Investigating Islamophobia in the Daily Mail

Investigating Islamophobia in the periodic armsIslamophobia is defined in the dictionary as macro instructioncosm hatred or fear of Islamics or of their politics or culture. Since the terrorist attacks of kins class 11th and the capital of the United Kingdom 7/7 bombings amongst others, many say islamophobia inwardly the media has increase significantly. This utilisation intends to discuss the reportage of Islamics and the organized religion of Islam as a whole in spite of appearance the middle market theme The Daily escape and explore whether publications much(prenominal) as the turn on atomic number 18 representing the Muslim wash drawing in a detri affable light. unitys interest in the subject matter involved is nonp aril that has derived from what is moderaten, amongst others, as bad journalism middle market and tabloid news radicals inaccurately reporting counters c one timerning laundrys much(prenominal) as Muslims. On a daily buns one can pick up a ne wspaper these eld and spot numerous flaws, incorrect language or boilers suit original of a religion much(prenominal) as Islam. Also, a ain distress or invite in the theater is the way in which Muslim communities in spite of appearance the UK ar slowly being isolated and ar being criticised bodiedly for the actions of a small existence of the religion.When exploring the relationship among the novel wolfram and the East, one should look upon the belief of Orientalism. utters (1978) scat draws on the design of us and them Orientalism is never far from what Denys Hay has called the idea of Europe, a collective nonion identifying us Europeans as against all those non-Europeans (Said, 1978 7). This notion refers to the historical manufacturing of easterly beings as alien, the Other, by the West. It is the prejudicial portrayal of extremist Islamic images deep down frameworks such as the weapons that progresses, as Halliday (1996)(remember quotation for this, t ake in notebook computer 2) call forths, this myth of confrontation that pardons the West of any need to exc role its hatred towards the East and religions such as Islam.Before this paper looks at effectuate of the theory of islamophobia, it is worth evaluating the polarity of the term itself. Whilst slightly could say the mark of the term can draw attention to the issue for positive means, and comprehensive lit on the subject and enquiries commissioned (e.g. 1997 Runnymede Trust, Islamophobia A dispute for Us All), in that respect is a flipside. Academics lose inferred that this is just another, more than dressed form of new racism according to many sociologists. Sociologist Professor Gerard Delanty describes the use of the term islamophobia It is grow in mainstream hostility to migrant workers and asylum-seekers, and is based to a considerable degree on ethnocentrism and xenophobia on ignorance and fear of the other (Delanty Conference, see notebook for full referenc e1). Delanty is saying here that the categorisation of the idiom of islamophobia could be creating a new form of acceptable racism.The UK media industry is said by around to be institutionally racistThis racism is rooted in the lands regal past, with feelings of racial superiority and crude disciplineism straightaway deeply embed in the dominant culture. (Keeble, 2009 175)2 per cent of the NUJ membership was inglorious, Asian and Arab in the first media-industry wide glance in 1995 by Anthony Delano and John Henningham. canvas this alongside the national complaisant minority nation percentage of 5.26 percent at the time, and it does speak volumes. My inquiry provide include a send off to address this view and explore how far or to what extent this debates an islamophobic personality within newspapers such as The Daily Mail. However, to discuss how deep rooted this patriotism, or national feeling of superiority over other races goes would be discursive from the m ean discussion of the titles topic.The role of a national newspaper such as the Mail needs to be highlighted to display the contextualising bring together amongst islamophobia and the public.The fact that a familiar newspaper offers a brain of identity and possible security to its fix readers is an important contextualising factor when considering headers of race and ideology. (Ferguson, 1998175)Considering middle market newspapers such as The Daily Mail and transport along with the tabloids represent more than two thirds of the national daily readership figures (1997 survey do footnote for this), this is a first base credit line for explaining the negative (potential) effect of the puppy love on the masses.A matter to take in to consideration is the recent resignation of Daily Star journa mention Richard Peppiatt, on the grounds of the papers islamophobic capability. Albeit a personal letter to the Daily Stars possessor Richard Desmond, the letter highlights a wide range of anti-Islamic takes in the everyday characteristics of national newspapers such as the Star and Mail and labels the former as anti-Muslim propaganda. The letter does refer to how almost the capacitance of the Star is to the Mails through criticism of how the newspapers editors stimulate a newspaper from cut-and-paste-jobs