Muslim Women in the Media

Post 9/11, coverage of Muslim cultures by Western new media skyrocketed. The media in Europe have latched on to a few examples of unjust behaviour in the Islamic world, branded Islam as a "backwards" and "fundamentalist" religion, especially in its treatment of women. Under this umbrella, Muslim women are clumped together like clones, defined by submissiveness and victimisation, predominantly dominated by various forms of the veil.

Unless your social circle includes Muslim friends and acquaintances, it is likely that your impressions of Muslim women have largely been shaped by media stereotypes - images that may have little to do with the daily life of Muslim women in Europe, but have been sensationalised to attract more viewers, sell more papers, or gain support for a particular political agenda, such as the so-called "war on terror."

This consistent stereotypical focus of the news media on Muslim women is frustrating. Three characteristics inform the dominant representation: the passive attitude of Muslim women, their role as "victim" and as "veiled." The media would have us believe is that veiled women have no responsibilities or professional ambitions. There is a failure to focus on the achievements of Muslim women, especially those who do not fit into the veiled and victimised pigeonhole, and we are left with little understanding of their European lives.

The press are not interested in women who, after suffering discrimination and marginalisation, still opt to adopt Islamic doctrine. They are not inclined to see them as victims of Western incomprehension. The idea is too difficult for them to accept and therefore such examples are hidden by blankets of stereotypes.

This situation creates and perpetuates negative stereotypes in public opinion, discriminating against Muslim women settled in Europe and preventing our society from experiencing solidarity with Muslim women. Everything tends to be interpreted and explained not as a result of specific political or socio-economic situations, but as a consequence of Islam itself, in a way that just doesn't happen for their Christian and Jewish counterparts.

Far from increasing our knowledge, this treatment leads to distorted conclusions, which strengthen feelings of rejection and incomprehension. The result is a lack of understanding amongst the majority and the encouragement of the formation of radical identity seeking among a minority.

I wonder how many people exercise critical thinking while watching the news. How many digest and regurgitate without examination? A thinking person might well ask if Islam is as oppressive as some journalists would have us believe, why aren't Muslim women running away in droves? Why is it that Muslim women who immigrate to Europe usually maintain their identity and strive to pass it on to their children? And, ultimately, if the life of a Muslim woman is so abhorrent to Westerners then why do indigenous European women continue to convert to Islam?

These are questions that will never be answered unless journalists are prepared to dig beneath the label. The truth, like life, is beyond propaganda and stereotypes. We need to encourage journalism as a profession for Muslim women. We need Muslim women working in the media, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, to ensure a real appetite for going beyond black and white and to fill in the greys about the complexities and contexts of the lives of Muslim women living in Europe today.

The danger to the security of intercultural relations points directly to the need for journalists to challenge and disrupt conventional stereotypes and deconstruct generalisations. Without accurate representations of Muslim women in mainstream European news media, the public may continue to view them as women to be pitied, shunned or feared.