Danubius International Conferences, 5th International Conference on European Integration - Realities and Perspectives
The Muslim “Other” in the Western Mass-Media
##manager.scheduler.building##: A Hall
##manager.scheduler.room##: A15
Date: 2010-05-14 03:30 PM – 06:30 PM
Last modified: 2010-05-13
Abstract
The images of the Other can be found everywhere in the Western civilization and have become part of the discourse of colonization and conquest. It has to be admitted that the encounters between the Western civilization and Islam have caused a portrayal of the Islamic religion and Muslim culture mostly in negative and self-serving ways. As the literature approaching all these stereotypes is quite vast, this paper examines why the Western world has permanently perpetuated negative images of Islam and Muslims. Western image-makers, such as the religious authorities, political institutions and media conglomerates, render the images of Muslims in both amusing and cruel ways. All these images of the Other seem to have served important purposes throughout the history of Western civilization. Sometimes these purposes are not too serious, while, in other situations, they can be awfully destructive. Unfortunately, there are tragic consequences for Muslims, coming from the socio-political climate as it has been presented by these images.
Key words: culture, imagery, media, Muslims, otherness, stereotypes, Western civilization.
