Islamophobia and the Media Islam is a minority religion in America, and many Americans have never had contact with Muslims. As a result, a substantial portion of the American population relies on the media for information about Islam and related topics like the Middle East. Since September 11, but arguably before that watershed event, the news media has built a platform of fear against terrorism but against Islam in particular. Although the so-called "mainstream" media is typically criticized for being anti-Islam, smaller news outlets not necessarily owned by the corporate media conglomerates have also started to substantiate the fear mongering that perpetuates Islamophobia in the United States. However, "conservative" media sources like Fox News tend to sensationalize Islam in order to generate sensational or controversial content for their viewers. In 2010, Pew Research found evidence that indicates political conservatism is linked to holding negative views on Muslims and Islam (Ogan, 2014). The role of the media in Islamophobia cannot be underestimated. While for Fox and other corporate media sources, sensationalism and mistruth mean little more than profiteering, the media coverage has a tangible impact on the daily lives of Muslims in America. During an interview with Press TV, legislative director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Corey Saylor spoke out against U.S. media for alienating and making Muslims feel insecure in their society. Muslims are being portrayed as threats to America, and the antagonistic portrayals tend to reduce the chances for engaging in meaningful and intelligent discourse.

The Anti-Islam Media Enablers

The media, including corporate conglomerate media, independent blogs, and radio talk shows, is the proverbial fifth estate in a democratic society. Freedom of the press is a core goal and value of a liberal and free state. Yet the media has become increasingly controlled by a small number of voices with specific biases and worldviews. As a result, the media has lacked the type of credibility and accuracy that should be expected or required in the United States. Conservative or "right wing" media such as Fox News and conservative talk radio networks engage in overt fear mongering. Arguably, the less conservative but equally as corporate news sources like CNN or even the liberally minded MSNBC occasionally participate in the creation of anti-Islam sentiments.

A sort of Islamophobia network has been created by a plethora of blogs, websites, and online magazines including FrontPage Magazine, Jihad Watch, NewsReal Blog. Much of the information contained on these sites is not just inflammatory but outright false, leading to the generation of misinformation. An uninformed and gullible public consumes these media sources because they are emotionally engaging. David Horowitz, founder of the Freedom Center and many of the sites listed above, often uses his media outlets to support an Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week program. This program provides a guide that American university students can use in order to invite speakers to their campuses to speak about the "Islamic threat" (Ali et al. 2011). Teaching students to be fearful of Islam and Muslims further intensifies anti-Muslim attitudes and can adversely impact campus life and security for all students -- Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Another highly publicized anti-Muslim blog is Pamela Geller's Atlas Shrugs, in which she has been strident in her quest to demonize Islam. (Ali et al. 2011). Social media has also become a vehicle for anti-Muslim discourse. In 2010, for example, several social media groups or pages were created to protest the construction of the Park51 in New York and these groups gained a large number of followers (Ogan, 2014).

Talk radio is characterized by its being argumentative and overtly biased, and yet remains extremely popular. Conservative talk radio has provided a potent media outlet for Islamophobes to broadcast their animosity towards Islam and generate fear and even hatred-fueled attitudes. One such radio program is the Rush Limbaugh Show, which enjoys the largest audience in America. In November 2015, an average of more than 13 million listeners tuned in (Talkers, 2015). Other radio shows infamous for their Islamophobic viciousness include: The Sean Hannity show (November 2015 average listenership: 12.5+ million), Mike Savage's The Savage Nation (November 2015 average listenership: 5.25 million) and The Glenn Beck Program (November 2015 average listenership: 7+ million) (Talkers, 2015). These radio shows all serve as platforms for an Islamophobic worldview to inculcate the minds of the masses and fill the consciousness of Americans with misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.

Fox News is one of the most watched television networks in America. According to Nielsen Media Research, more than 1.7 Americans tuned in to Fox News every evening...

The Public Religion Research Institute found substantial correlation between viewing Islam negatively and trusting Fox News. Their survey found that Americans who turn to Fox News as their news source are more likely to believe that Muslim Americans want to implement Sharia Law in the American legal system, have not done enough to oppose extremism, and believe investigating Muslim extremism is a good idea (Public Religion Institute, 2011). What this reveals is that the Islamophobia network, with their constant appearances on Fox News and their influence on the news anchors, have successfully implemented fear of Islam and Muslims in the American people.
One way in which these media outlets work to spread the fear of Islam is by repeatedly echoing each other and reinforcing one another's viewpoints. Americans are constantly being bombarded with spiteful fabrications about Islam daily through several news outlets. The overwhelmingly anti-Islam views held by persons appearing on national television leave the average viewer with a sense that their points are valid and credible (Ali et al., 2011.) The sustenance of an Islamophobic mentality depends heavily on the media enablers to spread their message and to instill fear throughout America. Magazines and newspapers like National Review and The Washington Times, often publish the works of members of the Islamophobia Network and other right-wing conservatives. Views and ideas brought to light in these magazines often find their way into the small screen, typically on conservative channels such as Fox News (Ali et al. 2011).

Hollywood has also played an important role in demonizing Muslims and Islam. In his book Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People, Jack Shaheen reviewed over 900 films, and found that the majority of the films contained material that was slanderous to Arabs. These films often portrayed Muslim men as sexist sheikhs and Muslim women as oppressed, covered from head to toe in black and trying to gain liberation (Ali. Y, 2012). The constant repetition and depiction of Muslims in a negative light further implants negative stereotypes in the American people.

Literature Review: Conclusion

Islamophobia is having a serious adverse impact on the safety and comfort of Americans, which is why it is critical to address Islamophobia now.Perpetuated by the media, anti-Muslim attitudes have become dangerously entrenched in the ways Americans perceive the world and each other. As a result, Muslims living in America can no longer depend on their neighbors and face potential violence. Women have become increasingly singled out because of their high visibility due to their wearing traditional Muslim dress like the hijab. Ironically, non-Muslim men are likely to be a greater threat to Muslim women than Muslim men.

One of the main misconceptions about Islam is related to Sharia law. Sharia law has been distorted by some Muslim regimes, but in the daily lives of almost all Muslims on the planet, Sharia law pertains far more to moral and ethical comportment than to anything remotely related to stonings or beheadings, as is portrayed in the mainstream media. To reduce the prevalence and intensity of Islamophobia in America, it is critical to engage in a public awareness and education campaign and restart the process of multicultural dialogue.

The media has in fact become a culprit in generating and worsening Islamophobia. The media has perpetuated myths, spread rumors, generated fear through biased or emotionally laden content, and created biased material. Because the media is pervasive and powerful, it has replaced intelligent discourse throughout the United States.

Annotated Bibliography

Gerhauser, P.T. (2013). Framing Arab-Americans and Muslims in U.S. media.

This well-researched paper provides an overview of how Muslims are portrayed in the American media, and also how Arab-Americans are also portrayed. Using a variety of different sources, the author shows how media frames the issues and how bias can be explicitly or implicitly embedded in the text, subtext, and context of media material. By linking the methodology to studies related to how people of color have been portrayed in crime reports on television, the author provides a comprehensive glimpse into the role of the media in perpetuating Islamophobia and xenophobia.

Holohan, S. & Poole, E. (2014). Negotiating Muslim identities in media contexts. Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication 7(2014): 1-7.

The authors examine multiple media sources and their content in the United States and Europe, to show how media influence the construction of Muslim identity and the perpetuation of stereotypes. One of the strengths of this paper is that the authors also show how Muslims respond to these…