Media framing of the Muslim world : conflicts, crises and contexts /

Rane (Islamic studies, Griffith Univ., Australia), Ewart (Griffith Univ.), and Martinkus (Univ. of Tasmania) provide an overview of existing scholarly work on the representation of Islam and Muslims in Western societies, original accounts of being a Western journalist covering the second war in Iraq, and analyses of media coverage in Australia. Beginning with a historical review, the book focuses on scholarship on current media depictions of Muslims. A number of different areas are covered, including how media covers asylum seekers, terrorism suspects, and uprisings in the Middle East. Martinkus's first-person description of journalism in the midst of the second war in Iraq offers personal insights. Some readers might like more on the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the case studies of Australian media and public opinion. Others may question the use of "a clash of civilizations" to structure an otherwise very interesting chapter on freedom of expression and religious sensitivities. Overall, the book will be helpful for students of international political communication, terrorism, or images of Islam. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals. --Laura J. Roselle, Elon University