11 has been controversial and there have been many attempts to try and tackle the problem, gradually allowing society to have ease with the culture of Islam. However the media is a huge business who wants to entertain audiences which results to maximization of sales or readership which outcomes to huge profit margins for the institution. Even though the news is “thought” to be non-fiction, it is always mediated before it is sent out for audiences to access making some parts fictional. This is done to entertain and keep audiences watching which increases attraction. As a result of this the large media organizations will continue to stereotype and give false representation of Islam. 

Word count: 2,316

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[1] Fredman, Sandra (2001). Discrimination and human rights: the case of racism. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. p. 121

[2] Petely, Juilan Pointing the Finger p. 74

[3] Poole, Elizabeth Change and Continuity in the Representation of British Muslims Before and After 9/11 p.4

[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/london_blasts/what_happened/html/

[5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion?INTCMP=SRCH

[6] http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/jul/03/muslims-integrated-britain

[7] Ibid

[8] http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/01/knee-jerk-islamophobia-why-trevor-kavanagh-wrong-about-british-muslims

[9] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/sep/05/bradford-response-cabinet-reshuffle

[10] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Hamza_al-Masri

[11] Allen, Christopher: Islamophobia in the Media since 9/11 p. 87

[12] http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2011/07/22/media-blamed-for-islamophobia-in-britain

[13] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1528485/Media-contributing-to-rise-of-Islamophobia.html

[14] Ibid

[15] Ibid

[16] http://muslimvoices.org/word-islam-meaning/                                                  

[17]http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8678000/8678570.stm

[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Khan

[19] Ibid

[20] Abbas, Tahir. Media Capital and the Representation of South Asian Muslims in the British Press: An Ideological Analysis Journal 2001 p.32

#task6

 Does the Media Encourage Islamphobia?

 

 Does the British Media Encourage Islamophobia? How Do Texts Such As Citizen Khan & Four Lions Fit Into The Post-9/11 Media Landscape?  

 
The words that come to mind when brainstorming Islam or Muslim most americans had given were accoiciated with violence : Osama Bin laden, 9/11, Suicide bombers, jihad, veiling, islamic laws, saudi arabia, iraq, iran and muhammed ali. (1)

It's 2013 and muslims are still being represented as terrorists, the headscarf is a symbol of threat to the western world. The British media is good at making small issues into breaking news headline, making the topic of the water cooler "did you hear what them muslim men done the other day?"






1) Peter Gottschalk: Islamophobia, Making Muslims the Enemy BOOK

task #5

1)  talk about british society steryotypes/respresents muslims :

terrorist ( london 7/7/ ,  9/11 , article about ken livingston being angry with survey results )

negative steryotype such as family guy and ahmed the dead terrorist comdey video on u tube

muslims were represented in the 1990s and now how they are represented eg abu hamza

shariaw law wanted (political) warsi the conservative party

talk about the diffrence of east is east of being imigrants and now four lions is on terrorism post 9/11

citizen khan

for muslims to be accepted we need to me like amir khan and his success (positve) talk about the survey where british muslims are proud

the start of the chairty of MAMA muslims being attacked , is this not terrorisim ?

Task #4

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion?INTCMP=SRCH

Study shows 'demonisation' of Muslims Wednesday 14 November 2007

- The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, who commissioned the study, said the findings were a "damning indictment" of the media and urged editors and programme makers to review the way they portray Muslims.

- " Only 4% of the 352 articles studied were positive, he said.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8678000/8678570.stm

7/7 complaints

The film's controversy spread before it opened to the public; families of those killed in the London bomb attacks in 2005 appealed to cinemas not to show the film.

Graham Foulkes' 22-year-old son David was on the Tube train targeted by a suicide bomber at Edgware Road, on the day that 52 people were killed on July 7th. Graham Foulkes told BBC Radio 5 Live that while parody and satire have a part to play in examining serious issues, Four Lions is too close to the bone:

"Four lads from the north, all with strong Yorkshire accents - and the bombers were from Yorkshire - travelling down to London. It's very specific. It's very aligned to what happened in 2005 and they talk about bombing in London. That's not parodying or being satirical about terrorists. It's making money about a specific attack."

"A film like this is obviously a very strong counterpoint to the very serious side of [terrorism

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/29/citizen-khan-is-not-just-outdated-but-lazy-and-offensive/

Growing up in the ‘70s, my family would tune into Mind Your Language, however racist it looked and sounded, and face a sad kind of reality – that this was how they were seen – as ignorant, buffoonish immigrants.


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3948185/Survey-Most-patriotic-Brits-are-Muslims.html

Kashif Hussein, 21, a student at University College London, said: “I feel British and Muslim but since 9/11 we have to show it more, to interact more, to show that we’re not that stereotype.”
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/01/knee-jerk-islamophobia-why-trevor-kavanagh-wrong-about-british-muslims

 We’ve heard a lot about belonging and loyalty and allegiance, Muslim first or British first. On Saturday Mo Farah gave us the answer: British Muslim and proud proud proud."

Task #3

Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America, a PBS documentary first aired nationwide in 1994, was produced by investigative reporter Steven Emerson after the first bombing of the World Trade Towers in 1993. The documentary was recently updated following terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.

