Surname 1

Name:

Course:

Tutor:

Date:

How the American Media represents the Middle East

Terrorism may be a form of attack in which common people often die. The group looks

to the media or the government to find out who is accountable and then apply swift measures

towards the individuals responsible. After America had gone into battle with Japan Pearl

Harbour, the public lamented over the fatalities of military and attitudes towards the Japanese

people and their Asian descendants began a trend of hate that would last for decades. In the same

way, the events of 9/11 that blamed on Islamic terrorists caused a powerful household backlash

between America and the Middle East (Leonard 2293). The media played a critical role in

influencing the public to direct fault on the whole Islamic group. Unexpectedly, differences in

perception among the Americans and the Middle East was lighted and taken to the leading edge

of America’s politics and culture. While traditional, socioeconomic and governmental variations

often affected the association between Islamic and Americans, attitudes as a result of the

September 11attacks turned into cultural and religious perceptions towards the Muslims

community in the Middle East. These relations sprout due to the media perpetuating a deep-

seeded stereotypical discrimination and inequality in America. The American media perspective

of the Middle East after 9/11 has affected negatively on American’s perceptions of the Muslim

community and women in the Middle East.

 Surname 2

Indeed, America’s political and social perception of Muslims has significantly changed

after 9/11. Shahrough Akhavi suggests that the traditional interaction between America and the

Middle East have not always been as nasty as they are now (Akhavi 558). The typical reason for

the bad attitudes towards the Middle East and against Muslims has been due to powerful media,

social and religious causes, and terrorism itself. These factors often demonstrate America’s

principles against Islam, out of lack of knowledge and misinterpretation of the activities taken by

al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden. Consequently, higher levels of aggressive criminal offenses

and associations of terrorism to Islam developed (Disha, et.al. 22). Cultural attitudes that

developed after 9/11 suggest that Americans and the Middle East have had a long record of

divergence and an overall schismatic connection.

American media’s perspective of the Middle East after 9/11

The American outlook on the Islamic group was greatly affected following 9/11. The

domestic and international Muslim community was irreversibly changed by the activities of Al

Qaeda. Soon after the disastrous tragedy, views of Muslims became generalizations that

concerned the Middle East as a whole. The first of many typical misunderstandings was that the

Islam is specifically Middle East’s export (Leonard 2293). While the theology defined by

prophet Muhammad in the 7th century A.D. had its origin in Mecca and Medina, Islam has

spread considerably since that period, having even more elements in Asia than in the Middle

East. Although the American media perspective of the Middle East had never been incredibly

positive, following 9/11, many Individuals considered the region and Islam as nearly sub-human

(Akhavi 557). Common ideas of the Middle East have more lately been that of those residing in
 Surname 3

the desert, nomadic, ignorant way of life, often arising from a barbaric group of what many

would consider basic individual privileges.

There exists numerous circumstances where the American media would consider

unsuitable, but the depiction of this significantly large group as incapable to live the lifestyle and

fundamental goals that Americans hold dear is an unsuitable conjuncture about the individual

capacity of Islamic people. These American media perspectives concerning the most

dehumanized lowest and individuals in the Middle East have been extrapolated around the globe

to create a perspective of Islam that shows the whole of its population as carrying features of

sub-human violence and basic intellect. despite of the socio-economic circumstances of any

Islamic individual, this judgment associated with Middle East and the Islamic community by the

American media is the most alienated elements of the media that Americans follow throughout

their lives after the 9/11 bombings attacks.

The acts of stereotyping by the American media convince people to reply and act, in the

same way, which is both adverse and prejudiced (Amel al-Ariqi 16). Common ideologies that

Arabs represent individuals from the Middle east; is intended to represent the Arabs as the

enemy, ignorant from the desert, and people that opposes the Western ideologies. Regardless of

the truth that these individuals are from different nations, with different cultures, behavior,

values, and a diversity of faiths, they are stereotyped by one term “Arabs” (Leonard 2295). A

good example on how American media portrays the Middle East is illustrated through

misrepresentation of Arab women. Over 900 films have been produced in the United States

theatres that reveal how Arabic men, women and kids are shaped to be different and harmful.

