The role of the European media in reproducing and reinforcing stereotypes and negative images of religious and ethnic minorities, particularly Muslims, is well documented. Since the media are the... Show moreThe role of the European media in reproducing and reinforcing stereotypes and negative images of religious and ethnic minorities, particularly Muslims, is well documented. Since the media are the main sources of information about minority communities for majority groups, negative coverage has a potentially huge impact on inter-community relations in a multicultural and multiethnic Europe. While it remains important to challenge and falsify inaccurate and stereotypical media coverage, there is also a need for new forms of reporting that are sensitive to ambiguity and variation, and thereby promote intercultural understanding. The Islamophonic initiative offers an intriguing approach to such challenges. Show less
In this interview, Akiedah Mohamed, a young female filmmaker from Cape Town, talks about her work and what being a Muslim means to her in the context of her filmmaking. She argues that in spite of... Show moreIn this interview, Akiedah Mohamed, a young female filmmaker from Cape Town, talks about her work and what being a Muslim means to her in the context of her filmmaking. She argues that in spite of all the usual representations to the contrary, the visual media have a potential for humanizing Muslims in the contemporary world. Show less
Supposed anti-evolutionist convictions among Muslim students in Amsterdam have been widely discussed in Dutch media. These discussions are often undergirded by the assumption that religious... Show moreSupposed anti-evolutionist convictions among Muslim students in Amsterdam have been widely discussed in Dutch media. These discussions are often undergirded by the assumption that religious attitudes have concrete socio-political relevance, more specifically, that anti-evolutionism fosters disintegration and radicalism. However, research data show that most Muslim students creatively combine ideas about evolution and faith, thus prompting questions about the stereotypes that surface in public debates on integration in the Netherlands.1 Show less
In the mid 1970s, a film, Uridu Hallan (I Want a Solution), drew attention to the plight of women applying for divorce under Egyptian law. Three decades later, Egyptian women are the first in the... Show moreIn the mid 1970s, a film, Uridu Hallan (I Want a Solution), drew attention to the plight of women applying for divorce under Egyptian law. Three decades later, Egyptian women are the first in the Middle East to have gained the right to unilateral divorce through a procedure called khul‘. Cartoons and two films now depict khul‘ as a law designed mainly for immoral westernized Egyptian women from the upper classes. Show less
Arabian, one of the earliest computer games with a decidedly Oriental setting came out in 1983. Structurally similar to Nintendo’s Donkey Kong (1982), the imaginary Orient permeates Arabian. The... Show moreArabian, one of the earliest computer games with a decidedly Oriental setting came out in 1983. Structurally similar to Nintendo’s Donkey Kong (1982), the imaginary Orient permeates Arabian. The story is told as a “book,” consisting of the various scenarios as “pages.” Its hero, a scimitar-wielding, turbaned prince, fights his way through ships and castles against djinns and rocs, finally rescuing his princess, and the two fly away on a magic carpet. We thus encounter the Orient in Arabian on multiple levels: narrative setting, character design, and even in the game’s technical manual, which is filled with carefully-drawn djinns and other Oriental imagery. Show less