off the Daily Mail website. Where he admits to breathing in up a bit of light- fancyed Islamophobia himself on the basis that this was in his original duties at the Star, his disapproval of this demonization is prevalent throughout. He refers to a tommyrot the paper published concerning the condemnation of taxpayer-funded Muslim-only public toiletsI was personally t adopted with gentlemans gentleman of writing a gloating follow-up declaring our postmodern victory in block off the non-existent Islamic cisterns of evil (Peppiatt, 2011).This could just be seen as one individuals personal attack on a proprietor and on that pointfore not take hold much wo rth precisely it does relate to, and support the theory of institutional racism within the British media.For the proposed intentions of this paper, it is worth noting the presence of Muslims within Britain. In the 2001 UK Census the population of Muslims from all ethnic groups within Britain was just fiddling of 1.6 million (insert reference to table of figures in appendices here). The age old argument from many anti-in-migration supporters is that the Muslims within Britain do not attempt to immerse themselves within British culture or our way of life, owing to increased tensions between the two cultures. Figures show that nearly half (46.4%) of all British Muslims now living in England were innate(p) in the country. It could be said that those Muslims who came to the country as adults (first generation) are grateful for the chance to live in a more open society and therefore more pull up stakesing to flux themselves within our culture. The sooner Western societies such as Brit ain aid this make of integration with the likes of first generation Muslims, the better. As the untesteder (3rd and 4th) generation of Muslims born in England grows, we could see Muslim communities become change magnitudely ostracised due to youthfulness Muslims anger towards the role of the West in Muslim lands and issues such as islamophobia within the media becoming more customary.It is as well worth presenting the PCC editorial guidelines with regards to contrarietyThe press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individuals race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability.The second part of the guideline refers to the details of those minority groups and how one should avoid inclusion (of those details) unless undeniable to the story. The way in which newspapers such as the Daily Mail steer their issue around these guidelines, in revision to include xenophobic views provide be explored later in the lit erature review.As this paper explores the skirt themes of discrimination and false internal representation within the media and directs them towards the influence of a certain publication, it is important to draw from applicable history of the Daily Mail. approximately would say the newspapers prejudice against religions such as Islam is a product of its deep-set DNA shown via the papers sympathetic views of national socialist Germany during the war period. The first joint proprietor and owner shaper Rothermere was cognize to be a friend and supporter of both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler and praised the Nazi regimes accomplishments, which direct the Mails political placement and was consequently used as propaganda by them. Lord Rothermere published quotes such as the minor misdeeds of individual Nazis would be submerse by the immense benefits the new regimes already bestowing on Germany (Rothermere, 1933), as substantially as printing headlines such as Hurrah for the B lackshirts (Mail, Jan 1934). The Mail was also sympathetic to Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. The support for this group was withdrawn by and by violence at a BUF rally in Kensington Olympia in 1934, which displays the potential harmful influence of newspapers on the masses.Muslims within Britain energise struggled with issues of integration and racism ever since there was an increased focus of attention from the media on the Iranian Revolution of 1979 (Asad 1990, see references in muslim britain book). Television screens crossways the origination showed three million mess celebrating on the streets of Tehran when Ayatollah Khomeini, cognize for his support of hostage takers and his calling for the death of British citizen Salman Rushdie, came out of acquit a disconcerting image for most Westerners. The Salman Rushdie affair in 1989 demo the degree to which the media and British Muslims who protested against the books (The Satanic Verses) publication became emotionally unhinged (Parekh 1992, see akin book + ref) over the issue. The book deeply offended Muslims and ignite debate on blasphemy laws and emptydom of speech. Other historical events have all played a part in what Huntingtons (1996) thesis describes as a clash of civilisations, these being The Gulf War (1990-1), the genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1993-6), the Oklahoma bombing (1995), the Taliban in Afghanistan (1997-2002), Grozny and Kosovo (1999), the recent Palestinian Intifada (since phratry 2000) and the War on Iraq (2003) (Abbas 2005 14).These events have and the media , any(prenominal) say (Huntington 1996) widened the gulf between East and West, Islam and Christianity and amplified the theory of Orientalism.