Harvard Islamophobia Is The Media To Blame For Its Increase

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 1

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase?

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Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 2

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase?

Introduction

In 2009, a movement calling itself English Defense League (EDL) emerged in UK

with the intention of staging mass protests against what they called as Islamic extremism. The

members claimed that they were not spreading racism or violence but they could no longer

remain silent on atrocities that they believed were committed by people from Muslim

community. The movement claims that they are fighting for the right to life and property of

British people which had been denied by Muslim individuals through terrorism. The

formation of EDL was triggered by the tension that existed between British people and

members from Muslims community in Luton. The town of Luton had in the past been accused

of harboring terrorists and several counter-terrorism efforts carried out in the town by the

police officers. Muslims from this town felt threatened by the presence of soldiers who were

combating terrorism in the town. They gave the soldiers a hostile reception and complained of

discrimination from the government. The founders of EDL felt that Muslims were too much

and found it necessary to protect the general public from supremacy of Muslims in Luton. The

hostile reception received by soldiers was aired in British mass media where it attracted

attention and concern for British people. They felt that the soldiers were not given enough

respect despite the sacrifice they undergo to protect the citizens from any harm. EDL was then

formed from the subculture of football with the main aim of fighting jihadists in Britain. They

said that they were fighting for restoration of Britain to its traditional form and preventing

terrorists from turning the country into Islamic state. The movement encompassed different

individuals who were saying they are united for the peace and restoration of Luton to fight the

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 3

dangers that were posed by the Muslim community in Britain. Its main objective was to put

pressure on the government to force the Muslim extremists out of Britain. It generates its

influence from mass demonstrations which they use to force the government into giving in to

its grievances. The group had a great number of following on their social media pages such as

Facebook where it used to organize and strategize on the best methods of protests. Their

message was also passed through these pages. The movement has been able to influence the

society through their active involvement in mass media to raise awareness in UK. They have

also actively engaged in internet where they use social media platforms such as twitter and

Facebook to spread their ideologies and grievances to the general public (Allen, 2011). The

paper will try to illustrate how EDL movement has been able to cultivate the culture of

Islamophobia in society through the use of social media and mass media to create discourse

leading to social changes in the UK. The essay will show how technology and media can be

used as means of spreading disunity and discrimination in society for certain group of people

with well crafted communication to disguise their intention. It will show how media can be

manipulated to cause social changes in society that might be detrimental to certain

communities. The movement has been very successful in spreading their ideologies evident

from the high levels of Islamophobia witnessed in the UK. The paper will show the impact of

EDL in shaping public opinion and propagating Islamophobia among in UK citizens.

The movement claimed that they were fighting for democratic rights of British people

and fighting a culture in British society that believed Muslim were more superior to others.

The spirit of democracy and fight against social injustices in society can be seen from their

website where they declare that the white and blacks unite. Their movement also shows the

diversity of various groups in society such as LGBT divisions, Sikh, and Jewish groups. Their

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 4

main area of contention is migration and immigration policies (Garland et al., 2010). They

assert that the policies have led top inequality where British people are regarded as inferior in

their own country and regarded Muslims as superior group. The movement portrays Muslims

as the main danger to democratic rights, Economic rights, and political rights of British

people. They assert that Muslims are just outsiders and ‘others’ and they cannot dictate how

the UK will be governed. They assert that British people should enjoy their rights of deciding

who enters or leaves the UK to protect their democracy and privileges in their own country.

They assert that Muslims want to change the culture of Britain and totally reform their

religion which is against their democratic rights. The movement also asserts that Muslims

have been able to enjoy privileges in Britain as a result of hospitality and tolerance of British

people (Allen, 2011).

Mass media and social media are of great essence to the movement as they require

reaching a big audience. It is the media that raise the awareness and protect the democracy of

citizens in the society (Zompetti, 2012). Mass media on its part has however been

manipulated to portray Muslim community in a particular way and spread Islamophobia all

over the UK. The online world has also engaged the public in demonizing Muslims and

creating discourse in disguise of pride for one’s country. The right of British citizens have

been receiving prime-time news coverage and portrayed as an issue of concern for all British

citizens. The messages are rehearsed well by mainstream media in Britain to create a certain

public opinion and drive the agenda of EDL (Garland et al.,2010). The issue of immigration

has also received mainstream media coverage with media personalities inviting different

people to spread Islamophobia and shape public opinion. Muslims are depicted as individuals

who are closer to terrorism and danger to the society.

