Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Andrew I. Thompson - From Tragedy To Policy: Representations Of Muslims And Islam In U.S. Mainstream Media, Andrew I. Thompson

Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program 2013

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11^th came a flood of criticism of Islam and Muslims in the U.S. media. Many saw Islam as the root cause of the attacks, but failed to assess the political or social issues in the Middle East, or even the United States’ role in the region. An example of this is the New York Times’ section that ran immediately after the attacks entitled ‘A Nation Challenged,’ which included titles such as: “Yes, this is about Islam,” “This is a religious war,” “Barbarians at the gate,” and “The one true faith.” This project …