Media Portrayal and Its Effects on Public Opinion of Muslim Immigrants in Western Europe

And so it is in Western Europe, though the very nature of the independence and freedom of the media is subject to the cultural norms within which it is embedded. Therefore, those who find themselves labeled or living as “outsiders” in these cultures may not have the same access to unbiased information about the world in which they live, perhaps even lacking the social, economic, or lingual capabilities to participate in public discourse, as do the members of the mainstream culture (4). Thus, perceptions of this subculture (Arabs and Muslims specifically) can be shaped through means which they may not, themselves, have equal access to; namely, the media, the government, religious institutions, and even academia – all arenas of public opinion which are not easily separated when dealing with the perception of cultural conflict (5).
   
Like the Jews who fled Jerusalem after a series of unsuccessful revolts against their Roman rulers in the 2nd Century, C.E. (6), contemporary Muslims are undergoing their very own diaspora – mostly as immigrants in Western European countries, many of which were former colonizers of the Muslim world (7). Many of these Arab and Maghrebin immigrants are, for the most part, socially and economically marginalized in Western European cultures, and are often even sought out as scapegoats – as immigrant populations so often are – during times of economic downturn and high unemployment.  Thus, their participation in the public arena on their own behalf is very limited, leaving a large “blank” to be filled in by the government, the church, academia, and of course the media (8).

It is important to discuss the portrayal of these groups within the larger European population.  How Europeans deal with Muslim (and predominantly Arab) immigrants is largely a product of those afore-mentioned institutions and their effects on public opinion and even law.  The extent to which those immigrants who are the product of such attention have the ability to speak for themselves is limited by a variety of factors, not the least of which is a cultural distancing by “traditional” Europeans (9).

Western Europe has a long and eventful relationship with Islam, often one of hostility (which has flowed in both directions).  Not long after Islam gained its identity as a religion, it began to flex its political and military muscle on the European continent.  Many Western European nations, therefore, have an ancient link with the religion, more often than not, forged through violence (10).
   
Sicily, one of the first Western European lands to be held by Muslim forces, was taken as early as 652 C.E.  Shortly thereafter, in 711 C.E, most of the Iberian Peninsula was to fall under the control of the Muslim Umayyad caliphate, under whose rule the region would eventually achieve a Muslim majority by as early as the 10th Century C.E (11). The Iberian lands of Muslim rulers would remain a cosmopolitan region, home to Muslims, Jews, and Christians until the reconquista of 1492 (12) It was during this time that Muslim culture introduced Western Europe to algebra and Moorish architecture, while also reintroducing the Europeans to Greek philosophy (13).
   
Despite its various contributions to the culture of Western Europe (many of which lead to the Renaissance), the relationship between Islam and Western Europe has often been one of unease (14). As Soumaya Ghannoushi has written in London’s The Guardian, “In medieval times, Latin Europe referred to its Muslim neighbours with a mixture of racial and religious terms:  Saracens, Hagarenes, Arabs, Muhammadans and Turks” (15).

The modern experience of Islam and Western Europe “is a story of immigration,” according to Le Quesne (16). Many Western European nations, at one time, held colonies in the Muslim world.  During the years following World War II, nations such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany “turned to their former colonies...to fill their manpower shortages” (17). Countries such as the Netherlands and Italy also had direct experience with Muslim populations through immigration from their own colonial possessions – though certainly to a lesser extent than France and the United Kingdom (18).
   
Recent figures estimate that the current population of Muslims living in Western Europe (including Scandinavia) is in excess of 13 million.  Many nations have significant percentages of their total populations comprised of Muslims. 
   
France has around 5 million Muslims, or approximately 8-10% of its population (making Islam France’s second largest religion by population, though it should be noted that official demographic statistics regarding religion are not collected in France, in accordance with laws reflecting its republican heritage of liberté, égalité, fraternité) (19).    

Germany has around 3.2 million, while the United Kingdom has a considerable population of almost 2 million Muslims.  Italy is the only other Western European nation to have at least 1 million Muslims, though the Netherlands has around 800,000 Muslims. Additionally, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden all have populations of over 130,000 Muslims each (20).
   
The extent to which these immigrant populations of Muslims are integrated in their respective countries is a product of each nation’s governmental policies, including immigration and naturalization, as well as their acceptance and visibility within the areas where they live.  More often than not, however, Muslim populations tend to center around a few large cities or districts within those cities (21). Addressing the issues that Muslim immigrants face concerning integration into Western European cultures, Roger Scruton puts it best:
   

Public portrayal – and therefore public opinion – of Muslims takes many forms in Western Europe.  This depiction can range from the slightly “Eurocentric” views of “Orientalist” scholars (23), to the openly-hostile popularization “of a neo-racist discourse” within European media (24). What has become clear, unfortunately, is the predominantly negative nature of the portrayal of Muslims in the European media.
   
According to a survey published by the British Broadcasting Corporation less than two years ago, most Western Europeans believe that “Muslim people ‘have an aggrieved view of the West’.”  Furthermore, the study found that “about eight in 10 people in both Spain and Germany associate Islam with fanaticism,” while about half of those people surveyed in France and the United Kingdom made the mental connection between Islam and fanaticism (25). Similarly, citizens of Denmark feel “Islam is ‘incompatible’ with democracy,” as European media focus on the “widespread anti-immigration sentiment within the EU” (26).

The recurring theme within European media is that Muslims and Islam itself are concerns for Europeans.  Even the theme of academic rhetoric that is reflected in the media often focuses on the thesis of the “Bad Muslim” (27). A German political scientist, Dr. Bassam Tibi (who, it should be noted, is a Muslim himself) has received extensive media attention in Western Europe for his dire warnings against “The standard line...that extremism has been exaggerated, the media are to blame...[and] that Muslims have been unfairly targeted.”  His alarmist stance often plays to the sentiments of the mainstream media and its audiences in Western Europe (28).

While the majority depiction of Islam and Muslims in European media is one of misunderstanding and – at times – contempt, there are those in the media who strive to portray their rich cultural heritage and diversity, their contemporary lifestyles, and the “untold good news story about Muslims,” in general (29). Thus, an alternative viewpoint and representation of Islam and Muslims in Western Europe is conveyed, albeit a minority opinion in the media.

Nonetheless, Muslims living in Western Europe now have alternatives to mainstream European media to which they now have access thanks to technology and demand.  Arabic newspapers, satellite television services, and web pages are all readily available to Muslims living in Western Europe – at times, to the chagrin of European governments to whom these alternative media sources sometimes “run afoul” (30).

What, then, does the future hold for the portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the media of Western Europe?  One could argue that despite the mainstream media’s overwhelmingly biased depictions, these populations have managed to seek out and find alternative sources, thus providing them with their own sources of information.  However, this “separate but equal” mindset is detrimental to the rights of those affected by the negative media focus.  What must be addressed is the bias within the mainstream Western European media.  Otherwise, public opinion will continue to reflect this (31).

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