Islam, Media, and the West

I have to admit I’m a little sad that this is the last post I will make to my ILA blog. Of course, I know I can continue on my own in an effort to continue this critical consideration of the media, specifically in relation to the representation of Arabs. However, what I loved so much about this class was knowing that other people in the class were looking at it as well and struggling to interpret similar situations and representations. Aside from this, in response to my classmates’ blogs, I (like everyone else) was able to note the similarities. Many of us commented on similar news stories like Dubai or the election or the attacks in Mumbai. We also referred to similar theoretical voices, with Lewis and Huntington being the most cited, it seems. Finally, everyone was very honest in their struggle to understand new ideas fairly and critically. In this sense, I really appreciated the blogs that touched on unique ideas and were proactive in finding interesting news stories or events to write about. I think that Lauren, Sara and Emily C did especially notable jobs at finding this kind of extra material to write about, whether it was personal experience or news stories no one else commented on.

One problem that I found in a small percentage of the blogs was an impulse to make unconnected jumps of logic. This wasn’t by any means in every blog or even in every entry on those blogs that I did find it. But I felt that occasionally, a little more care could have been taken in trying to justify certain opinions. Perhaps this is an inevitable fault in the nature of a “blog,” or at least the connotation of a blog in our day and age. But to some extent, I think people consider blogs less formal than other arenas of conversation, and I just feel that for this kind of material that we have been reckoning with this semester, an extremely careful consideration of the facts is not only important but completely necessary. If not, we are only falling guilty to the same thing most of our blogs criticized American media for: an un-careful assessment of situations or cultures that can have devastating effects in the long run. I’m also not saying I’m not responsible for the same fault but I just think it’s important to realize the kind of careful consideration such issues deserve.

Overall, I think it is clear how worthwhile this class has been for everyone involved. Unfortunately, this area of knowledge and current events is still marginalized very much in our society, even in a place like New York City. I only hope that we take what we have learned in this class, spread the knowledge to our friends and family and remain proactively engaged in learning more and trying to lead other people to do the same.

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To sum up all the reasons I have loved this class would be impossible. So I’m glad that we didn’t have to do that on the last day! But let me try to express those myriad reasons here. First of all, I loved being exposed to all the different kinds of media that exist in the Middle East. Although a media scholar, a heavy work load and outside responsibilities keep me from exploring as much foreign media as I would like to. So actually seeing news, reality programming, music, talk shows, and everything else from the Arab world was a validating experience in that it gives me more to argue with when I find myself in discussions with people who hold biased opinions of that part of the world. Second of all, I think the balance of theory to practical was perfect. My two favorite writers this semester were Edward Said and Andrew Hammond, the former because I think his Orientalism theory is completely transferable to many other stereotyping issues and the latter because I think his breadth of knowledge on the subject matter is impressive. Finally, I thought the energy of the class was one of the best I’ve experienced. I could tell that most of the class was genuinely working toward a compassionate understanding of some serious problems that exist in the realm of media representations and the bigger conflicts that exist in the Middle East. Overall, I really do feel like I have a better understanding of the reasons the “perceived rift” between Islam and the West exists, and the only thing I can hope for now is to maintain this conversation through my own media reading and through sharing the information with friends.

Yet another thing I’ve realized I find useless and, in a way, offensive about the New York Times. On their website, there’s a square of space on the top (between the list of sections on the left and the opinion headlines on the right) that is situated in such a way as to grab your attention. This would make you think that it’s got the most newsworthy information, right? Today, November 29, every headline, picture and blog has to do with the attacks in India. I understand that what happened in Mumbai is heartbreaking and newsworthy, but is it really the only newsworthy story today? For weeks after the election, the same space was taken up by stories covering Obama’s transition period, highlighting his trip to the White House to talk with Bush. Is this really more important than the human rights atrocities happening in the DR of Congo? In fact, as I followed the link to the World News page, I had to scroll all the way down to the bottom-most section to find a headline about the disasters occurring in that country: “Congo’s Riches, Looted by Renegade’s Forces-” a headline that doesn’t even express the real horrors of the situation there. After this semester and learning about the way the Middle East is stereotyped or orientalized and how some stories (accounts from Palestine) are simply ignored, and realizing how unjust this is, it becomes almost a nightmare to think about the marginalization of Africa.

