WaPo and CNN offering decent coverage , but i also like the UK's Times Online coverage here.
For me, the best two sources to follow for real time information and analysis are iran.twazzup.com, probaly the best aggregator of tweets alongside other coverage, and Enduring America's continuing live blog work. Twazzup is a great real-time portal of sources and info, while EA provides a little more context and narrative. Between these two, you should have most of your immediate info needs and feeds covered.
Interesting to note how mainstream media, as posted in the first graf, still isn't up to that specialized kind of task and coverage that EA and Twazzup offer. MSM does have its place, especially if youre not up to speed on what's going on, but the first two sources I'm checking are twazzup and EA -- over and above any MSM, the value of which, for me at least, continues to erode in a news event like this.
ASLANmedia Is also compiling good info with tweets and retweets, and Manic77 is also tweeting again, mostly in Farsi.
onlymehdi is uploading a lot of YouTube videos from the ground, including this one tweeted just about an hour ago:
Several of his earlier in the day show the scope and scale of what's going on:
Hope the bookmarks help for those interested. Meanwhile, I'm watching, praying and supporting.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Coverage in Iran
Among other tidbits from EA and elsewhere:
Reuters India reports Iran bans leading reformist daily , ostensibly for not covering pro-govt rallies last week, but interestingly timed to be enforced today as coverage tightens surrounding clashes after the Montezari funeral.
News On News reports that BBC Persian television is continuing to broadcast into Iran despite attempts to jam the station's signal.
From EA, at 1125 GMT: Top story on BBC website is "Clashes reported at funeral of Iranian dissident cleric". In contrast, CNN has not updated its article to mention today’s funeral, let alone consider its significance.
I just checked this again myself and it's still true: check out the BBC home page vs CNN .
Reuters India reports Iran bans leading reformist daily , ostensibly for not covering pro-govt rallies last week, but interestingly timed to be enforced today as coverage tightens surrounding clashes after the Montezari funeral.
News On News reports that BBC Persian television is continuing to broadcast into Iran despite attempts to jam the station's signal.
From EA, at 1125 GMT: Top story on BBC website is "Clashes reported at funeral of Iranian dissident cleric". In contrast, CNN has not updated its article to mention today’s funeral, let alone consider its significance.
I just checked this again myself and it's still true: check out the BBC home page vs CNN .
Following Events In Iran
Events are unfolding in Iran as we speak.
Here are some tweets and sites to follow from Iran right now, during and the days following the funeral of opposition cleric Montazeri. Foreign press access to Qum, where the funeral is being held, is being denied.
Reports are getting out, however:
Scott Lucas of Enduring America is aggregating a good number of sources and live reports here on his site and tweeting or retweeting here. He's manually following as much live, up-to-minute information as possible.
Manic77 is tweeting from the scene right now ("Clashes between group of protesters and few 100s basiji. Greens try to keep it calm ask police for help" posted just moments ago); follow him at twitter.com/manic77.
The Tehran Bureau page at WGBH is providing a compendium of independent media coverage on their Press Reports on Montazeri page.
also see twitter.com/IranRiggedElect and twitter.com/IranNewsNow, and also the latter's web site at irannewsnow.com/.
If you know of other coverage, sources, tweets, please share here.
Here are some tweets and sites to follow from Iran right now, during and the days following the funeral of opposition cleric Montazeri. Foreign press access to Qum, where the funeral is being held, is being denied.
Reports are getting out, however:
Scott Lucas of Enduring America is aggregating a good number of sources and live reports here on his site and tweeting or retweeting here. He's manually following as much live, up-to-minute information as possible.
Manic77 is tweeting from the scene right now ("Clashes between group of protesters and few 100s basiji. Greens try to keep it calm ask police for help" posted just moments ago); follow him at twitter.com/manic77.
The Tehran Bureau page at WGBH is providing a compendium of independent media coverage on their Press Reports on Montazeri page.
also see twitter.com/IranRiggedElect and twitter.com/IranNewsNow, and also the latter's web site at irannewsnow.com/.
If you know of other coverage, sources, tweets, please share here.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Muslims In American Politics
A nice little overview in altmuslim.com on Muslims in American politics and civic engagement: altmuslim - Elected Muslims: Hard work and an easy smile.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, pt. 2 -- Understanding The Media
Let's look at how media outlets function, and why the Islamosphere to date doesn't mesh as well as it could with how a news operation works and what it seeks.
How Media Works
News coverage stems from covering urgent breaking news, ongoing city or state developments, responding to tips or actively seeking local interesting stories.