Moreover, the films from 1896 to present represent Arabs as heartless, opponents, vicious,
 Surname 4

thieves, extremist in their religious values, intense killers, and users of women. Moreover, in

Disney’s rebuilding of “Around the World in 80 Days” (2004), for example, Arnold

Schwarzenegger reveals Royal prince Hapi, a Mid-east sheikh with ‘one hundred or so spouses,

this means that films keep on displaying Arabic women as sex slaves.

The adverse perspective portrayed by the American media on the Middle east and the

Islamic community occur from a variety of complicated conditions that have been over-

exaggerated and twisted over time. The Middle East is perceived to be a desert that is barren;

however, being one of the fastest growing places in the world, it is the richest places in the world

due to its oil deposits. A good example is of a prosperous country in the Middle east is Dubai, a

place where a golden prospects emerge from barren soil and windswept sand dunes; a place

where the present encapsulates the outlook as the city encapsulated by the desert. As with many

generalizations and terrible portrayals, the roots of such outlooks have often come from cultural

differences and racism. The financial frailty of Middle East is unquestionable behind the western

world in technological innovation and education; Nevertheless, Dubai constantly strives towards

development and growth, despite its location in the desert. The financial issues faced by most of

the people of Middle East are frustrated by top level control over their most respected natural

resource; oil (Akhavi 558). This perception has only increased the powerful difference of

prosperity between the wealthy and poor, leading to many generalizations of wealthy, selfish,

and deceitful Middle East entrepreneurs.

While such generalizations have persisted well before Sept 11, 2001, the 9/11 tragedy

only powered painful and often misdirected attacks by the American media towards Middle East

people as a whole. In the same way, several educational discussions targeted by the American
 Surname 5

media on issues of women’s rights and violence in the Qur’an exist, often disagreeing that the

primary spiritual device of Muslims is contrary to many commonly held Western morals. As

Karen Leonard puts it, this type of ideological change between Euro-Americans and Muslims

may proceed into the future, as “issues of understanding the practice of Islamic law in America,

have also impelled the situation after 9/11” (Leonard 2294).

The perception that all Terrorists are Muslims

The American’s media impression that Islam encourages terrorist activities has become

particularly common following the 9/11 strikes. It is again unquestionable that categories such as

Al Qaeda center their ideologies on Islamic fundamentalism. However, the supposition that the

Islamic trust leads to enemy factions is remarkably different than the point that terrorist groups

use Islam as a rallying point (Disha, et.al. 34). These kinds of issues regarding American’s media

opinion on activities of Muslims in the Middle east have incredibly become persistent over the

last several decades, with media comments declaring that terrorist activities emerge from the

Middle East and not necessarily the Islamic fundamentalist accountable for the 9/11 strikes. Such

over-stated claims have also indicated the sharpened split between Americans and the Middle

East, as well as, Muslim-Americans themselves. Thus, the 9/11 attacks have increased separation

and discrimination between ethnically different people caused by the American media who seek

different reflection in America's complicated governmental program. While all these problems

include some quantity of risk against Western theology, they have been substantially overplayed

in America by the media, often as a way to generate group interest and governmental power.

Their associations of terrorism with Muslims in American media have only provided a

platform to perpetuate various generalizations, restricting many Muslim-Americans in America.

 Surname 6

These generalizations are put at the leading edge of any Islamic stereotype and are pointed at the

Middle East. In addition, to the public networking illustrations of Islamic generalizations, funny

cartoons specifically demonstrate extreme and ignorant aggressive terrorists with little, to no

capability to connect with others in an incomprehensive desert. America’s support of these

American outlooks is not unique to public networking. National slurs against Muslims in the

Middle East have taken on a colloquial application of stereotypes and a variety of irrelevant

insults (Gerges 83). For instance, it is unusual for a media to refer terrorism to Islam or associate

terrorism to Middle East. These Islamic generalizations lead to a social impact where these

pictures become a routine; they are approved as true without more self-evaluation by most

Americans. When the important points are regarded, a completely different view of Middle East

is colored, one in which the judgment of terrorism and unintelligent lifestyle seems not only

irrational, but entirely contrary to the Islamic faith.

American’s view of the women in the Middle East culture

An analysis targeted in evaluating America’s newspaper articles and also worldwide

newspaper articles on Arabic and Islamic women from 9/11/01 to 9/11/05 reveals how women

who wear the veil are portrayed in western media and how Journalists hardly ever give women

the chance to speak, look beyond the misconception and get to know the reason behind the veil.