In all the discussion of Obama’s transition to the presidency, there have been some golden moments and also some moments that make me question his justification. For instance, I think Eric Holder represents a hopeful change in the seat of the Attorney General after eight years of incomprehensible attacks on the notions of justice that America is supposed to stand for. However, as Obama seems to want to keep several Washington veterans in their positions or in other positions in his Cabinet, I worry about what happened to his message of change. Overall, I am hopeful because I think his character will lead us in the right direction. One of the topics I am quite curious about is his stance toward Israel. In discussing this issue with my friend Sara who has done unbelievable volunteer work for the campaign, even finding herself into national publications and on Black Entertainment Television on two separate occasions, she seems to think that Obama has a more Palestinian-friendly opinion than we may think. I have to admit I do not know enough about his “official” position to either criticize it or glorify it, but I do remember hearing Biden say on more than one occasion something along the line of: “Israel is our greatest friend in the Middle East.” I just hope that this next administration will be objective enough to realize that helping this situation toward resolution should be a top priority. I also hope that they allow for a more open dialogue between their policies toward the issue and public opinion and sentiment.

It’s the day after Thanksgiving so I thought I’d share a few family moments that I had the pleasure (?) of experiencing yesterday.

First, let’s start with my bus ride home from New York City to Worcester. I recently got a subscription to the first magazine I’ve had in years… not since Seventeen or Rolling Stone have I decided on one magazine I felt committed enough to read every week. I chose Newsweek, and although I haven’t completely made up my mind as to how objective and fair it is, I can say that in general I think it is a good news source to get information, in addition with the myriad other sources I use online. However, in following with the last post about the New York Times/BBC/Al-Jazeera English accounts of Ayman Al-Zawahri’s video message, I have to say I am disappointed in Newsweek. In their Perspectives section- where they have two satirical comics followed by ten or so quotes from notable figures taken completely out of context- they chose a quote in the same vein as New York Times and BBC:
“‘You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims… in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America.’
Al Qaeda’s second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, accusing President-elect Barack Obama of betraying his Muslim roots, in a recorded message released Nov. 19”
Again, in yet another example of reporting on this message, focus is put on al-Zawahri’s personal attack on Obama rather than the foundational issue of American imperialism, in this case, sending more troops to Afghanistan.

Second, although I forget what current event issue provoked this statement from my mother, I think it’s a fun declaration: “I was reading about that in the newspaper the other day, although from what these girls [myself and my sister] say, I shouldn’t listen to anything the news tells me.” She’s learning…

Third, I got into a bit of a heated discussion with my Aunt Ellie. She’s nearing 70 and although we joke about her being the crazy one in the family, she is a very smart woman with strong opinions. So when she spouted off about religion causing “those Islamic jihadists” to want to kill all of us, I couldn’t control the frustration I felt with her generalized and incorrect interpretation of the problem. As the conversation progressed, she understood what was wrong with her claim and reworded her thoughts. However, it just goes to show the kind of language we learn from the news, as Ellie has been known to watch CNN for several hours every day.

Finally, on more of a comical note, my cousin I almost broke my cousin’s nose after he sarcastically compared me to Sarah Palin. Will the abuse of being the youngest cousin ever stop? I don’t think so…

Below are three different news reports dealing with the same thing: Ayman al-Zawahri’s video message discussing his opinions on Obama’s victory. There is a report from the BBC, Al Jazeera English and the New York Times. I think comparing these three articles is interesting to see how consumers of each outlet might understand the situation slightly differently. First of all, only the Al Jazeera version specifies in its headline that the video message comes from al-Zawahri. In the BBC and New York Times account, the headline boasts that it is Al Qaeda who has sent the message. While al-Zawahri does speak for Al Qaeda, it is an important distinction to be made, for the fear that an entire group of terrorists sent a message vowing to harm the US is quite more alarming than one man. Additionally, while all three articles mention just about the same issues (either the message from al-Zawahri or the situation he is responding to or historical background), they spend distinct amounts of time and focus on each aspect. Again, Al Jazeera has the most balanced article, in my opinion, as they focus more attention than BBC or the New York Times on the issue of sending more American troops to Afghanistan. To me, this is the most foundational aspect of the message from al-Zawahri because it is the point most grounded in an example of the American imperialism that offends a large portion of this world. BBC and the New York Times, of course, focus more on al-Zawahri’s personal attacks against Barack Obama’s character- he criticizes Obama for neglecting his Muslim roots and for failing to fit the mold of a “good” African American like Malcolm X. The slight differences in these three accounts make you realize how carefully you have to read the media these days. For us, educated students of media, I would assume it is a little easier. But it represents a serious issue in journalistic integrity when such miniscule variations can change the way the public receives and consumes a news story. For BBC and the New York Times to focus so much on generalizing the enemy, creating sympathy for Obama (and by extension, the American voting public) and ignoring the heart of the problem is simply irresponsible and I would argue an intentional effort to mislead its readers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7737710.stm
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/11/2008111914829978899.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/world/middleeast/20qaeda.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