In the morning news meeting, the assignment desk editor briefs the staff on any local goings-on (the mayor is having a press conference, a city councilor sent out an email, the school superintendent is holding a board meeting, etc). The assignment editor gets this information usually from press releases sent out by organizations or offices.
Reporters then go around the table and pitch their story ideas, either from their own sources, new e-mails or calls they've received, or else their perusal of local area blogs or other news outlets.
From all of that input, news directors and producers decide what stories get prioritized. It's a matter of trying to fit resources; there are only so many reporters and photographers to go around on any given day and news stories may be spread out over a far distance, or may occur to close together to gather (if there are 2 pressers and an opening ceremony all at 3 p.m., something probably has to give).
What makes the cut is decided on deployment of those resources, what might be of paramount interest to viewers, and often -- most importantly -- if there's a way to personalize it, to have some emotional glue, to make a story of it rather than just chronicling a news event. A good newsroom tries to avoid having only 'official sound' whenever possible; it should be balanced by a personal story or reaction, how some new measure by the mayor or city government affects an individual, a personalized account of its impact.
"Why should I care" is a question often asked back to reporters at the meeting, to make them search for and articulate that connective angle.
In a breaking news scenario, the general m.o. is to gather facts first, then personal impact and official reaction (or vice versa, depending on who's saying what when). If its an intriguing personal story that got pitched -- via email, noticed on a blog or other source -- then the reporter will confirm the facts via another source or subject involved in the story, and may look for other 'official sound' if needed (such as in consumer complaints stories, the reporter will go to the company involved in the alleged problem).
But notice in either case the importance of the human dimension, the personal story. Notice also how this meshes with the side benefits of the activities advocated in the earlier post: that by raising the civic presence and activity, you're also helping create a bank of small, alternative Muslim stories, alternative experiences of Muslims.
It's another grassroots-level blogging point that one can engage here: if you're a Muslim blogger starting to write on civic issues, don't be afraid at some point to chronicle those stories of Muslim civic engagement.
I must emphasize that this is in no way to be construed that civic duty should carry an ulterior motive. Just be aware that demystifying yourself to your community, showing in action that you genuinely care about and are willing to work for your civic betterment, may have a ripple effect beyond the all-important human-to-human connection that's so paramount to build right now.
It varies from newsroom to newsroom and reporter to reporter, but the blogosphere is probably lower on the list of sources when you're assembling info or looking for stories, but there are ways you can move that up the chain -- by either demonstrating you have an interesting personal story yourself (or becoming aware of another one you can pitch), and/or being known as a particular credentialed voice.
Muslims And The Media
But do most Muslims really want to be that kind of long-term voice? Sadly, no, and it's my belief that this mindset must change.
(I'm reprising and expanding here some sections of an earlier post, because I think they bear repeating in this context).
There is an extreme reticence among Muslim leaders to develop a lasting relationship with the press.
in a post following up on Ft. Hood on TAM, Sheila Musaji wrote :
It's a sentiment I genuinely respect, understand, and often feel as well; but keeping a larger endgame in view of bridge-building to a wider circle could help Muslim voices to push beyond this reaction.
Assaf articulates the uneasy relationship most Muslim voices have with the media:
From a media point of view, our isolationism has sent a very mixed message, the outcome of which can be seen in media reluctance to view us as citizens. And while it may seem unfair that we're not randomly called upon to share our civic views, our reluctance to participate as citizens means we have more work to do to overcome that perception. To establish a genuine civic concern and presence by Muslims and to increase the visibility of that presence can only by accomplished by deed.
The Muslim community has the ability and the power to reclaim and reset its identity (whether we have the will and inclination to overcome our isolationism and do good works for our cities and neighbors is another question, but I'm genuinely optimistic). Of course, there are tremendous semiotic and iconic obstacles to overcome, and building community relationships is a long-term process, but it is entirely within our grasp to stop playing the 'victim of media' card, set the example, create the alternative story, realign the perception.
Assaf offers several powerful observations throughout his post, yet in his closing paragraph he makes an elegant point then immediately destroys any hope of outreach to get his views disseminated:
Interestingly, in another version of his article on NJ voices, the comments seem to bear out some of these observations, and I'm encouraged that some non-Muslims are seeking a more accessible Muslim media presence to turn to and are also noticing the lack of it. This marks an important point about identifying needs and responding to them that I'll return to later.
If I'm a reporter or an assignment desk editor, I need someone or some group who's willing to work with me. Who else can I call, who else is on the list? Where can I go to get a sense of the Muslim pulse? (another need).