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 5

The issue of Islamophobia first came into public attention following 9/11 terrorist

attack in the U.S stemming hatred and negative attitudes perpetrated by society and security

forces towards people of Muslim origin. Islamophobia in Europe can be traced from certain

events that happened in the past. Some of those events include the killing of Theo Van Gogh

in 2004, Gulf War II in 2003, London terrorist bombing in 2005, Swiss minaret debate in

2009, Iran nuclear debate of 2010, Stockholm bombings of 2010, France ban of the burqa in

2011, and The Innocence of Muslims in 2012 among others. Muslims all over the world have

been under siege for events that are beyond them and which have been committed by some

individuals under the guise of Muslims (Zompetti, 2012). The media on its part has been at

the forefront of delivering messages and updates that portray Muslims in a specific way. They

are portrayed as barbaric and terrorists who fight for social inclusion and acceptance in

society (Allen, 2011). Indeed, media have released press statements and documents that shape

the society and general public to accept some kind of opinion which has led to negative

publicity and hatred towards people of Muslim origin. Communication is important, and the

society believes everything that media gives which breeds hatred and negative attitude

towards Muslims. It is through the power of communication that EDL have been able to

spread the culture of Islamophobia in the UK.

Rise of Islam religion in theUK and the world at large

There is growing interactions among all people from different cultures and religion in

Britain and other parts of the world. With Muslims growth in population, the media has the

sole responsibility of cultivating togetherness, but instead, they maintain fear of the entire

Islam religion. Different terrorist groups in the world have spread terror and threats all over

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 6

the world. EDL movement through the media has capitalized on these uncertainties to

continuously report on latest bombing and remind the world of the levels of insecurity in the

world. All the blame is laid on people from Muslim community (Zaal, 2012). They have

breed fear among other people from other religions such that everything and everyone from

Arab origin causes fear and is treated with suspicion by the society.

Regardless of any justification among the members of the population and EDL

movement, Islamophobia goes against the principles of democracy and is a big threat to the

social inclusivity and cohesion in society. The mass media on its part has ensured they write

articles and spread news regarding terrorism (Zompetti, 2012). Mass media is very powerful

and influential in the society. Attitudes created and words said by media matters greatly to the

view of terrorism in society. Communication is very important as it shapes opinions and set

agendas on the importance of certain topics in society. Any mistake done in media reporting

is bound to mislead public opinion. The media, therefore, has the sole responsibility of airing

their news responsibly and depicting all communities accurately and fairly at all times. To

integrate national and international cohesion, it is essential for the media to give reports that

breed togetherness and preach peace instead of war and hatred against one community. The

hostility has been created by EDL movement and other anti-Muslim organizations such as

PEGIDA through staging demonstrations to reject acceptance of all Muslim refugees in

society (Hjelmgaard, 2016). Muslims are facing blatant threats to their existence from all

spheres of society for events that are beyond their control. Generalizing Islam religion and

discriminating its people have led to hatred and increase in terrorist sympathizers. Through

the use of social media, EDL has engaged different individuals in Britain in all forms of hate

speech and spreading hostility towards Muslims (Hafiz, 2013).

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 7

Mass media have also succeeded in silencing professionals who hail from Muslim

community. Their contributions to society go unnoticed, and they are rarely unappreciated.

With the help of Arab intellectuals, western countries have been able to develop an advanced

system of education. Some English words such as chemistry, algebra, and coffee have Arabic

roots, but Arabs are despised and discriminated against (Shaheen, 2003).Shaheen also noted

that Arab intellectuals were able to develop astrolabes which they used for navigation,

celestial globes, developing the principles and concepts of gravity, and star maps. They were

also very instrumental in pioneering the use of longitude and latitude developed the gothic

style which is used in Europe, and also invented the water clock used in the society today.

Instead of airing such contributions to the public, mass media focuses on the negative side of

the community. Mass media have never made any efforts of creating awareness and educating

the public on the importance of Arabs and their contributions (Zompetti, 2012). Media has

developed a public opinion where people from Muslim community are regarded as worthless

and uncivilized.

Historically, Arabs have been found to provide aid to western nations. Arab soldiers

from Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco fought together with French soldiers in France, Italy, and

North Africa. The UK has also benefited from the generosity of Arabs. Libyan and Jordanian

soldiers provided military aid to British soldiers. During World War II, Iraq, Saudi Arabia,

and Egypt soldiers declared war on Germany and assisted West countries to win the war

(Shaheen, 2003). The media does not educate the public on such sacrifice that Muslims have

been undertaking for peaceful coexistence in society. They only focus on the negative aspects

shaping the public to believe that Arabs have been hostile to the west and other nations of the

world since past centuries. The media have a role to play in sensitizing the public and airing

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 8

the contributions of Arabs for the betterment of society. Democracy is for everyone, and the

media should ensure that the general public is advised on how they can create a culture of

solidarity and togetherness which would improve relations in the society.

