Pustaka Ilmiah Universitas Padjadjaran

Abstrak

Islam, the West and the Media: A Discussion

Following the September 11 attacks, the debate about Islam and Muslims generally was politicised because of the media’s framing of the event that suggested a ‘clash of civilisations’ between Islam and the West. The term ‘Islam’ that we are using today, argues Said (1997, p. x), is not one simple thing. He asserts that ‘Islam’ is in fact a mixture of fiction, ideological label, and religion. Muslims are indeed perceived by Islam as one source of identity with a sense of loyalty that every so often is stronger than their sense of nationalism (Saunders, 2008, p. 304). In the same way, Mandaville (2001, p. 170) posits that the construction of group identity is essentially a sociopolitical process in which continuous dialogue, negotiation, and deliberation on ‘who we are’ and more importantly what it means to be ‘who we are’ are constantly involved. Such attitude, as Saunders continues, is evidence that Muslims are embracing Islam as their political identity.