I admittedly got a pretty crappy mark in this - I apparently didn't answer the question properly. Nevertheless, I find the image and state of Islam in society really interesting, especially when it is compared to something such as Christianity. There are so many people in my opinion that have no clue what Islam is - and have a notion that it is some terrible violent religion. While I don't believe in many of their practices, the religion is not all that different from Christianity - which raises some rather interesting questions as to whether the religion has indeed been framed in the media to be seen a certain way. Read with an open mind, I guess.
While the religion Islam has been around for centuries, only recently has it come under major attack and scrutiny since the September 11 World Trade Center bombings in 2001, where the seemingly immediate threat of Islamic fanaticism destroyed much of America’s morale and questioned America’s sense of power, defense and position on the global stage. Threatened by the emerging threat and danger of the terrorists, America began its “War on Terror”, resulting in an ever present issue on Islamic fanatics. The issue of whether Islamic militancy is a major threat to global security is difficult to address though, as there are so many different opinions and contexts relating to the issue. While Islamic militancy is considered a large global threat to the world today it is also questionable as to the extent of its reach as well as America’s influence and agenda on the issue – which is now largely questioned by the majority public opinion.
Islam is not surprisingly a very misunderstood religion which has often been sensationalized and attacked from all sides of the media. As a result, a majority of the public is ignorant to significant facts about Islam and its beliefs, and instead holds prejudiced views based on media reports and threats/violence by fanatics broadcasted through media networks (Fawaz A. G., 1997 pp.4-5). Stereotypes aside, “…the word Islamic…refers to the principles of the religion, not its adherents…,” (Janairo, M, 2007), though the word is often related to ‘terrorism’. Terrorism is a controversial issue today – it being emphasized constantly by the media. Islam is considered to be a religion with a political ideology (Bin Sayid, K 1995 pp. 136) – a religion which persuades its followers to fight for Islam for the cause of God (Nigosian, S.A. 1987 pp.169-171). This fact is definitely seen as a threatening prospect to the western world – especially in America where “freedom” is a word constantly thrown around in the media. To understand the extent of the threat of Islamic militancy though, it is useful to first look at America’s foreign policy before and after 9-11, and its influence in the representation of Islam through the media.
America’s foreign policy before the September attacks shows President Bush’s efforts to distinguish America from the rest of the world – with an emphasis on controversial national defense by use of missiles and withdrawal from international treaties (Bennis, P 2001). Only briefly was terrorism touched - individual fanaticism was not even considered. The post-9/11 views of the American public also signify the ignorance to which most of America had lived in before the attacks. The massive shock that something as large scale could happen to America suggests America’s primacy during the period before 9-11 was largely unquestionable, and that they lived in a relatively insulated country with seemingly insignificant threats from abroad (Bennis, P 2001). As a result from this idea that America was untouchable by the rest of the world, the support for the war on terror was initially backed by the majority of the American population. With the public quick to look for someone to blame, it was only a matter of time before the US government pointed the finger at Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda (linked to Islam). As Clemens states, “Terrorism is terrifying because it has no face…they find solace in seeing a “scapegoat,”” (Clemens, J 2004 pp. 89). There is indication though of the possibility of the media sanitizing the destruction happening in Iraq and Afghanistan – making the war impersonal and “easier” to handle for the public while conveniently placing the blame on Islam. The Iraqis are now often presented as “… “faceless” because that’s how America and the media wanted to portray them...” (Kaposi, S 2005 pp. 25-28) Media representation of Islam is a very important issue when looking at the Islamic militancy threat, as the media is often used to blame Islam with terrorism, often without investigating further (Abrahamian, E, 2002 pp. 1-2). Horgan also looks at terrorism as an issue that is now “misinformed and…incomplete,” where the root of terrorism is actually psychological, and not based on military threats. (Horgan, J 2005, pp. ix-xi) At present Islamic radicals is still considered a top priority when it comes to global security, but the extent of the danger is questionable when the America’s agenda is looked at in the same perspective.
It is often assumed today that Islam is a violent religion, and that it advocates violence in the Q’uran. The Q’uran is the holy scripture of Islam and is literally taken as the word of God. There are many interpretations of various quotes from the book and radical fundamentalists have often taken quotes literally from the Q’uran to justify terrorist attacks, but it is only a minority of Islam that take the holy war seriously enough to use weapons. Islam is now a very divided and confusing religion, with many different sects and differing interpretations of the Q’uran. According to Kaposi though, religion is irrelevant. Islam is so misunderstood and misrepresented by the media that it is often hard to judge the actions of the Islamists or America’s actions in response. “While it is understandable to condemn [terrorist attacks]…it merely plays into the hands of the western government/media that supports western imperialism…” (Kaposi, S 2005, pp. 28). While terrorism is perceived as being a major threat to democracy and freedom, America’s actions itself in the war on terror (in Iraq/Afghanistan particularly) are also clearly not justifiable. The media is a significant actor in world politics, and is one of the most powerful forms of communications to the public (Craig, G 2004, p. 36). While religion may have a part to play in terrorism, but the portrayal of Islam in the media is also an important factor to consider.
Bin Sayid states “the response of fundamentalists is to keep emphasizing certain vital Islamic values and principles…”, and while this may be seen as ‘terrorism’ by the media, it is also possible that certain incidents are made in retaliation to the invasion and take over of the Middle East by the coalition forces: by Muslims who are defending their culture and customs. The Pew Research Center’s survey in 2004 emphasizes the conflicting beliefs in the Middle East and the West on the war on terror (The Pew Research Center 2004), and it also clearly shows that most people from the Muslim nations thought the war on terror was not led on good intentions by America (the main cause brought up being control of oil or expansion); though most were tolerant of Western customs. People are also realizing the Islamic population is being forced into a position of passivity by America which is probably why the resentment against westerners and Americans is so high. Other countries across the globe are also starting to recognize the weakening stance on the war on terror by America, and support in Iraq from nations around the world is waning. While there is no doubt Islamic radicals pose some threat to security, it is also becoming fairly obvious there is a majority opinion America has its own interests in the Middle East aside from the war on terror.
Overall it is very difficult to measure the extent to which Islamic militancy is a threat to the world, as there are so many different contexts and beliefs surrounding the issue, as well as a variety of mixed messages by the media. America’s influence and lead role in the war on terror has played a huge factor in the stereotypes produced today about Islam though – this is clearly seen through the media and propaganda backing their stance against Islam. As Kaposi states, “the real question is not whether violence is justified, but who is committing the violence.” Islamic militancy may be a part of the global threat today, but some might even see America as the leading military threat to the world. Religious fanaticism will most probably not die down in the near future but with the clash of cultures and the friction continually created in Iraq, there will no doubt be the threat for a long time to come as long as the war on terror continues.
References:
Notes: The War on Terror was declared on September 12th 2001, but officially started when the US began air strikes against the Taliban. (BBC on this day 2001)
The holy war is sometimes referred to as the jihad, or sixth pillar of faith in the Islam religion.