Representations of Islam and Muslims in New Zealand media

Abstract

In the global media scene, media ownership is controlled by groups with political agendas. Intolerance of ‘the other’, from Islam and migrants to people of colour, show the rise of fundamentally prejudiced groups who relate well to negative media representations of ‘the other’, further fuelling financial support for dominant public voices, at the expense of those silenced by discrimination. Media studies on Islam show negative portrayals in Western media which neglect the Muslim voice. Some reasons include news culture, lack of knowledge about Islam and unawareness of the consequences from such narratives. This article identifies the growing trend of stories in the New Zealand media relating to ‘Islamic terrorism’ and critically analyses a random sampling of five news articles between 2014 and 2016 in terms of the negative, positive and ambivalent news content, both in their use of the written text and visual representations of Islam and Muslims. The tendency to use negative framing is evident with the absence or manipulation of the Muslim voice. Using the Islamic perspective of dialogue and persuasion, the theory of Ta’will, and socio-political rationale, the effects of and motivations for the written and visual news content are discussed. A case is made for a greater understanding of the textual and visual elements and more ethical reporting through intercultural engagement.

Comparative study of attitudes to religious groups in New Zealand reveals Muslim-specific prejudice

“…Although this question needs further testing, it is possible that both negativity towards Muslims, and perceptions that Muslims are threatening, might have decreased further in 2019, especially following the increased exposure to Islam after the attack. That is, whereas past research has found that media coverage of Muslims in New Zealand is generally negative (Kabir and Bourk 2012;Rahman and Emadi 2018), positive press in the wake of the attack might have moderated anti-Muslim prejudice. Additionally, an analysis of the differences between those who have become more or less prejudiced after the attack, and in response to the trial, would be a worthy avenue for future work.…”

“…It is particularly important to investigate threat in the context of religious prejudice, and prejudice toward Muslims in particular, because Muslims are portrayed in the media as threatening (Kabir and Bourk 2012). More specifically, portrayals of Muslims show them as more likely to commit terror attacks or to have far different cultural values to the majority of the population (Saeed 2007;Kabir and Bourk 2012;Rahman and Emadi 2018). Therefore, probing both anti-religious sentiments and perceived threat affords a greater clarity about the mechanisms that underpin anti-religious prejudice than can be obtained from affective thermometer measures such as those found in the NZAVS.…”

News media and the Muslim identity after the Christchurch mosque massacres

“…Before the Christchurch attack, Muslims were portrayed disparagingly in New Zealand media (Rahman and Emadi 2018) and this corresponded with the stories told in international media, originating largely from the USA. Indeed, Muslims have had a rather troubling relationship with western media.…”

“…The IWCNZ leadership reported that nothing was done despite their suggested preventive measures and concerns over the growing hate rhetoric, the alt-right group and the local Islamophobic news content such as the fake news on 'Jihadi Brides' (Rahman and Emadi 2018). Not only have Muslims failed to get their concerns addressed in government policies, but their voices were also underrepresented in New Zealand media (Rahman and Emadi 2018).…”

“…Like all groups of people, Muslims are diverse. Yet media research on Islam and Muslims in New Zealand showed that the faith and its followers have been misrepresented as homogenous and typified as exclusively terror-prone and a danger to civil society (Eid 2014;Terzis 2016;Rahman and Emadi 2018). This misrepresentation tended to correspond with international news that was recycled for local consumption.…”