(maybe do a little on September 11 attacks here)This paper intends to explore and discuss the dissimilar factors owing to the islamophobic content displayed in the Mail and how far it is damaging the representation of Muslim communities within Britain. It woul d be pointless to explain how islamophobic reporting increased or change magnitude over the past decade or so as it would be plain to see the increases in islamophobic content around the propagation of terrorist activities. One depart analyse contri scarceing factors such as the origins of islamophobia, the identification of islamophobic content, how closely does that content abide by editorial guidelines and the effect on Muslim communities through critical discussion of the topic and data synopsis.The reason as to wherefore one thinks this subject is important and would be of interest to others is the increasing multi-cultured population of Britain. As more ethnic minorities such as Muslims enshroud to live in Britain, increasing tensions towards people of a particular race can only put more strain on an already weak relationship with Muslim communities.The purpose of the paper is to critically prize and characterize publications, specifically The Daily Mail and its role in reinforcing or articulating racism, and in damaging ethnic cultural identities. The ways in which these issues are to be addressed and analysed give be explained through my query and its content analysis.Literature reviewThe aim of this chapter is to identify themes relating to the title topic from former published literature and critically analyse those premises. The intention here is not just to identify those relating themes, but to analyse, criticise, interpret and evaluate those themes in friendship with supporting or opposing the netherpinning arguments of this paper. Over the past decade or so there is has been an increase in the mensuration of writing, due to rising slope concerns from Muslims worldwide, explaining how discourses such as newspapers in Western media are misrepresenting ethnic minorities such as Muslims through presenting a negative image of Islam. My investigate give however focus on the Daily Mail in particular, picture negative stereo casefuls, an d the effects those portrayals have, on Muslim communities within Britain. In summary, this chapter get out draw from prior literature and examine the building complex structures and strategies of news reports and how they be active the interpretations of readers. How much does the role of publications such as the Mail play in the replication of racial and ethnic inequality in British society.Some of the earliest writing relating to British newspapers such as the Mail portray Islam as a threat to Western interests comes from Teun van Dijks Racism and the Press. The issue of immigration within British newspapers is one that allows anti-Muslim voices to be heard, subjectively criticising the stick out in the multiculturalism of BritainThe Mail specifically focuses on alleged abuses of British hospitality, and calls for stricter immigration rules. It does not hesitate to publish, with apparent approval, overtly racist statements by right-wing politicians who claim that without fu rther curbs on immigration Britain may become the worlds dustbin.( new wave Dijk, 1991 96)What van Dijk is inferring is that through government policies concerning issues such as immigration, any right-wing anti-immigration views from politicians or people within the public eye will be published by the Mail with the noticeable support of the paper. Whilst highlighting the political stance and nationalistic nature of the publication, a defence for the paper would revert to free press every time.The earliest and most relevant interrogation in this topic area has also been carried out by Teun Van Dijk. His work in the collection of empirical data surrounding the press and issues of race is a starting point for anybody analysing institutional islamophobic contents effect on British Muslims. Van Dijk started this foundational research in plain content analysis of British newspapers, analysing content such as the repetition of certain linguistic communication used in headlines in attem pt to rouse certain meanings from them. He describes the repetitive use of certain topics of discourse such as black and race and how they are dealt with by the press as semantic macro structures.These global, overall meaning structures of a text consist of a hierarchically arranged set of macro-propositions, which are derived from the meanings (propositions) of the sentences by way of macro-rules. These rules reduce the complex information of the text to its essential gist. (Van Dijk, 1991 72)Van Dijk is correct in some ways in saying that the prevalence of such vocabulary would suggest that the discursive agenda of newspapers is entrenched in concerns with race. In his book Representing Race, Robert Ferguson contains there are some uses of Van Dijks researchIt would seem from this as though the media are enganged in an endless process of reproducing already existing prejudices and stereotypes. The spacious content