Posts under ‘Media’

In the last few years, there are have been several laws passed in different European countries that relate to Muslim communities. For example, in France and Belgium, laws were passed banning the niqab and in Switzerland a law was passed to ban the building of minarets. Many Muslims considered these moves to be a sign of [...]

Can comedy defuse an increasingly Islamophobic atmosphere in the west? Or do short films, sketches, and new media actually solidify preexisting bigotry and reinforce stereotypes through caricatures of Muslim people? In the wake of the Lowe’s controversy, some comedy sketches have poked fun at the ridiculousness nature of fearing Muslims and Islam. In one sketch [...]

Stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims in the media are not new. They have been a persistent part of discussing the Middle East, terrorism, and Islam. Jack Shaheen, a professor at Southern Illinois University, traced these images of Arabs and Muslims in Hollywood movies. He found that Arabs and Muslims are often conflated so that it [...]

Amir Ahmad Nasr, aka Drima from The Sudanese Thinker blog, recently created a project exploring new media—a source of information that altered his life many times. From fundamentalism to heartbreak and disillusionment, and finally to his current spiritual practice of Sufism, Nasr says he was greatly influenced by the internet and the different kinds of [...]

On March 23rd and 24th, Muslim Voices, an organization that “aims to increase intercultural dialogue and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims,” held a conference at Indiana University titled “Re-scripting Islam: Muslims and the Media.” The conference explored the multiple narratives of Islam and Muslims in the media.Various panelists spoke about different avenues that Muslims and [...]

The role of gender in Islam is a topic that has been debated since the time of the Prophet Muhammad by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. I recently posted pieces about mixed-gender prayer and female religious leadership in Islam, looking at various aspects of the complex question of what sorts of interactions between men and women [...]

This fall, author Lesley Hazleton gave a TED talk in Seattle, offering her own interpretation of the Qur’an as an agnostic Jew. Hazleton’s nine-minute presentation, attended by a predominately white, middle-aged, non-Muslim American audience, stemmed from extensive research on the Qur’an and her experiences with Middle Eastern Bedouins. Her raspy, light British accented voice seemed [...]

Neil Padukone recently completed a visiting fellowship at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. He is currently writing a book on the future of conflict in South Asia. A number of recent posts on the Inside Islam blog have highlighted the rise in xenophobic attitudes towards Muslims. The latest Inside Islam Radio Show spoke with [...]

The last month has seen an array of humor to counter the wave of Islamophobia that has been growing in the United States and other western countries with significant Muslim populations. A week ago, Comedy Central hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear that drew an estimated 200,000 [...]

India’s secular democracy was tested with the latest ruling from a regional High Court dividing up the land of a religious site holy to both Muslims and Hindus. The disputed area lies in the center of Ayodhya, a sleepy north Indian town that normally sees more cows in the street than cars.  But it hasn’t [...]