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Islam in the media
The effects of religious stereotypes
Media Portrayals of Islam Religion
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In modern days there have been a multitude of depictions of different religions in a very harsh light. People look at all religions with a scrutinizing gaze, wishing to find everything they can that they think is wrong about the religion when in reality they should be looking at the large amount of good that the religion offers. No one would like to have their beliefs and ideals that they hold close to them scoffed at, yet there are those who constantly do so to others. More recently people have become slightly more relaxed with their negative views and stereotypes of other religions, and that is something that is a truly wonderful thing. Unfortunately there is still a large amount of negative stigma that is involved with quite a few religions. These religions are both monotheistic and polytheistic, which means that they believe in one god, or multiple gods respectively. Some examples of religions that tend to have negative stereotypes surrounding them are Islam, and Muslim which is an adherent of Islam, Wicca, as well as many other Pagan religions, and even Christianity. There can be reasons for these negative stereotypes, unfortunately, as sometimes they were what used to be done or believed in some cases. Yet at the same time these negative stereotypes could be nothing more than people assuming things because they haven't taken the time to learn about the religion and its practitioners. These negative stereotypes of religions are often portrayed through media, such as television shows, comedy routines, songs, and even stories on the Internet.
While in the United States, if a person were asked what some stereotypes of Muslim or Islamic people there would be enough to fill an entire novel. Although this religion is similar to...
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On September 11, 2001, since the terrorist attacks, many American Muslims have been stereotyped negatively in the United States. Salma, a Muslim woman, says that the way Muslims have been recognized in the media has played a big role in the antagonism directed at her. “I don’t know how many times I heard my classmates accuse me of being al-Qaeda or a terrorist” (Mayton 2013). Salma, along with other Muslims, even after a decade, are still struggling with trying to find their “American” and “Islamic” identities, while facing verbal attacks for their ethnicity. Too often, the general Muslim population gets lumped in with the immoral acts of a few because of the lack of knowledge about their culture.
Adler, Margot. “Wicca.” Reader’s Companion to U.S. Women’s History. 637-638. US: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1998. History Reference Center. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
Has the New York Times negatively stereotyped Arab Muslims for the past forty years? The goal of this research project is to reveal the negative stereotypes directed towards Arab Muslims in the New York Times. The critical focus of the research is the consistency of the negative stereotypes. The underlying focus is what theoretical and historical effects result from the negative stereotypes.
The Wiccan religion is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States as well one of the most misunderstood due to the controversies surrounding its history and mystery shrouding its beliefs and doctrines. Due to a series of popular TV series that have shown Witchcraft in a positive light, such as Sabrina, the Teen-aged Witch and Charmed, the popularity of Wicca has grown, especially amongst teenagers; but sadly this popularity has not been partnered with a growth in understanding and respect (Kaminer). Although Wicca offers a nature-oriented, egalitarian belief system with a rich collection of customs and rituals, ignorance and historically-rooted misconceptions still dominate public opinion.
"Hate Crimes up in Wake of Terrorist Attacks." CNN.com. Cable News Newtwork, 16 Sept. 2001.
All in all, Running into offensive stereotypes is common among Arab Muslims. People will not stop making new stereotypes, and the only way to stop them from being spread is by correcting them. Stereotypes are basically wrong information based on an sophisticated perception. It is critical to deal with these situations with reason and intellectuality. People may have different ways to solve these kinds of problems, but it is important to make sure it is in a healthy and effective manner. Stereotypes are wrong information that needs to be corrected, so it is very important to educate society about the misunderstandings associated with the stereotypes.
The first way it's portrayed is that it's a religion the follows the teachings of one book (the bible) and that it has no answers to any problem that any of us faces today. However the second way it's portrayed is as a religion that is changing everyday
Islamic teachings that are followed by Muslims around the globe do not have same context and applicability like other religions of the world. Islam not only tells about the way of worshiping the Lord and behaving like a good human being but it also give a complete code of life. It includes political, military, social, financial, legal and governance systems. Non-Muslims normally con...
Rippin A. 1990, Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Volume 1: The Formative Period, Routledge, London and New York.
... attitudes towards Muslims and their religious faith and their viewpoints on terrorism amongst Halifax University students that includes a pool sample from Saint Mary’s University, Mount Saint Vincent University and Dalhousie University. We will examine current attitudes associated with the Islamic religion which will give us an idea as to whether or not there is a connection between those who are familiar with the Islamic religion and those who hold favorable attitudes. Our hypothesis is that those who are familiar with the Islamic religion will likely hold more favorable attitudes or at least will not hold discriminative outlooks towards such religious group. We also hypothesize that first year undergraduate students will carry more prejudice and discriminative attitudes towards Muslims in comparison to fourth year students who will have more favorable attitudes.
September 11, 2001 forever changed the landscape of the generalized view of the Muslim community in the United States; these acts created a defining stereotypical image that all Muslim’s are extreme terrorists, or condone such behavior. Although this view of the Muslim community was not necessarily new, it was not widely acknowledged in America until the events of September 11th as it was continually thrust upon the public by print and news media. This study will discuss the dichotomy between representations of the Muslim community held by many in the Western culture as well as the psychological cause and effect of such depictions. The sociological “norms” as determined by popular American culture, the development of “terrorist” stereotypes through modern media, and the cause and effect postcolonial literature has had on the subject are all topics that will be evaluated. The objective of this research is to provide enhanced comprehension of the situational attitudes held by Muslims and Americans alike. Also, this will offer an educated understanding of the gap between what is believed and what is factual, in hopes of creating emphasis for the need of a new approach in creating a discrimination free partnership with the Muslim community while maintaining awareness and security.
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.
People act the way they do because of these unifying principles that bind them together. These doctrines are sacred for the people, and they hold them in high regard. The complete knowledge about these cultures and religions is pivotal of one wants to form an authentic opinion about any group of people. It is only justifiable to become a religious or cultural critic if one actually understands what the people in questioning believe firmly and stand up for as one nation or religious sect. Without the real knowledge about a particular group, one ends up making assumptions purely based on their values and thoughts which end up in the formation of stereotypes; which is an overly simplified idea or image of a particular person, groups of people of thing.