Two South African journalists, Nurah Tape and Iman Rappetti, moot the problems of Islamophobic stereotyping and gender discrimination for Muslim women in the media, and suggest ways forward. Prepared for IHRC to present at the NGO Forum at the Fourth World Conference Against Racism in South Africa in August 2001, Tape and Rappetti discuss how journalism in Westernised media is failing to uphold its own standards.
“… what happens to the journalist’s or particularly, the editor’s role “to research, and diffuse every piece of information that he considers of public interest in observance of truth and with a wide accuracy of it”?
“The responsibility does not only rest on the shoulders of the journalist, but more importantly; the editor – who ultimately decides what is fed to the public.”
Download the report here.
The article discusses the role of journalists and their responsibility to disseminate information accurately and in the public interest. However, when it comes to issues related to Islam and women in Islam, there is often a distortion of information. The article argues that Islam promotes gender equality and that there is no superiority of one sex over the other. The article also notes that women in the West are realizing that success in a male-dominated world does not involve becoming more like men, but rather valuing and utilizing their caring and nurturing skills.
