Canadian Race Relations Foundation

This journal article highlights the misconceptions and stereotypes present in the mass media about Islam and Muslims. It argues that Muslims are portrayed as living in a world closed to technology, development and thought, where religion controls every facet of the Muslim conscious. It also brings attention to the fact that Western Mass Media perpetuates false stereotypes of Muslim people, assuming that all Muslims are militant and fundamentalists. The article begins with a historical background of the development of these stereotypes, followed by descriptions of methods used to perpetuate the stereotypes. These include the selective use of words to describe Muslims, such as terrorists and extremists, and the inadequate representation of Muslim people in Western Mass Media.