An interactive workshop encouraging critical thinking skills exploring portrayals of Muslims in the UK media, including racial and gender stereotyping, and portrayals of the hijab, terrorism, and violence. Age: Teenagers and above. Presentation by Amina Inloes and presented first at Camp UK, 2015. Note: Rockwell font not displaying properly on SlideShare.

1. CRITICA
L
THINKIN
Islam and
the Media
in the UK
‫الرحمن‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫بسم‬
‫الرحيم‬

2. MAIN IDEAS
critically analyse media
What is the real message?
internalized prejudice
(noun): the process by
which a member of an
oppressed group comes to
accept and live out
inaccurate myths and
stereotypes applied to the
group
self-definition or not?
Who determines the
dialogue about Islam?
gender stereotyping
How are men
portrayed? How are
women portrayed?
“I have never seen a girl wearing
a hijab in any educational clip
art. The results of a search for
“Muslim children clip art” and
“Muslim children reading” were
entirely religious in nature.
Since I have so many Muslim
students, I felt like they needed
to be represented doing regular
school activities. So here it is.”
- Artist

3. All media is
designed to send a
message – good or
bad, true or false –
whether we are
aware of it or not!

4. “If we had listened or thought, we would not be among those in
the Fire.”
“The vilest of animals to Allah are those who do not [choose to]
hear or speak, and who do not use their intellect.”
َّ‫د‬‫ال‬ َّ‫ر‬َ‫ش‬ َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬‫ن‬ِ‫ع‬ َّ‫اب‬ َ‫و‬َ‫د‬
ُ‫م‬ْ‫ك‬ُ‫ب‬ْ‫ال‬ ُّ‫م‬ُّ‫ص‬‫ال‬ ِ ‫ه‬‫اّلل‬
َ‫ين‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ي‬َ‫ون‬ُ‫ل‬ِ‫ق‬ْ‫ع‬
ُ‫ع‬َ‫م‬ْ‫س‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫ن‬ُ‫ك‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫ل‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬ َ‫و‬
ْ‫و‬َ‫أ‬ُ‫ل‬ِ‫ق‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫ن‬‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫ن‬ُ‫ك‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬
َّ‫س‬‫ال‬ ِ‫ب‬‫ا‬َ‫ح‬ْ‫ص‬َ‫أ‬ِ‫ير‬ِ‫ع‬

9. “Muslims”
 How Do Muslims Think Women Should Dress?
 Ex-Muslim: Leaving Islam
 BBC - Young British Muslims debate Islamic State…
 I'm an ex-Muslim | BBC Newsbeat
 What is it like to be a Muslim in Cuba? BBC News
 BBC Panorama - Muslim First British Second
 BBC My Life, My Religion: Islam What does it mean to be
a Muslim? 11-year-old budding fashion designer Sara
 BBC Documentary - Blaming The Jews (Muslim Antisemitism)
 BBC Documentary - Great British Islam This documentary
tells the little-known story of three English gentlemen
who embraced Islam at a time when to be a Muslim was to
 Make Me a Muslim: Young British women are converting to
Islam BBC full movie Documentary 2013
.. And several age-inappropriate hits

10. “Christians”
 How Christianity Conquered the Roman Empire
 BBC: Extreme Pilgrim - Ascetic Christianity
 BBC 1 Debate - Capitalism & Christianity - The Big
Questions
 Documentary | From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians
 BBC Documentary: Leaving Islam and converting to
Christianity in the Middle East
 The King James Bible BBC Documentary
 Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
 Does Christianity have a Future? (BBC)
 Christianity and Cats - BBC comedy
 Is Christianity Being Marginalised? (BBC - The Big
Questions)
 BBC The Lost Gospel of Thomas: (Christian Gnostic)

11. GOOD QUESTIONS!
1. What is it saying?
2. What is it not saying?
3. Is it representative or an
exception?
4. What is the subtext?
5. Who is paying for it?
6. Is it sensationalism?
7. Is something glamorized?
8. What values does it express?

12. Clip 1: “My Hijab Story”
She is
speaking
for herself
“Pilgrimage”
“My
reasons…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMiQH-2hA4U
“Opposition”
Positive
messages
Represent-
ative?
“Religion”

13. Clip 2: “Make Me a Muslim”
Gender,
ethnicity
Represent
-ative?
Messages
about the
West?
Sensational-
ism?
Messages
about
Islam?
Should Muslims support
this documentary?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDFxjiDueC8

14. IN CONCLUSION…
 Ask yourself: “Am I acting or reacting?”
 Be aware of internalized prejudice
 Consider what messages are being sent, and
remember that not everyone on TV or in the
news is represented the way they want to be
 Don’t be a sheeple – think when you watch!