The Muslim media and Muslims in the West

Submitted by David Matthews (Canada), Jan 21, 2006 at 15:48

One major issue that Dan touches on is the Islamic propaganda that Muslims in the West are bombarded with. Many Muslim immigrants derive most of their news not from the Western media, but from news sources from their country of origin and from local Muslim sources. There is very little critical or progressive discussion in the Muslim media. The news is dominated by stories in which Israel, the West, Jews, and other non-Muslims are depicted as oppressing fellow Muslims. There are no stories of Muslim acts of aggression against non-Muslims. And there is no criticism of the Muslim way of life, such as the harsh treatment of women.

Sadly, Muslims living in the West do not seem to acknowledge the fact that they benefit from equality and freedom which is denied to non-Muslims and women in the Muslim world. The problem is even more transparent among well-educated Muslims who have become apologists for intolerance.

The isolation and lack of progressive voices in the Muslim communities in the West is helping to segregate them from the mainstream. Increasingly, Muslims are blaming their own host countries for any perceived problems that they or their fellow Muslims back in their native homes face. In the near future, we can expect Islamic fundamentalism to be a major problem in countries such as the US and Canada, in addition to countries such as England and other European nations where insular Muslim communities are already clashing with their neighbors.

David

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