In making this groundbreaking documentary, Emerson was the first American journalist to document in chilling video the militant Islamic support networks and terrorist groups secretly operating on American soil. Counter-terrorism officials from the National Security Council, Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have acknowledged that Emerson's documentary demonstrated that he had more reliable and accurate information about the secret terrorist networks on American soil than the US Government . Emerson was successful in infiltrating key conferences and rallies with hidden cameras in an effort to track down the people responsible for supporting and abetting terrorist activities on U.S. soil. At these events, and on this film, these extremists state their chilling intentions in their own words.

 The film, then and now, has brought the attention of the U.S. government authorities to the network of Islamic extremists in the United States that promote a culture of hatred, arrange for training in bomb-making and target practice, raise funds for militant groups in the Middle East, and in some cases, support terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. The film tracks down and shows interviews with a network of Islamic extremists in New York, Boston, New Jersey, Texas, California, Florida and Kansas, detailing their hatred and violent intentions against all Americans, including Christians, moderate Muslims and Jews in the United States.

 Emerson emphasizes throughout the one-hour documentary that the majority of Muslims in the United States do not support terrorist activities. He also says that Islam, as a faith, condemns such acts of terrorism. Emerson also notes, that the Islamic extremists who promote and carry out Jihad, are as a great a threat to moderate Muslims as they are to Christians, Jews and all American citizens.

 The video is an educational call to action for the American public, to provide U.S. law enforcement authorities with the tools they need to deal with this real threat to the American way of life. By educating the public, the film suggests that effective preventative measures can then be taken. Suggestions by counter-terrorism experts throughout the video help us understand the scope of the threat and what needs to be done to protect U.S. citizens, while at the same time preserving civil liberties.

• How is it similar/different to your main text?

Similar:
The way it is similar is that the documentary still potrays muslims as the extremiests, attackers and
terrorist that are trying to attack the western world.

muslims are demonised

Diffrent:
This is more serious and my main text mimics such an dangerous activity which has been used to killed example 9/11. My main text is a comedy and this is a documentary.

• How does this show how the genre/society/issue has changed?

this shows that society now laugh and find things that are bad to our society fun for example terrorism is dangerous and terrosit jihad activities have killed people in the past, but now society escapes from that and finds films such as four lions funny. if this film was to be shown 10 years ago when 9/11 took place there would be huge amounts of complaints because at the time people were still sufering from the events and the loss of family and freinds. maybe this now shows that society have learnt to relax and understand that comedy is comedy.

Task #2 BIB

All Authors / Contributors:	Julian Petley; Robin Richardson Book : Pointing the finger: Islam & Muslims in the british media
ISBN:	9781851688135 1851688137 1851688129 9781851688128
OCLC Number:	670484528
Description:	xxii, 300 p. ; 24 cm.
Responsibility:	[edited by] Julian Petley and Robin Richardson ISBN: 9781409417576 1409417573 0754651401 9780754651406 0754651398 9780754651390 OCLC Number: 698587318 Description: 1 online resource (210 p.) Contents: pt. 1. Introduction -- pt. 2. History in context -- pt. 3. A decade of the Runnymede Report -- pt. 4. Islamophobia in context -- pt. 5. Towards a new theory and definition of Islamophobia -- pt. 6. Conclusion. Responsibility: Chris Allen. Genre/Form: Electronic books Additional Physical Format: Print version: Allen, Christopher. Islamophobia.Farnham, Surrey ; Burlington, Vt. : Ashgate, c2010 (DLC) 2010028981 Material Type: Internet resource Document Type: Internet Resource, Computer File ISBN: 9781409417576 1409417573 0754651401 9780754651406 0754651398 9780754651390 OCLC Number: 698587318 Description: 1 online resource (210 p.) Contents: pt. 1. Introduction -- pt. 2. History in context -- pt. 3. A decade of the Runnymede Report -- pt. 4. Islamophobia in context -- pt. 5. Towards a new theory and definition of Islamophobia -- pt. 6. Conclusion. Responsibility: Chris Allen. Book : Making Muslims the enemy Genre/Form: Caricatures and cartoons Material Type: Internet resource Document Type: Book, Internet Resource All Authors / Contributors: Peter Gottschalk; Gabriel Greenberg ISBN: 9780742552869 0742552861 OCLC Number: 87130031 Description: x, 181 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. Contents: Overview of western encounters with Muslims -- Symbols of Islam, symbols of difference -- Stereotyping Muslims and establishing the American norm -- Extreme Muslims and the American middle ground --Moments. Responsibility: Peter Gottschalk and Gabriel Greenberg. Islamophobia : the ideological campaign against Muslims Author: Stephen Sheehi Publisher: Atlanta, GA : Clarity Press, ©2011. Edition/Format:  Book : English ISBN: 9780932863676 0932863671 OCLC Number: 449891976 Description: 291 p. ; 23 cm. Contents: The elite foreign policy networks : how Islamophobia is not just prejudice -- Journalists, rogue academics, and native informants : the siege of the Arab mind -- Native informants : women and the moral pretext for Western domination -- Teaching and activism in the teeth of power -- Living in a state of fear -- Islamophobia in the age of Obama -- The parallax of American power : keeping the United States relevant. Responsibility: Stephen Sheehi.