Concepts of ideology

The concept of ideology tries to explain how things around us occur. It is the mental

framework including the imagery of thought, systems of representation, language, and

categories that social groups and different classes use to explain, figure, and define how

society works (Hall, 1986). It uses power dynamics, worldviews, and hegemony to construct

an acceptable reality in society. The general public is never aware of the real situation in

society as little information is shared by those in power to create a certain opinion. Hegemony

entails who hold and control power in the community. Those in power use different ideologies

to create a certain perception to ensure they maintain their power and exert their influence on

the general public (Shaheen, 2003). The media on its part is used by those in power to ensure

that power flows in a certain way through the society and different social groups to promote

social changes (Shaheen, 2003). Individuals with most influence and wealth are mostly the

ones who are able to hold and maintain power which enable them to become hegemons. They

achieve that through commodification and alienation where the other members of society are

separated from important social issues. Hegemons challenge individuals in society to focus on

accumulating wealth and valuing possessions to enable them to enjoy power and influence in

society. The media have not failed hegemons in the society and have spread ideologies that

portray individuals from Muslim community as outsiders and terrorists. They have ensured

that hegemons achieve their agenda of depicting Muslims as worthless and dangerous to live

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 9

with leading to a culture of hostility and hatred towards Muslims. The media have supported

hegemons by educating the public on the need to reject refugees coming from Muslim

countries. They have created a public opinion and acceptance that Muslim should not be

tolerated and are uncivilized. The media is supposed to create harmony and preach peace.

They are supposed to challenge hegemons on the principles of democracy and educate

citizens on their own rights. Instead, they have been corrupted by hegemons, and the media

articles discriminate against Muslims and create fabricated stories to alienate Muslims in

society (Shaheen, 2003). EDL movement uses its power and influence to generate fear among

the general public leading to Islamophobia.

Power is supposed to be shared among the members of society, but Muslims have no

power and are underrepresented in political offices in Britain and other nations all over the

world. Without any power, the society tends to silence them and ignore the social ills that they

are subjected to. Discrimination and social injustices against Muslims have been treated as

normal around the world. Any fighting for Muslims rights is meted with resistance from

hegemons since Muslims are supposed to accept some forms of ill-treatment. EDL also

counters any arguments raised by individuals from Muslim community through demonizing

such individuals and calling them extremists of terrorist sympathizers (Shaheen, 2003).

Minority groups such as Muslim community develop false beliefs that hegemonic values and

ideals are necessary and vital for them and the general public. Hegemons use media and their

influence to deter Muslims from airing their grievances and fight for social justice and social

changes in their perceptions (Zompetti, 2012). The media should be at the forefront in airing

the place of Muslim community in society and condemn all forms of discrimination meted

against Muslims. It is the responsibility of the media to raise awareness to the general public

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 10

on the importance of democracy for everyone and social inclusivity of every member of

society.

Everyday experiences shape the culture of a society and dictates the path such a

society will follow. Different social practices determine how individuals are going to behave

and understand themselves. EDL movement supporters know such fact too well evident from

their regular updates on their media platforms and influence on mass media to remind British

people of their rights and place in society. Those in power have also utilized discourse in

society to make Muslims feel less privileged and accept the ills that happens around them in

society. Social practices that stereotypes Muslims as terrorists have led to increase in terrorist

sympathizers which make counterterrorism efforts hard to achieve. The growth of technology

has made the world a global village (Saeed, 2007). Majority individuals in western nations

and other parts of the world have used this technology to spread hate and discriminate against

Muslims. It has brought social changes where Muslims are no longer regarded as important

individuals. Muslims are now treated with fear and suspicion by society. The media has the

responsibility of changing such perceptions and educating the public on how Muslim

community has contributed positively towards the growth of society. The media should create

awareness on the importance of both cultural and religious diversities in society. They should

also educate the general public on how they need to respect the freedom of association for

other members to spread the ideals of democracy. Such information would be very important

in bringing about social changes which would lead to acceptance of other members from

different races, cultures, and religion in the world. Through airing such information, the

society can be able to spread the spirit of love and respect for democracy and right of all

members of society (Saeed, 2007). It is the responsibility of the media to challenge historical

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 11

memories and events that have shaped the opinion of the general public. They should educate

the public on how they can challenge all what has been stated and known regarding Muslim

community and challenge them to endeavor in creating their own history of solidarity, love

and tolerance in society. However, hegemons remains very influential on media platforms and

shaping the society evident from mass media unwillingness in raising awareness in society

and contributing to the hatred we witness today. Instead of preaching peace, hegemons have

influenced media and they play a major role in producing and reproducing collective memory

of the society. The message of the media reach large audience at a particular time and shape

the society the way hegemons want them to do. Political and academic elites do not need to

spread hate through narrating past events to the public as the media does all that for them.

