The media we consume influences and shapes our world view. From newspaper articles to television news to social media, we are constantly engaging with information, often with little thought of how reliable that information is. This is particularly the case when it comes to media portrayals of diversity, when certain communities are generalised and represented negatively for mainstream audiences, leading to untrue perceptions which can grow into intolerance, and hatred.
Negative Islamophobic narratives have been common in mainstream Western media for decades, and many of the European population have already been in contact with it. These narratives can sometimes appear obviously untrue, but often they are subtle, and have remained despite strong criticisms.
Following our ‘An Introduction to Antisemitic Tropes campaign’, Get The Trolls Out! have collaborated with consultants from different Muslim organisations to create a series of 5 introductory videos on the main Islamophobic narrative which are most prominent in the British, and European media.
These videos are explantory introductions, and we encourage all educators to use the suggested further reading, and contact one of our recommended organisations to find out more. Please use this page to view and download our videos for your use.
Culturally Incompatible
One of the most common Islamophobic narratives is the belief that there is an incompatibility between Islam and the West. This belief warns that traditional Western values are at the risk of disappearing if Western countries attempt to accommodate immigration from Muslim majority countries.
The key argument for this belief however, relies on the ignorance that Muslims have been living in Western countries for many generations, and have long been part of the culture supporters of this narrative are so eager to protect.
In this video we explore the history of Muslims in Europe, from the Islamic influence on many academic disciplines, to the British governments invitation to Muslim workers in the mid 20th century, as well as contemporary examples of how the ‘incompatibility’ argument does not hold up.
Below we have included additional resources to expand on, including criticism of the ‘Clash of Civilisations’ essay which as been used to justify the Culturally Incompatible narrative.
Oppression of Women
Is it still extremely common for non Muslims to write about and discuss the supposed oppressive issues facing Muslim women, with many Western media outlets often citing the inherently oppressive nature of Islam as the source of this oppression.
These arguments often focus on Muslim dress or point to certain countries as representative of Islam, but they regularly conflate different head coverings and misunderstand their meaning, and conveniently do not discuss successful Muslim women, nor do they include the voices of Muslim women.
Our video explores the history behind this narrative, and provides examples of when, in pursuit of ‘freeing’ Muslim women, many Western countries have instead used this to discriminate against them.
We have included further resources which expand on the topics raised in the video. We encourage viewers to use this video as an entry into engaging with the importance of intersectional feminism, and use this to understand how contemporary bans on Muslim dress are not liberating, but themselves oppressive.
Terrorism
Out of all the narratives we have presented as a part of this campaign, conflating Muslims with terrorism is likely to be the most familiar with viewers. It has been discussed and criticised in mainstream circles, especially following a rise in Islamophobic hate crimes and prejudice after the September 11 attacks in New York.
But these discussions rarely go into detail as to why this narrative became so popular. For two decades following 9/11, this narrative has continued to circulate, most regularly in the form of Muslim terrorist villains in blockbuster films. There is also still a heavy focus on the Qur’an, with Islamophobes accusing Islam to be inherently violent. These accusations often taken quotes out of context, and focus on the tiny proportion of individuals who have misinterpreted Islamic teachings to justify their extremism.
In this video, we discuss the recent history which lay the foundations for this narrative to become so common, as well as debunking various stories in British and American media which attempt to justify the connection.
Monolithic
Grouping all Muslims together as one entity is key to most of the narratives we have explored as part of this campaign. Islamophobes, and those in West countries who consume Islamophobic media narratives, are rarely encouraged to understand the differences between Muslims, in the same way they understand the differences between people in the West.
In this video we present examples of how Muslims, like all people, have a huge diverse range of views and opinions, and how media outlets often try and group all Muslims together to justify discriminatory accusations.
Islamisation
‘Islamisation’, sometimes known as ‘The Great Replacement’ is a common Islamophobic narrative we have found in many European media outlets. It refers to the supposed belief that Muslims are trying to ‘take over’ and ‘invade’ the West. These accusations often overlap with criticisms of immigration and migration, with supporters of this narrative fearful that Western culture (as they see it) is at threat.
In this video we explore the origins of this narrative, and examine the facts of Muslim population growth in Europe. We discuss what globisation is, and how the movement of people has always happened, and has often led to the positive diversifying of the host country.
Further Resources:
The Great Replacement: The Violent Consequences of Mainstreamed Extremism
The French Origins of “You Will Not Replace Us”
The Great Replacement Theory: A Historical Perspective
The Myth of Eurabia: How a Far-right Conspiracy Theory Went Mainstream
Recommended Organisations
Stand Up! provides free workshops for UK students around challenging discrimination, focusing on antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
The Centre for Media Monitoring is a Muslim Council of Britain project. Academics and specialists across the world recognise that mainstream media reporting of Islam and Muslims is contributing to an atmosphere of rising hostility towards Muslims in Britain.
Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks (MAMA) is a secure and reliable service that allows people from across England to report any form of Anti-Muslim abuse.