Media and Islam

Abul Qasim Biswas

What is Media?  

Mass media refers to a diverse array of media  technologies that reach a large audience via mass  communication 

In the late 20th century, mass media could be classified into eight mass media industries: books,  the Internet, magazines, movies, newspapers,  radio, recordings, and television. The explosion of digital communication technology in the late 20th  and early 21st centuries made prominent the question: what forms of media should be classified as "mass media"? For example, it is controversial whether to include mobile phones and video games in the definition. In the 2000s, a classification called the "seven mass media"  became popular. In order of introduction, they  are: 

1. Print (books, pamphlets, newspapers,  magazines, etc.) from the late 15th century 

2. Recordings from the late 19th century  (CDs, DVDs etc) 

3. Cinema from about 1900 

4. Radio from about 1910 

5. Television from about 1950 

6. Internet from about 1990 

7. Mobile phones from about 2000 

Since the internet, particularly smartphones became household commodities, mass media's impact on people and societies has increased exponentially. As you might expect, a swinging pendulum of public opinion often shifts from decrying the ills of this trend to extolling the many virtues of on-demand technology.

Positive Impacts of Media on Society  

Social media presents a huge opportunity for us to  reach out to people who may not know about  Islam or Muslims. Thousands of Americans have  never met a Muslim, but they have access to us  through social media  

Print media has a great positive influence on society. The majority of people read the newspaper daily early in the morning. Electronic media in its every form is a big source of mass communication. It produces direct effects on the minds of common people. It is a great source of entertainment as well. The impact and influence of electronic, satellite, dish, and cable transmission greatly affects society. The electronic media in the form of satellite transmission, internet, cable net,  and dish have many useful effects. It helps to give information about different cultures, and social and political systems of different parts of the world. It gives current news and information about what is happening in the world. Electronic media is the great source of knowledge about geographical facts of the world. It also provides information about new discoveries. Media is a wonderful source of getting knowledge about science,  the universe, oceans, sociology, and politics. 

Negative Impacts of Media on Society

As the media has its positive effects, it also has some negative effects on society. Student’s and young boys and girls waste their precious time browsing websites on the internet and cable net. Sexual content on the internet directly influences the creative capabilities of the young generation. This kind of entertainment destroys the moral values and, due to this, sexual crime rate increases. 

The movie channels on satellite transmission and cable TV network channels provide movies and dramas full of glamour, fashion, and sexual content which cause damage to the peaceful life.  In movies, the violent scenes produce negative effects on young people. They also try to react in a similar way as they have seen in the movies. As a result, violence, terrorism, and crime rates increase. The role of media is very important in the modern world. It is a source which is directly related to the moral values of the society. The media concerned authorities should try to broadcast such programs, which can build up the moral values in the society. 

Muslims Under the Media Microscope

In the post-9/11 era, the growth of electronic and social media has had a significant impact on the lives of Muslims around the world. Khurram T.  Dara, author of the “The Crescent Directive: An  Essay on Improving the Image of Islam in  America” remarks that “every scandal, controversy, or violent terrorist attack perpetrated  by Muslims is put under the microscope.” Dara goes on to say that it does not necessarily mean that the media has been trying to “spin stories”  one way or another about Muslims and Islam.

“Of course, you have commentators and networks out there with agendas they want to push, but for the most part the impact the media has had comes in its evolution into a 24/7 industry.  Everything is covered, regardless of whether it is  quality journalism from reliable sources.” 

The perception of Arabs and Islam throughout  history has been influenced by the political elite,  the mass media, and the Hollywood film industry.  Arabs and Muslims have always been represented as one in popular discourse when in fact most  Muslims are not of Arab background. This paper will demonstrate the stereotypes and generalisation by examining Hollywood films in the 20th century. Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle East and South Asian history says, ‘I think Anti-Arab racism & profiling has become respectable’. Islam has always been a contentious issue brought up by the media often linked with terrorism, extremism, and the widespread notion that conflict between the Arab  Muslims and the West is inevitable. These stereotypes and generalisations have been around for many centuries, in particular throughout the  20th century in the Western world through one of the main drivers which are visual media. 

There has been a consistent pattern of Arab stereotypes throughout the 20th century. These stereotypes are mainly conveyed through cinema.  Hollywood has a tendency of projecting those of  ‘Middle Eastern appearance’ as villains and associate them with certain stereotypes. These stereotypes include the oil-rich Arabs who are too dumb to know the value of money and are trying to buy chunks of America, exotic women wearing see-through dresses belly dancing, the magic flying carpet, and one of the most common stereotypes which is, the Arab terrorist that hates  America. Yet, despite these perceptions that are  revealed within the films they are also far  extended to cartoons that are created for the younger viewers.  

A great example of this is “Aladdin” (1992),  directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. The film was seen by millions of viewers worldwide.  In this film, they have recycled every stereotype  that goes back to the start of the film that was originally inspired by the arts of the Orient. The opening scene of Aladdin begins with a song that contains the lyrics ‘Oh, I come from a land, a faraway place, Where the caravan camels roam,  where they cut off your ear, if they don’t like your face, it’s barbaric, but hey it's home’. For a film that is specifically aimed towards the younger generations, this dialogue is not only inappropriate but discriminates against all Arabs in general. In comparison if such vile words were  to be directed towards another kind it would be  deemed unacceptable by society. Carl Ernst, Chair of religion studies at the University of North  Carolina quoted ‘In the movies Arabs are the equivalent of Hollywood Indians’. Out of every  film ever made in the 20th century, nearly 25% of  them have demeaned and generalised Arabs as  being all the same and as just one thing

Abul Qasim Biswas

Alimiyyah and University Graduate.

Student of Shaykh Faizulhaq Abdulaziz حفظه الله