Whether oppressed, offended or turned into a superwoman, that Islamic lady in the news is more

often not a caricature of the Arabic and Islamic lady in the real world. Americans are yet to

receive a regular and precise reflection of the different individualities, lives and views of these

women. It has always been known that TV programmes influence American people views and

behavior towards various issues regarding the Middle East, especially when it comes to the
 Surname 7

practice of Islam by Arabs. Consequently, most of the misperceptions towards Muslim women

are brought forth by the inflow of stereotypical information through TV channels and

newspapers (Kaufer and Al Malki 49)

The American media are interested in the expression of Muslim women and they way

they dress. When it comes to representing an Islamic lady, the media in America seems to be

careful and passionate by the way they wear particularly the veil that has led to several responses

and controversy. These controversies reveal that the veil is recognized as an indication of the

cultural diversity in America as it distinguishes Muslim women from the American women.

Islamic ladies are always poorly portrayed as shapeless and as the phantom while in their Islamic

outfit (Amel al-Ariqi 5). Terms such as, the harem, the veil, female circumcisions helped in the

development of such misunderstandings and provide a bad conception to some of the associated

pictures with the oppressed Islamic woman. The offending issue here is that, these views have

been wrongly generalized without tangible evidence. These misunderstandings have made it

harder for the veiled Islamic women residing in America as they tend to suffer more from

intolerance from their outfit; moreover, they are hardly approved in the some European areas.

Arab women in immigrant communities, who reside in Western cultures, suffer from

these adverse generalizations and sex-centered media representations. Women face adverse

media coverage that is dependent on cultural misunderstandings and as a result, Islamic women

from Middle East in immigrant areas cannot win the fight for better media identification as they

continue to be considered inside the limit of traditional Arab-Islamic generalizations (Murphy

246). In the portrayal of Islamic women, interest is frequently targeted on their outfit, with their

clothing seen as an icon of their harmful, unfamiliar position. Images of Islamic outfits are
 Surname 8

increasingly used on television as visible shorthand for dangerous extremism, and Muslims all

over America are suffering from the repercussions of such relations. Dominant pictures of the

veiled Islamic woman are always covered in American media to present the Islamic woman as a

sufferer, as well as, a person that is oppressed. The veils of Arabic Islamic women have always

been misconstrued by the media as they have become an icon of the oppressed in the Islamic

community. This reflection has been incredibly evoked since the occasion of the 9/11. The Sept

11 enemy strikes led to television representations of veiling as an item of mystery, exoticism and

eroticism. Moreover, the veils may be seen as a very visible indication of a despised distinction

(Murphy 251).

In conclusion, through the decades, American media have managed to damage the picture

of women, especially the veiled ones and Muslims in the Middle East. This has been done

through films and series which are produced in America and other forms of media that permit

generalizations. The American media perspective of the Middle East after 9/11 affected

negatively on people’s perceptions of the Muslim community and women in the Middle East.

The American media ought to take step and begin to produce films, or documentaries that have

an appropriate picture of the Arabic Islamic woman and begin to treat her normally or even

appropriately (Amel al-Ariqi 6). Moreover, the American media ought to desist from

perpetuating deep-seeded stereotypical discrimination and inequality towards the Middle East so

as to bring world peace.

 Surname 9

Works Cited

Akhavi, Shahrough. "Islam and the West in World History." Third World Quarterly. 2003.

pp. 545-562.

Amel al-Ariqi. “Middle Eastern Women in the Media: A Battle Against Stereotypes.”

Reuters Institute Fellowship Paper. n.d. University of Oxford.

Disha, Ilir, James Cavendish, and Ryan King. "Historical Events and Spaces of

Hate: Hate Crimes against Arabs and Muslims in Post-9/11 America." Social Problems.

2011. pp. 21-46.

Gerges, Fawaz. "Islam and Muslims in the Mind of America." Annals of the American

Academy of Political and Social Science. 2003. pp. 73-89.

Kaufer, David, and Al-Malki, (2009). The War on Terror through Arab-American Eyes: The

Arab-American Press as a Rhetorical Counterpublic. Rhetoric Review, Volume 28. pp.

47-65.

Leonard, Karen. "American Muslims, before and after September 11, 2001." Economic

and Political Weekly. 2002. pp. 2293-2297.

Murphy, Sean. "Terrorist Attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon." The American

Journal of International Law. 2002. pp. 237-255