Notification about short break from writing

Salam All. I pray that you are in the best of health. I have not written an article for just over a month and I shall not be writing one until at least February. What with revision and preparation for exams, i currently don’t have the time to balance out revision with writing. I hope that you all understand and please remember me in your duas.
W/Salam
Alima

The portrayal of Muslims in the media - By Alima Ali

Salam all! I pray that you’re all in the best of health. It is evidently clear that Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion in the West. However, that does not overshadow the negativity that is portrayed by the Media regarding Islam and unfortunately, it is the ignorant and prejudice people that end up portraying the whole of the Muslim community.

It is unfortunate that those around us perceive Islam as being a violent and extreme religion whereby rules are constantly inflicted upon us and thus, results in us hiding away from society. These are more or less opinions rather than facts and this is due to many non-Muslims mistaking culture for religion.

I have lost count at the number of times that i have been asked ‘Were you forced to wear that thing?’ ‘thing’ referring to the hijab/headscarf. There are times where i find it so difficult to not turn around and say ‘Does it look as if i was forced?’ But at the end of the day, i got to remember that despite not knowing it, i am all the while representing the Muslim population and so, i have to be patient and understanding and try my best to explain to them that they should not always believe everything that they see/hear in the media. Unfortunately, it is usually the minority representing the majority and the end result is our religion being branded as being ‘extreme’.

A prime example is the Panorama episode titled ‘Panorama: British schools, Islamic rules’. This was aired a few weeks ago and it sure stirred up some discussion among the Muslim community. To cut it short, they basically ‘researched’ Islam and went about picking out certain things and twisting it so that us Muslims are seen as being the ‘bad guys’. Have a read for yourself and see just how the media have twisted Islamic principles so that in their eyes and in the viewers eyes, Islam is simply a extreme religion which encourages Muslims to single themselves away from society (from people who are from a different religious background) :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/22/bbc-panorama-islamic-schools-antisemitism

You have probably realised that Muslims and media don’t really go hand in hand – we’re like arch enemies and it’s actually quite a shame. If only they really knew us; They would realise that we ain’t half what they make us out to be.

I think that at times, we bring it upon ourselves. An example can be the whole burning the Pakistan flag. Can someone please tell me the purpose of this because till this very day, i haven’t a clue. When non Muslims see Muslims in big groups screaming and burning a flag and throwing shoes then what are they expected to believe? And then you have the controversial stories of the 9/11 and the London Underground bombings which were supposedly carried out by Muslims. Now, we can easily argue this point but you can’t ignore the news headlines about the small number of Muslims who blow themselves up in the name of God. Non-Muslims see such headlines and freak out and become all paranoid and so, generalise the whole of the Muslim population as being a threat.

I’m going to end my article here as i think that you have a rather good idea about the portrayal of Muslims in the media. So this is Salam from me. Until next time, stay safe, remember me in your duas and keep smiling!

Asalamualikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu