The document discusses the power of media in creating stereotypes like "Mr. and Mrs. Islamophobia" and fueling hate crimes against Muslims. It notes that after 9/11, the media framed Muslims as "terrorists" and veiled women as "oppressed", ignoring nuance. This has led to a rise in hate crimes in Western nations. Experts argue that promoting intolerance through one-sided media portrayals threatens human rights and dignity. Educating about various cultures and preventing stereotypical media representations are seen as ways to reduce tensions between civilizations.

1. The Nuclear Media Weapon:
The Case of Creating Mr. and Mrs. Islamophobia!
“To define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which
devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory.
If such a determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope of
restoring what is so nearly lost to us - the dignity of man.”
Harold Pinter, The Nobel Prize Speech 2005
The Right to the Truth
Printer’s speech of accepting the Nobel Prize was a call for “awakening” the right to know
the truth, and the right to be protected from that truth which is manipulated to serve a
political agenda and could destruct the very purpose of Humanity.

2. Media’s power has been proven to be
powerful beyond any nuclear weapon,
and just like any other tool which is
used as a constituent for Human Rights
and Development, it has been polluted
enough to be lethal and poisonous in
causing traumas that will be a mark of
disgrace in the history of mankind.
Though there are many cases that
deserve to be dissected and analyzed,
the case of creating Islamophobia has
been one of the main icons on the
international scene that has caused
severe “unfreedoms” for both sides, those who were manipulated, and those who were the
subject of manipulation.
Should condemning and framing all countries which are suspected of having nuclear
weapons in the trap of the “Hate” stereotype be justifiable?
“The United States possesses 8,000 active and operational nuclear warheads. Two
thousand are on hair trigger alert, ready to be launched with 15 minutes warning. It is
developing new systems of nuclear force, known as bunker busters Who, I wonder, are
they aiming at? Osama bin Laden? You? Me? Who knows?” Harold Pinter
Will we go on being in the “defensive” seat that calls for freedom in the face of the media
that created the “Hatred Culture” which in turn leads to
catastrophies?
What are the measures that should be taken to prevent the
harm of this weapon?
As a main vehicle which aids the credibility, implementation
of Human Rights and the Right to Development, what are the
risks of devaluing the credibility of global media?
Creating Mr. and Mrs. Islamophobia
After the tragic events of 9/11 the media has created new
action/horror figures on which all the blame and anger is to
be directed, the “Terrorist” Rambo, and The Veiled
“Oppressed”!
The “Qaida” and Bin Laden’s accusation should by no means
be taken as an excuse for the creation of these characters.
And if we go back in time and remember the famous

3. quotation by President Ronald Regan in which he was
describing the Mujahedeen “These gentlemen are the
moral equivalents of America’s founding fathers”! We
see how the political decision of the stereotype changes
with its interest, no matter what the impact is.
Having drawn such intense associations with more than
one fifth of the world’s population, and direct all the
negative energy toward these figures only made their
existence more confirmed, no matter how fictitious their
real presence is.
Hate Crimes
In the United States, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports
program produces a yearly report on the number of
incidents, offenses, victims, and known offenders under
a wide range of bias categories. In 2005, 128 anti-
Islamic incidents were recorded, with 146 offenses,
151 victims and 89 known offenders. Incidents are only
recorded by participating police jurisdictions if they
are considered to constitute a specific offense.
The British Home Office reported 57,902 racist
incidents and 37,028 racially-aggravated offenses in
2004/2005.
In Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Australia the hate crimes
are on the rise as well.
Dr. Marwa El Sherbiny, while
pregnant, was stabbed to death
in court in Germany for mainly
being veiled!
The “Phobia”
“A phobia is defined as the
unrelenting fear of a situation,
activity, or thing that causes one
to want to avoid it.”

4. This fear is an enforced paralysis to living
safely, and having to live in the panic of
being attacked makes the scared person
ready to initiate attack!
Having millions of people live with this
“disease” is a mass violation, not to
mention the inability to have the freedom
of living, thinking, and developing.
“The crimes of the United States have
been systematic, constant, vicious,
remorseless, but very few people have
actually talked about them. You have
to hand it to America. It has exercised
a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for
universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis”. Harold
Pinter
Unlearning Intolerance and The Clash of Civilizations
In the Clash of Civilizations Forum, Lebanon in March 2010, Professor Ali Asani of Harvard
University said “It’s more appropriate to talk about a clash of ignorances; People tend
to paint each other with one color, with one brush stroke, as simplistic caricatures in
utter humiliation.”
In the seminar"Confronting Islamophobia: Education for Tolerance and Understanding"
December 2004, the Secretary General said ““Unlearning intolerance is in part a matter
of legal protection. The right to freedom of religion –and to be free from discrimination
based on religion -- is long enshrined in international law, from the UN Charter to the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” And then added “We must prevent the media
and Internet from being used to spread hatred, while of course safeguarding freedom
of opinion and expression”
This ignorance has been nourished and fed by the manipulative media enough to by -pass
the usual forms of the humble initiatives of spreading awareness and calls for extreme
action.
Amartya Sen in the Human Rights and the Westernizing Illusion asked “Is it right, the
question is often asked, that non-Western societies should be encouraged and pressed
to conform to "Western values of liberty and freedom"? Is this not cultural
imperialism?”
And we ask the same question!

5. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3648
http://pewforum.org/Topics/Religious-Affiliation/Muslim/?page=3
http://www.cair.com/PDF/cairsurveyanalysis.pdf
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/03/lebanon-experts-argue-against-clash-of-
civilizations-at-university-forum.html
http://media.gallup.com/POLL/Releases/pr071008i.gif
http://www.humanrightsfirst.info/pdf/07601-discrim-hc-islamophobia-web.pdf
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/07/06/egyptian-woman-killed-in-german-court-for-being-veiled/
http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=1217
http://www.ihmsaw.org/resourcefiles/1260034024.pdf
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/11/23/113341/32