Response 20: "Islam As News"

Said makes some claims in regards to the differences in how Eastern and Western countries are portrayed (for example, in the media) and how they are perceived. “Said argues, it is during…crises that the American media gets interested in ‘Islam’, a stereotyping label which stands in for the diversity and difference of actual Muslim peoples around the world” (186). This statement is shown to be somewhat accurate even today, when the media portrays the stereotypical image of an Islamic person to match and also influence viewer expectations and stereotypes. One reason is because it is easier to find information that supports our pre-existing viewpoints.

I also agree with the statement that “Said notes how ‘The West’ is a label that is not reduced to the dominant religion of Christianity, or any of its countercultural or past revolutionary impulses, but “Islam” is a religious label that stands in for all of the Muslim world” (187). Any time there is news of an Islamic individual or an Islamic community, their actions are usually tied to religion. One signifier of the Islamic religion is the head scarf that females wear. I had a friend in high school who was stopped by a female TSA employee and forced to take off her hijab in public. She told me about how she asked if this “security search” could be done in a private room so that nearby males would not see her hair. The TSA agent refused, and my friend told me with downcast eyes how exposed she felt as she removed each pin and finally pulled her scarf off her head. This instance is indicative of the fact that “Sometimes the images do more damaging work that any amount of intellectual re-education can heal” (187). The hijab is now more associated with the perception of female subjugation under a dominant patriarchal society (which may be true), but the instances where Muslim females have chosen to wear it out of their own free will are either ignored or overlooked. In addition, the hijab is also associated with Islam and terrorism which can lead to uncomfortable situations, even for peaceful Muslim followers.