analysis which was undertaken by Van Dijk also demonstrated that ethnic minorities and anti-racists are systematically associated with conflict, crime, intolerance and unreliability. (Ferguson, 1998 130)The flaws in Van Dijks research are that using empirical data, or strictly content analysis, to develop an taking into custody of representation can somewhat distort the power of ideology in newspapers text or framing. However, without being blatantly racist, newspapers such as the Mail through concepts of normality can still project strength to negative representations. (Maybe use this paragraph in rules)The detrimental representations of Muslim asylum seekers to Britain, in publications such as the Mail, are highlighted in Arun Kundnanis The End of Tolerance. Phrases such as we have to look after our own people first, a regular idiom in the Mail, establishs strength to the inherent belief within Britain that we cannot satisfactorily provide for ourselves, never mind foreigners or them as well.Thanks to the self-concern of media and politic ians, asylum seekers and migrants had been made in to potent symbols for the loss of a nation-state that once belonged to its people and afforded them certain privileges as citizens. (Kundnani, 2007 65)This argument is stating that through newspapers persistence in covering issues of economy and well being, the Mail amongst others, tend to shift the b cultureed of these national problems on to asylum seekers, from communities such as Muslims, for increasing the population and adding to pre-existing problems such as rises in unemployment. The only critique of this concept adding to the misrepresentation and islamophobic nature of the Mail, is that this problem spans over a huge area and is historically embedded within a nations way of thinking. My research aims to let on the day to day anti-Islamic features of the Mail and expose the problems of intentional or institutional racism that could potentially be fixed.In some ways, previous literature has explained that events such as 9/ 11 and other Islam related terrorist activities give acceptance to emerging islamophobic voices or views within the media. Chris Allens chapter in Muslim Britain Communities under pressure, highlights the enabling of publishing extreme right views on terrorists religions without backlash. In the ignite of Baroness Thatchers condemnation of Muslim leaders in the Times, insisting that all Muslims as a homogeneous group should share responsibility for the attacks (4 October 2001). The Telegraph days later published an article entitled This War Is not closely Terror, Its about Islam (7 October 2001).This article sought not only to praise Baroness Thatchers stance, but also confirm that Western fears were justified because some three-quarters of the worlds migrants in the last decade are said to have been Muslims (these) escapees, victims, scapegoats, malefactors and sleepers are awaiting their moment. (Allen, 2005 61)Jonathan Birts chapter in Muslims in Britain also agrees with th is post 9/11 islamophobic reaction from the press without apparently analysing the textual content of a newspaperAfter 9/11, the more prejudicial media comment portrayed British Muslim communities, and especially their young men, as a dangerous and unpatriotic ordinal column, which were sympathetic to anti-West foeman and, indeed, the use of violent terror. Mass communications today shape and order these Islamophobic good panics and the reactive defence to them. (Birt, 2009 217)Here, we can see Birt is agreeing that post terrorist activities, the media is allowed to give a free press voice to racist views and mentations without fear of backlash from media regulators. The defect in analysing the islamophobic nature of publications such as the Mail surrounding terrorist actions is that it is to be expected. There is bound to be a bad press reaction to national identities and sacred viewpoints, how far the negative portrayal of those identities goes without trepidation of media regulators punishment, is an issue that needs to be addressed.The British Journalism Review (March 2006) argues that the same harmful representation of Muslims within the media is the same for other terrorist groups such as the IRA. One can see similarities between views of Catholics from Ulster in the 1980s and Muslims today, that religious affiliations trumped all other affiliationsIn Britain and the United States the popular line was that if you were a Catholic, you probably supported the IRA. Today, if you are a Muslim, the popular line is that you are probably anti-western or fundamentalist. This is not to say that journalism was and is responsible for these views, but rather that de-contextualised reporting did and does little to throw cold water on old stereotypes.The closest literature relating to the topic title comes from Elizabeth Pooles Reporting Islam Media Representations of British Muslims. The book analyses the current situation regarding the image of Muslims by tra cking the increment of this form of new racism from earlier works. Poole says that the theme of immigration as a problem has now transferred to Muslims (van Dijk 1991), due to, as Lueg (1995) says a population explosion in the