AMEMSA Women in Media

In America, Middle Eastern people make up less than 1% of the population, making them the second-smallest minority in the country. Consequently, many Americans have had little to no in-person interactions with Arabs or Middle Easterners and must instead rely on media and other outlets to collect information.

In America, Middle Eastern people make up less than 1% of the population, making them the second-smallest minority in the country. Consequently, many Americans have had little to no in-person interactions with Arabs or Middle Easterners and must instead rely on media and other outlets to collect information. Following the attack on 9/11, reports of violent crimes or terrorist attacks have been used to sway the public’s opinion. If the perpetrator of a violent crime is Muslim, Arab, or Middle Eastern, the attack will receive significantly more coverage than if the perpetrator was white.

Consequently, many Americans have had little to no in-person interactions with Arabs or Middle Easterners and must instead rely on media and other outlets to collect information.

While animosity for these people groups did not start with 9/11, the media’s ignorant and biased portrayal of them has helped boost such emotions. Arab News columnist and radio talk show host, Ray Hanania, recalls his experience working for the Chicago Sun-Times. He details that while his Jewish colleagues were allowed to report on Israel and the Jewish culture, Hanania was not allowed the same freedom. In an article by Delinda Hanley, she writes: “Editors told him ‘Nobody cares about Palestinians’ and warned him not to write about them in a positive way.” Ultimately, when Arabs receive the little representation that media allows them, it is oftentimes negative and misleading.

Ultimately, when Arabs receive the little representation that media allows them, it is oftentimes negative and misleading.

The fallacious portrayal of Muslims and Arabs in media, especially that of women, is far more ingrained into society than many would expect. In an article by Rachelle Terman, she illuminates the differences between the way white women and Muslim women are reported and how this has negatively warped the public’s view of Arab and Middle Eastern women. To begin, it is no secret that the media paints Muslims as dangerous threats to the safety and wellbeing of progressive countries. Many believe that Muslim practices are outdated, barbaric, malevolent, and extremely sexist. While a portion of these beliefs can be blamed on a lack of proper education on oriental cultures and religions, such negative connotations are strongly supported by the press through manipulative reporting.

While a portion of these beliefs can be blamed on a lack of proper education on oriental cultures and religions, such negative connotations are strongly supported by the press through manipulative reporting.

Even with a vast number of resources and information at their disposal, media outlets continuously choose to share their versions of the truth. Even if the stories they tell are technically true, they are strategically adjusted to send a clear message to their audience. To illustrate, the media tends to report on Muslim women if they reside in countries with a poor history of women’s rights. Alternatively, they are more likely to report stories about non-Muslim women if they are in countries where women’s rights are honored. And so, the public associates Muslim women with a violation of human rights and non-Muslim women with protected rights. Some stories even include content highlighting systemic gender inequality in countries with considerably progressive laws and improving records of women’s rights. Additionally, when the news does choose to report on Muslim women, the story is almost always centered on these issues. Rather than covering the advancements, good deeds, and other positive contributions these women make to our world, their stories are reduced to ones of hardships and struggles.

Consequently, the media continues to characterize Muslim societies as discriminatory and extremist. It is not shocking that so many fear the influence of Muslim culture on society if they truly believe it to be what the media is depicting. With the repeated stories framed around Muslim women’s rights and the altered reports on Muslim countries, how can someone uninformed and unfamiliar with the Islamic religion feel anything but negativity? People often wrongly equate Muslims with those who are Arab or Middle Eastern and view these terms interchangeably . These antagonizing beliefs affect not only Muslims but Arabs and Middle Easterners as well. When someone preaches hate towards one, they typically mean for it to include all three people groups. If people are ignorant enough to not understand the difference between them, how can animosity towards any of these groups be based on anything other than misinformation and assumptions?