In reading the article by Otterman and trying to reconcile my own opinions with the idea of Soad Saleh being an Islamic woman’s activist, I come to a difficult position. After three classes in which the central concern rests largely on the Islamic world, I understand a lot more about a culture once completely foreign to me. However, I have long struggled with empathizing with or understanding the place of women in the faith of Islam. Thinking about a woman like Soad Saleh and placing her into the same intellectual or social realm as a feminist seems contradictory to me. Since Islam is not the only religion that espouses doctrines insinuating some sort of inherent inequality between the sexes, why is an Islamic feminist still suggesting that a woman stay with an abusive husband for the sake of her future children when feminists from other faiths likely would not? In my attempt to understand this loaded issue as respectfully as possible, I wanted to consider the last prong in the four-step progression we’ve been talking about lately, from the Clash of Civilizations to modernity, in terms of how we view contradictions between people, cultures, or faiths. However, I still find no answer, although perhaps I am misinterpreting the idea of modernity as it applies here. My interpretation of modernity in this sense points to a global mixing of ideas and the creation of hybrid cultures. In this vein, I still cannot reconcile the repressive nature of an Islamic woman’s activist suggesting such things with what I genuinely think about women’s equality with men. I know that what many people see repressive about a woman’s position in Islam (the veil, a husband’s protective nature) is reconciled by saying, “We treat women this way because we respect them so much... more than other cultures do.” And I respect that Soad Saleh is taking steps in becoming a more powerful woman in the Islamic world by endeavoring to become one of the only women to be capable of issuing fatwas. I simply still cannot fully understand this one large aspect of the Islamic faith, as hard as I have tried over the years.

I took notes as I watched the documentary, “Control Room,” and about halfway through the film, I could already see a strange narrative composing itself. Lieutenant Josh Rushing, at first, seemed like the stereotypical image I have in my mind of what a US Marine is… someone who blindly supports the discourse and policies of the American government, blind being the operative adverb here. Yet as the movie proceeds, we realize that Lt. Rushing is actually a very thoughtful and open individual. In fact, it would seem that he is a little too thoughtful and open, as the reaction by the US Marines described in this Salon article demonstrates (http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2004/06/04/control_room/index.html
). A boy that I went to high school with, Matt, represents for me the polar opposite of Lt. Rushing; he represents the stereotypical image I possess as to what a Marine is. Matt knew he wanted to join the Marines for as long as I can remember, a fact that culminated in a memorable moment in junior year AP English. Our teacher, Mr. Robert, was about as hippie as a teacher in Worcester, Massachusetts gets. He extolled principles similar to Jack Kerouac’s in On the Road and encouraged us to recognize and challenge the rigidity of our lives. More pertinent to this story, he very blatantly criticized big government, big media and big military- essentially, everything Matt loved. I don’t remember the conversation that led to the big blow-out. I just remember Matt standing up a few seats behind me in an angry response to Mr. Robert saying Marines are brainwashed. Flash forward two and a half years to when Matt came home from Iraq. My friends from home told me he was ready to fight at the drop of a dime, something totally uncharacteristic of him prior to being a Marine (aside from the anger expressed in that one class). To top it all off, Matt made a Facebook photo album full of pictures from his time in Iraq. I can’t help but wonder what Mr. Robert would say about Matt’s change of character and promotion of his time there. Mr. Robert already knew what Lt. Rushing realized through his time at CENTCOM, and I think it’s really admirable for someone in his position to have such a critical and fair outlook on the situation. Unfortunately, I don’t think many people have the capacity to act in the same judicious manner when they are involved in a war.

My cousin Patrick recently head to Iraq for his second stint as a military doctor. His first time over there, he was one of the doctors that transported Jessica Lynch after she had been recovered from the Iraqis. Reflecting upon this episode and how my family reacted and how American media portrayed Lynch’s captivity is quite telling, I think, as to the kind of propaganda we are fed about American military action. I think justifiably so, my family felt a certain tinge of pride to see Patrick serving his country and helping a fellow soldier. But as a sophomore in high school, I did not yet consider media representations whenever I infrequently watched the news, so I did not realize the spectacle that was created regarding the event. Subsequent consideration of the event in past years has shown that not only was the event propagandized, but it was done so in an untruthful manner, as even Lynch has accused the American media and government of capitalizing on her experience to garner support for the troops and the American cause. Honestly, Patrick and I are not close and I have never spoken to him about a Red Sox game, never mind his time in the Middle East. So I don’t know what his perception of the events is. But the momentary celebratory feelings that my family felt and the more expansive media representations and glorification of the incident are symbolic of a greater media propaganda machine that exists.