Thursday, April 15, 2010

Time to Make this Personal

Today I thought I would make the subject of my blog a bit more personal by introducing to you Shamsa Mangalji, a Muslim student of the Columbia University, NY, USA. If you are not a Muslim yourself (as I am not either), it is probably hard for you to imagine what the followers of Islam may feel when exposed to the media image of their religion. How can they possibly feel when they see their kin portrayed in the media as terrorists, or more or less violent extremists in the better case?

Shamsa's moving, but also informative and enlightening article she wrote for a student newspaper The Rice Tresher, provides a few insights into the issue:

http://media.www.ricethresher.org/media/storage/paper1290/news/2010/01/29/Opinion/National.Media.Distorts.Image.Of.Muslims-3860320.shtml?reffeature=recentlycommentedstoriestab#cp_article_tools

Here are some of Shamsa's own words that in my judgement capture the essence of her column:

"I feel outraged at these terrorists' disgusting perversion of my Islamic faith. I am ashamed to see the way my faith is being portrayed in mainstream media, and I think the world needs to understand the real meaning of Islam, a word derived from the Arabic concept of 'salaam,' or peace..." (Mangalji).

I don't know about you, but when I read Shamsa's words, I feel her frustration and dispair, but also determination to change the very situation that causes so much pain to her and her fellow Muslims. In fact, this blog is my contribution, my way to try to help Shamsa and others in their fight.

Source:
Mangalji, Shamsa. "National Media Distorts Image of Muslims." The Rice Thresher. College Publisher,

5 comments:

  1. Hi, MLS! I really am convinced, that one of the main spiritus agens in the life of humankind is fear. Rear of being alone, fear of being different, because then you may loose your brethern...so, in fact, everybody, who doesn´t live the same way you do, doesn´t think the way you and your closestfriends do, believes in some different God is your enemy. When there is a fly, taken for a small enemy, you may and you definitely will to kill it with one single move of your hand. What, if the enemy is a human being? In that special moment people turn to the animal world, though they would rather use humen tools of acting, e.g. speech, ratio, consideration. Why they don´d use them?Is it the turnpoint, where human beings are not able to act rationallym, because their brains are full of fear? I hope, everything turns to the better, when the humankind is more brave, is able to fight the fear of differentness....MMLS

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  2. I feel like the media are just governmental instrument when portraying Muslims the way they do. The government needs to have a villain, a threat to the people, so that it sticks together and follows whatever the government tells does.
    When thinking about it, my feelings towards the Muslim are ambivalent. On the one hand, from personal experience i can say that the followers of the Islam are among the friendliest people I have encountered. Whereas on the other hand, the media has been successful in implementing the connection
    between Muslims and Terrorists in my head.

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  3. See? That's what I am talking about... At least, if the media portrayal of all religious fanatics were equal, then I'd say be it. But it seems that when it comes to violent actions carried out by Muslims, somehow the faith of the perpetrator becomes an important aspect, if not an explanation/cause of the incident. (Of course, I am not talking about acts of violence commited explicitely in the name of God now.)
    What you propose - Muslims being a scapegoat for the government, I would not generalize it that much; however I tend to agree that the "War on Terrorism" - and the ensuing demonization of Islam - is a convenient fearmongering tool of the government (at least the previous US administration)to which the media are happy to devote a lot of their newshole.

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  4. Hi,
    I watched the movie and it is very impressing. I personaly have to say I am not sure what to think about that. Media definitly shaped our opinions about Islam and about Muslims and I think we have to fight against that! I was thinking why numbers of murders by poeple of any other religion are not connected right with their religion. The problem is that they do not act in the name of the religion. But the Muslims do so. They kill people in the name of religion which is very dangerous. Anyway, I totaly agree that we should not generalize the Muslims. We also should not support the opinion that the Islam is a "bad and dangerous" religion. Each religion can have the same consequences and there is no difference between Islam and for example Christianity. If any of those religion is extreme, there can be the same danger. I remember when I was in the USA, I met a girl who belives in Islam. She lived with a Catholic host family and they tried to force her to go tu Catholic churche. That is incredible. I cannot imagine that Muslim would force the Christian to go to mosque.
    I think we should tolerate them if they do not do anything extreme. And they should do the same- tolerate the others. We should be able to distinguish from Muslims and terrorist. That is not always the same.
    Bara

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  5. Thank you, Bara, for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this issue - I see it almost identically. I say all extremists are dangerous and the media coverage should reflect that...

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