Historical events are given different interpretations by the media to give a particular message

to the public and alienate members from Islam community. History is interpreted to show

heroism of those in power while avoiding events that would undermine their authority. The

media keep on reminding the society how different lives and properties have been destroyed

in the past by individuals from Islam religion. EDL movement demonizes Muslim religion

and blames all misfortunes that occur in society on Muslim community. Media on the other

hand gives credence to EDL ideologies by reconnecting similar events that occurred in past to

explain the present occurrences. The narrative of the media is very unique as it is listened and

accepted by large audience. The media also brings different individuals together to voice their

views regarding certain events which make their statement to be accepted by the public. The

media creates images and words that influence the perception of the world to persuade the

society to behave in a certain way. The information persuades the public to believe that

Muslim community is the sole source of their misfortunes and trauma experienced in society

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 12

(Zaal, 2012). Through the media, ideas and thoughts of hegemons and different movements

such as EDL are disseminated to the general public with clear description on how the society

should be understood and ordered. Through such rhetoric, the media manipulates historical

events to depict the situation that hegemons want understood among the public. The

communication given by the media to generate a particular ideological perspective and

convince individuals to accept the society the way it is for hegemons to achieve a certain

goals. The same mechanism and process have been used in stereotyping Muslims and

depicting them the way hegemons want the society to understand (Saeed, 2007). The language

that is used in the media to narrate events regarding Muslims is clearly crafted to define

members of society, Muslims, material world, and how all these relate with one another. The

narrations are organized and formulated to create fear among the society on members of Islam

community among all society members (Zaal, 2012).

Communication is also powerful, and the military personnel is now using media to

disseminate rhetoric statements to the targeted audience. With the integration of the world,

nations have realized that they need to not only protect themselves against enemies but also

protect nations that are politically and economically allied to them. Acquiring allies requires

verbal posturing from nations that want to establish their superiority over the smaller

countries. The culture, social and economic institutions, and the technology of a nation are

constructed in a certain way to portray a national image that is acceptable internationally.

Superpowers are able to enjoy their hegemons attribute if their technology, culture, and

institutions are emulated in other nations. The nation representatives must craft their messages

carefully to create a good picture for their country. Any person giving out any message is

conscious about how the message will be received and effects of such utterances. When a

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 13

nation like Britain gives a statement that discriminates against members of Muslim

community, their statements do affect not only the targeted audience but also the international

community. Their actions cause other nations to treat Muslim community with suspicion, and

the social ills are repeated in the whole world. Any rhetoric act that is taken by major nations

such as Britain, Russia, China, U.K or U.S has the potential to transform and reinforce current

political and social patterns (Saeed, 2007). It is the major countries that dictate the path that

smaller nations follow. Social injustices perpetrated against Muslim community in UK and

western nations are bound to be done in the whole world.

The rhetoric and ideology are spread through the media to disseminate political

language. Political language does not base the realities and facts based on the rational

thoughts of subjects. The language is inscribed to the public to generate social and emotional

reaction towards Muslim members of society. EDL movement ensures it produces and

disseminates messages that shape the society through their various platforms such as social

media or posting on their website. Mass media on its part ensure that it replay images that

evoke certain responses and reactions from the viewers. Such reactions include the feeling of

patriotism, nationalism or pride. The society is made to believe that everyone should be

patriotic to his country and immigrants such as those of Muslim origin create hatred and kill

innocent citizens. The viewers are made to believe that discriminating and alienating such

communities will be more helpful to the nation and society at large. Mass media has framed

people from the Middle East and Islam as terrorists leading to Islamophobia in society. Any

efforts to air the grievances of the Muslim community are silenced by hegemons through

media and anti-Muslim movement (Zompetti, 2012). Any agenda to be highlighted in media

is carefully controlled to avoid challenging hegemons or addressing the issue of diversity in

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 14

society. The society is made to believe that all immigrants and citizens from other countries

and cultures are intruders who want to spread insecurity in their country. Members of the

Muslim community are regarded as an enemy as they are believed to be the cause of stress

among the population. All the negative conditions including economic strains are blamed on

Muslim community. The society is also created to refuse to show any empathy to members of

Islam community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the paper has highlighted the impact of social movements such as EDL

in shaping public opinions and effecting social changes in society. The paper has depicted

how hegemons create messages and use media to disseminate their opinions to the society.

Acceptance of hegemons and EDL movement messages by the media has led the world to

believe that major atrocities witnessed in the world are caused by certain religions that are evil

and worthless. The media have used their influence to shape public opinion and set the

perception of the public on policies relating to foreign and domestic policy. It has achieved

the objective of the political class of depicting the Muslim community as being composed of

individuals that mean harm to the community and with intentions to destroying the dominant

system of the general public. The society is also made to believe that everyone who hails from

the Muslim nation is evil and anything good with them is destructive to the dominant system.

With that, the Muslims are discriminated and alienated by all members of society. The growth

of technology has enabled the members of society to spread hate and discriminate members of

Islam religion.

Islamophobia; is the media to blame for its increase? 15

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