Middle East. British Muslims and their homogeny to other Muslims become the feared fifth column within (Runnymede Trust 1997). This combined with the discussion of numbers of people invading the country depicts aspirations of taking over the world, not seeking asylum.The compounding of the hostile threat and movement of Islam promotes the idea that it needs to be managed in a way that allows varied prejudicial practices to continue (Poole, 2002 47).What Poole is saying is that a plain dislike of the notion of Islam cannot be seen as the central feature of hostility towards Muslims. Attitudes to Muslims derive from a mixture of xenophobia and racism whereby newspapers such as the Mail can discuss or mainly criticise some of the practices of Islam without bein g seen to be unashamedly prejudice towards Muslims.Another adjoining fore play of literature that many academics have drawn from when discussing this topic, is Edward Saids Covering Islam How the media and the experts determine how we see the rest of the world (1981). Said argues that the siege of the American embassy in Iran in 1981 and its media coverage initiated an increased attention and portrayal of Islam with danger, militancy and anti-Western sentiment. The text examines the coevals and ramifications of the medias monolithic images of Islam and reveals the twisting of fact that underlies objective coverage of the Islamic world. Said says the application of a Western ideological framework or an ethnocentric way of seeing (Dahlgren and Chakrapani 1982 45) has meant we see a domesticated Islamic world or those aspects considered to be newsworthy (Said 1981 27). This has created a dichotomy between the West and Islam whereby the West is seen as judicious, civilized, developed and superior, and Islam as abnormal, undeveloped and inferior.There are a small number of published journals that closely share the intentions of this paper. Diane Frosts Islamophobia examining occasional(a) links between the media and race hate from below (2007) analyses the media reporting on recent and ongoing terrorist attacks in Britain and the effect on Muslim communities. The paper discusses islamophobic tendencies within British tabloids and their connections with government policies and violence that concerns religion. Whilst it highlights the medias promotion of moral panics such as problems of asylum and race, it is saying British tabloids breed on these moral panics, going further than the threat that is actually presented.Thus, the media have represented Muslims as a collective problem who threaten the very fabric of British society as supporters of al-Qaida and potential suicide bombers. They are the folk devils of the twenty first century (Diane Frost 2008 find out h ow to reference journal).It is worth noting that there are strong links between increased anti-terror legislation and other government measures and the way in which publications such as the Mail criminalise Muslim communities when reporting on such measures and legislation. This type of research will be considered in the methods section of the paper.Ian Hargreaves writes a piece in the New Statesman that demonstrates the negative coverage of immigration from the Mail in relation to fuelling racist attitudes. He says It is not that I view with cynicism the Daily Mails efforts to achieve balance in its reporting of racial issues. Rather, I think the paper is misguided in discounting the encouragement its asylum coverage gives to racist sentiments (Hargreaves 2000). Reverting back to the theory that newspapers such as the Daily Mail have colonial instincts and an anti-foreigner viewpoint established within its DNA, Hargreaves is assay to say that these publications are not intending t o be racist they simply remember the types of stories concerning Islam being published are due to the public-interest factor.Christopher Allens journal discusses the dangerousness of the concept of Islamophobia in analytical relation with the findings of the Runnymede Trust Report (1997). The reports findings concluded that Islam is inherently seen as other to the West, reinforcing the them and us dualism. Taking this in to consideration, Allen says we should not be surprise to see such headlines as The Daily Mails offering, Fanatics with a death regard I was born in Britain but I am a Muslim first. Here the Mail is merely reiterating those beliefs that are lodged at the heart of Islamophobia (Allen 2008 4).The intention of this chapter was to identify underpinning theories, themes and issues published in previous literature in order for readers to understand the intentions of the research and findings that will be developed in the methods and data analysis.Methods and methodology This chapter will discuss the research that this paper will be carrying out, the reasons for using those methods and what results are to be expected. The most appropriate methods will be discussed along with their advantages and limitations, with ethical considerations ensured so that the data is collected in an ethical way.Previous research philosophy approaches to the medias role in the reproduction of racism are mainly content analytical quantitative studies take out the use of stereotypical