Islamic Religion in America

Running head: ISLAMIC RELIGION IN AMERICA
ISLAMIC RELIGION IN AMERICA
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ISLAMIC RELIGION IN AMERICA1
Is Media Responsible for rise of Islamophobia in America?
America is home to one of the most diverse Muslim inhabitants in the world. This
includes people of nearly every cultural groups, country and school of thought. A significant
proportion of Americans are of the opinion that Islam as a religion is incomparable with
American values. Nathan Lean has stated that media plays a major role in the promotion of
Islamophobia throughout the world. Reports have been observed where seven charitable
foundations has spent 43 million dollars between 2001 to 2009 in order to support the spread
of anti-Muslim rhetoric. Another factor was revealed which included 2010 Gallup poll win,
which 43% of the Americans were, reported to feel a sense of prejudice against Muslims. Fox
news has also been idenfied as the small component of Islamophobia in US media. Fox news
has been found to retract false claims about Muslims. Various empirical evidences has been
found to provide possible interactions between the latent Muslim feelings and media
coverage. However, since 2011, Muslims in the United States have been showing significant
concern regarding extremism in the name of Islam across the world. Concurrently, majority
are of the opinion that there is minimal support of extremism with Muslim community even
though the general public differs (Spring). This has led to a rise in discernment and fear
against Muslims in America. Such a social aversion and prejudice against Muslims in
America has been gradually facilitating and continuing by vehement and uncivilized
stereotypes exhibited in diverse forms of American media organization and political domains
which instigate high level of prejudice, discrimination and exclusion of the Muslims. The
thesis statement of the essay is “While some Americans believe Islamic religion promotes

ISLAMIC RELIGION IN AMERICA2
terrorism, this misconception is due to ignorance caused by media, but this could be solved
by mandatory education about Islam in colleges.”
The effect of media chiefly mass news media as well as technology in influencing
Islamophobia has been increasing expanse of concern from the time of the 9/11 attacks.
Several standpoints tend to problematize the way the media through numerous avenues
related to news; film as well as nonfiction destructively depict, racialize and demonize
Muslim-American identities. The impression of these edifices of Arabs and Muslims on
unconstructive typecasts as well as events of marginalization amongst Muslim-American
communities are apprehended in many academic domains. Considine in his study of Muslim
portrayal in the United States during late 1980s and early 1990s have found that Muslims
have been depicted negatively in news reporting since then. Moreover, majority of the
narrations which mentioned Muslims to be intrinsically related to terrorism and war did not
find sufficient evidence of more generalized negative prejudice. However, after 9/11 the
negative media representation of Muslims has been compounded by reporting on Islamic
religion and Muslims who depended on by Huntington’s idea of a ‘clash of civilisation’.
Furthermore, Pew research on religion-related news in the United States media showed
reluctance in analysing whether news during 2009 showed positive or negative bias, but shed
light on main stories of the year.
Islamophobia has also been exacerbated by the Islamophobia industry. At present,
anti-Muslim associations and administrations have liked the rights of using no less than $ 205