The Islamic Religious Tradition Final Course Assessment

The Islamic Religious Tradition Final Course Assessment
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Question 1
How did media coverage in the west on Islam and Muslims change after 9/11?
As a vital tool in shaping public opinion and ideologies, the media negatively shaped the quality and quantity of media coverage of Islam and Muslims in several ways. One of the changes was the increase in negative press characterized by stereotypes and misrepresentation of this minority group. According to Ahmed & Matthes (2017, pp. 219-220), the media held numerous interviews and political discussions of the 9/11 attack where opinion makes, ring-wing political and religious painted a picture of Islam as a religion that poses a potential threat to the public and the democracy of the western nations. The interviews painted them as evil, extremists, despot individuals who were out to cause chaos to Americans in exercising their religious beliefs and need for dominance in these nations.
The media coverage of Islam changed and became characterized by assumptions that the religion was opposed to everything western. According to Ghosn (2021a), unlike before when the media would investigate conflict among Muslims and the Islamic faith, after 9/11, their investigations failed to contextualize the social, political, and economic reasons that caused the conflicts. Instead, they propagated that Muslims and Islam engaged in conflicts because they liked opposing each other. Consequently, Americans became socialized that Muslims were violent individuals who sought to mount opposition against other people for no reason (Ghosn, 2021a).
After the 9/11 attack, Muslims were framed as monolithic by the media. Religion was considered to be rigid and not diverse. Thus, it wasn’t easy to deal, handle or reason with them as they observed things from only their perspective, which in most cases did not accommodate other religions or people. Additionally, the media portrayed them as a sexist religion that brutalized and disempowered their women so that they remained under the mercies of the men in their lives (Ghosn, 2021a). Such constructed ideologies made Americans view them as difficult and backward people who were undeserving of becoming American citizens and possible terrorists.
What is the relationship between this coverage and Islamophobia?
The coverage of Islam by the media accentuated cases of Islamophobia, according to Ghosn (2021a), by portraying Muslims as radical people. The stereotype painted them as radical insurgents committed to starting a holy war against western countries through violence. The stereotype propagates the hate for Muslims as people cannot discern the difference between Muslims and criminals who use religion to justify their crimes, hence the fear and mistrust of all Muslims
The media coverage also propagates the hate of Muslims by portraying Muslim women as powerless individuals at the mercies of their men or radical feminists disadvantaged in the fight for equality. As a result, the women are painted as beaten, veil and segregated, demonstrating their marginalization, thus creating a negative picture of the religion, making more people hate it. Additionally, the hate for Muslims is accentuated by media coverage that associates the entire religion and group of people with terrorism, despite only a few people being involved (Ghosn, 2021b). Consequently, Muslim individuals are met with hostility, suspicion, and even rejection due to their perceived terrorism tendencies.
Question 2
Why the practice of veiling in Islam has been controversial to some
Veiling, the practice of Muslims covering their heads and faces with clothing known as hijab, has attracted a lot of controversies from different circles for different reasons. One of the reasons for the controversy is veiling represents patriarchal oppression. The practice of covering is thought to threaten the freedom and liberation of women because it is a choice imposed on them by men. Thus, the submissive women have to submit to an unequal system that puts them under the power and control of men, thus propagating inequality, which is unacceptable in the modern world (Woodhead, 2009, pp. 91).
Veiling is also controversial to some people, according to Ghosn (2021b), as it signifies despised differences. Covering is considered an ideal way of making women powerless and marking them as unequal and different human beings who have no real value, power, or voice in society. Controlling women has been a practice of most cultures and religions worldwide. Thus, with the current woman trying to escape all these trappings for liberation, veiling is considered the most robust way Muslim women are pulled down and back to their inferior status (Woodhead, 2009, pp. 91-92).
Veiling is also considered a sign of undermining social integration, femininity, and accomplishments. F...