اسلام اور ذرائع ابلاغ : تحقیقی جائزہ

Islam and the media: a research review

Abstract

The media, particularly from the West, seems to feature Islam constantly in the negative light. The portrayal of the negative image of Islam takes place by constructing an image of Islam with terrorism, violence, extremism and antipathy to the West. A more recent phenomenon of Western media towards Islam is the fanning of ‘Islamophobia’ a form of concerted efforts directed to frighten the world of the hostility and enmity imposed by Islam. The Muslim world needs to respond to such striking negative representation of Islam. Contrary to what is generally perceived by the West, Islam in its real essence means ‘submission’ and ‘peace,’ a religion that calls for resignation to Allah and promotes and defends peace in the person. As much as the media can disrepute the general Muslim population and Islam, it can also restore and further inform the public of the true image of the religion. This research aims to provide an overview of studies carried out on media representation of Islam, Muslims and Iran. The study intends to present theoretical and methodological approaches used to focus on media discourse as well as the findings of research on the treatment of Islam and Muslims by the mass media. This paper presents the Islamic view point regarding media studies.