WRITTEN BY JINANE SOUNNY-SLITINE, LMSW
Jinane and her friend Jasmine at the Women’s March.
The negative portrayal of Muslims in media and pop culture directly affects the rates of Islamophobia, discrimination, and violence towards Muslims in the United States. Muslims make up 1% of the US population and according to a 2019 report are the most negatively portrayed minority in American media. Terrorist attacks committed by Muslim extremists are covered at a 357% higher rate than those made by other groups. When these crimes are committed by individuals of color or those identifying as Muslims, they are quickly reported as terrorist attacks. However, similar crimes made by White supremacists are considered to be results of mental health issues. In 2018 the majority of domestic-terrorists attacks in the United States were committed by White supremacists, making up 78% of domestic-terrorist murders while 2% were made by Muslim extremists. Being American Muslim, I saw the direct impact American media and pop culture had in my life. I hid my religion from others because once they knew that I was Muslim they would treat me differently, distance themselves from me, or look to me to represent the entire faith.
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign ran on hatred towards Muslims, Mexicans, and immigrants. His administration’s agenda and policies set the tone that religious intolerance and institutional Islamophobia are acceptable. Political campaign narratives have a direct impact on our communities and influence what people believe, how they behave, and how they vote. In 2015 anti-Muslim hate crimes had the highest levels since September 11, 2001, suggesting that Trump’s anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric influenced the increase of hate crimes towards Muslims. Immediately after Trump called for a travel ban on several majority-Muslim nations there was an 87.5% increase in hate crimes made towards Muslim individuals. The majority of US citizens report not knowing any Muslims personally. If individuals are relying on the media to educate them on this religion and its followers, then it is likely that many will believe the stereotypes depicted and consequently fear Muslims.
Growing up American Muslim, I never saw my culture depicted in the stories of people in books, on television, or in films unless they were being portrayed as terrorists. It was not until a friend of mine gave me the book, A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi, that I realized how much the lack of positive representation of Muslims in pop culture affected me. I remember becoming overwhelmed with a wave of emotions and crying as I read the book jacket and realizing that I never saw anything like this before. The novel was written by a Muslim author, and the main character Shirin, was a Muslim teenager growing up in a post 9/11 America. I had hope for the first time in my life that I would see pieces of my identity represented in a positive way. I enjoyed being able to connect with the book in a way I was never able to before, and felt validated in ways I didn’t know I needed. I related to Shirin’s struggles of being misunderstood as an American Muslim and her need to fit in.
American Muslims are now sharing their stories in mainstream media such as Ramy Youssef’s comedy show Ramy, Mo Amer’s standup The Vagabond, and Hassan Minhaj’s political show Patriot Act. Books and television shows like these allow the general public to see non-violent American Muslim stories, and helps to normalize what it means to be Muslim. In addition, we have seen American Muslim politicians like Debbie Mucarsel-Poweel, Ilhan Omar, Donna Shalala, and Rashida Tlaib lead the way towards creating spaces for Islamic representation in national politics. American Muslims are being shown as active members in their communities, educated, family orientated, and hardworking. Their stories show their personalities, senses of humor, love and heartbreak, and vulnerability. These stories normalize their experiences to the general public.
Society needs to acknowledge that negative narratives impact impressions of American Muslims in media and pop culture by perpetuating negative stereotypes and hate. This contributes to promoting systematic Islamophobia, increasing discrimination and violence, and the othering of American Muslims. It is critical to examine if stories are being told by Muslims or through the lenses of people who have not lived the Muslim experience. Publishing companies and the television and film industry should prioritize investing and supporting Muslim storytellers and provide them the platforms needed to share their stories with the public. Lastly, journalists should start to address the ways in which news coverage contributes to the perpetuation of negative stereotypes of Muslims, and should work towards removing biased agendas.
I hope to see an increase of positive Muslim representation in society. Muslims need to be portrayed as peaceful, not as extremists or terrorists. The general public has the right to see stories about American Muslims and their lived experiences. With increased positive and realistic representation in the media, the general public can move towards seeing Muslims in a new light and without fear.
*Please email help@thechurchlab.org for the original pdf version of this op-ed, complete with links to references.