words, phrases or images used when representing ethnic minorities (see, for example, Van Dijk 1991, 1997). This discourse analytical method systematically describes different structures and tactics of text in relation to a social or political framework. The method enables for the identification of focus on certain topics in a semantic analysis form as well as allowing examination of the overall organisation of news reports. Essentially this means discourse may so be studied as the crucial i nterface between the social and cognitive dimensions of racism (Cottle 2000). So, publications such as the Mail as a discourse in the social practice of racism can be seen as a main source for peoples racist views/beliefs. According to Berger (1998 23) content analysts assume that behavioural patterns, values and attitudes found in this material reflect and affect the behaviour, attitudes and values of the people who create the material. The advantages and reason as to why this paper will be adopting a similar style of research is there is no technology or major funds necessary and it has been known to lead to fundamental changes in the practices of an institution, profession and society as a whole.Another method of research that will be busy is that of conducting surveys to gauge the attitudes and opinions of Daily Mail readers on the subject of Islamic and Muslim issues. This will be cross referenced with readers of other newspapers to see if there is differing attitudes toward i ssues concerning Muslims, and of the role of The Daily Mail in these perceptions from people who read different newspapers. This intends to highlight the negative effect a newspaper has on readers views of a religion such as Islam and the race of Muslim. One could condemn this research method data saying the views of readers are only the views of the reader and not the publication, how far those views are affected by the discourse would be research that is virtually impossible, or not possible within the means of this author.(Explain the inductive approach to research with reference here)For the content analysis of the Daily Mails inciting of racial hatred, the content that will be analysed will be the keep down of articles within a time period of 6 months the issue of Islam and Muslims is reported on in a negative manner. Albeit a personal opinion, a list of examples of this negative portrayal type of article is provided in the appendices. These are articles presenting Muslims an d the religion of Islam as a problem and their difficulties with conflicting issues within British society.The research will compare the amount of times within a 6 month period these types of articles concerning Islam are presented in the Mail against how many times an article concerning the neo-Nazi anti-Muslim group The English Defence League (EDL) is shown. This will confide to demonstrate a correlation between increased amounts of Islamic coverage at a certain time with articles on/activities of the EDL.With regards to the questionnaires that will be collected, the scope and design need to be established. The scope or amount of participants that the research intends to gather are as follows 150 readers of The Daily Mail and double that amount, 300 of readers of all other newspapers. As the research method employed to gather this amount of data means standing outside a busy newsagents (W H Smiths in Lime Street Station, Liverpool) and petition people who have bought newspapers to answer a short survey, to attempt to gather any more than that provided would be take a considerable amount of time and effort. As people are normally quite disinclined to take part in surveys due to time constraints the survey will not ask for some of the standard demographic information such as age gender nationality ethnicity religion etc. The questionnaire will ask what newspaper the participant reads, usually a quick and easy question to answer when the people who I will be asking have just recently bought a newspaper from the newsagents and will realise this is what my questionnaire is concerning. The questions will then be presented by me reading the statement and asking their opinion on that statement from a spectrum of answers, these being strongly agree agree neutral disagree and strongly disagree. This method does not force a yes or no answer that some participants may be antipathetical to give considering the invasive nature of the questions. At the same time it cou ld be considered to be avoiding leading questions. Where the participant may realise the questions are intended to produce certain types of generalisations so they would answer accordingly for the purposes of the research, they have some form of choice in which to express their opinions.These two forms of quantitative and qualitative research are used in order to arrive at a degree of triangulation when forming the findings and conclusions of the data collected.The two types of research methods that this paper will be employing will be that of content analysis within a theoretical framework and surveys conducted. The aim is to achieve a form of triangulation in which to infer meanings from when analysing and evaluating the collected data.Data, analysis and discussionConclusion