The problem doesn't lie just with the Muslim ummah, of course. The media does bear some role to play in the equation, but unless you're an obviously partisan outlet or just inexperienced, you're not going to deliberately set out to paint an "all Muslims are evil" or a singular Muslim viewpoint. The problem is, with a very limited range of alternative and/or local Muslim experiences to draw from, media coverage options are limited. When they are found, they're often not very satisfactory (the failure of strong, resonating messages from Muslim institutions is another need I'll address).
Compounding the problem for Islam and the media is that Islam is not structured in a denominational sense. This is very hard for western media to work around. We don't ask one Christian to represent all Christians, because you can ask a Baptist or Protestant or Catholic or 7th-Day Adventist or Pentecostal or Evangelical or Quaker or Mormon for their take. The granularity of that denominational diversity gives a newsroom some readily identifiable, "go-to" starting points to get answers and specific viewpoints from any particular group.
Even a cursory sample of comments on posts throughout the Islamosphere reveals how diverse (or divided) the range of thought within the Muslim ummah is. That the level of discourse within the ummah isn't always respectful is significant point to ponder: we can't very well preach that "Islam is a tolerant religion" when we don't often respectfully tolerate differing views amongst ourselves. Another significantly mixed message.
From a newsroom standpoint, the relative lack of Islam's denominational structure makes the range of Islam seem more unified than it really is. It's very hard at a quick glance to even be aware of that diversity, let alone identify and isolate and understand it, or contact a spectrum of various representatives. Our tendency toward isolationism reinforces this problem, as do the messages we send out from a gut-level response when we feel on the defensive: "Islam is a religion of peace!" we decry, the subtext of which presents an apparent sense of unity that doesn't in reality exist and forces us to later apologize for and/or begrudgingly admit that yes, there are fringe elements that aren't adhering to central Islamic values.
A little bit of proactive education from Muslim bloggers and institutions could help here: we need to come clean at the outset in our blogs and statements to Western media about the level of diversity and debate within the Muslim ummah, and in some succinct objective fashion explain the diversity of thought and discourse. This is a challenge to do while trying to remain objective about your own particular position in that spectrum -- and in any materials sent out, you need to disclose where you fit -- but it's a necessary undertaking. Mosques and institutions should prepare such materials and periodically hold a media outreach day. Such events would be welcomed by media outlets, as it goes a long way to meeting their need for clear, accessible information and context.
More on messages and addressing media needs in the next post.
Next: Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, Pt. 3 - How Muslim Organizations Fail With Media
How Media Works
News coverage stems from covering urgent breaking news, ongoing city or state developments, responding to tips or actively seeking local interesting stories.
In the morning news meeting, the assignment desk editor briefs the staff on any local goings-on (the mayor is having a press conference, a city councilor sent out an email, the school superintendent is holding a board meeting, etc). The assignment editor gets this information usually from press releases sent out by organizations or offices.
Reporters then go around the table and pitch their story ideas, either from their own sources, new e-mails or calls they've received, or else their perusal of local area blogs or other news outlets.
From all of that input, news directors and producers decide what stories get prioritized. It's a matter of trying to fit resources; there are only so many reporters and photographers to go around on any given day and news stories may be spread out over a far distance, or may occur to close together to gather (if there are 2 pressers and an opening ceremony all at 3 p.m., something probably has to give).
What makes the cut is decided on deployment of those resources, what might be of paramount interest to viewers, and often -- most importantly -- if there's a way to personalize it, to have some emotional glue, to make a story of it rather than just chronicling a news event. A good newsroom tries to avoid having only 'official sound' whenever possible; it should be balanced by a personal story or reaction, how some new measure by the mayor or city government affects an individual, a personalized account of its impact.
"Why should I care" is a question often asked back to reporters at the meeting, to make them search for and articulate that connective angle.
In a breaking news scenario, the general m.o. is to gather facts first, then personal impact and official reaction (or vice versa, depending on who's saying what when). If its an intriguing personal story that got pitched -- via email, noticed on a blog or other source -- then the reporter will confirm the facts via another source or subject involved in the story, and may look for other 'official sound' if needed (such as in consumer complaints stories, the reporter will go to the company involved in the alleged problem).
But notice in either case the importance of the human dimension, the personal story. Notice also how this meshes with the side benefits of the activities advocated in the earlier post: that by raising the civic presence and activity, you're also helping create a bank of small, alternative Muslim stories, alternative experiences of Muslims.
It's another grassroots-level blogging point that one can engage here: if you're a Muslim blogger starting to write on civic issues, don't be afraid at some point to chronicle those stories of Muslim civic engagement.
I must emphasize that this is in no way to be construed that civic duty should carry an ulterior motive. Just be aware that demystifying yourself to your community, showing in action that you genuinely care about and are willing to work for your civic betterment, may have a ripple effect beyond the all-important human-to-human connection that's so paramount to build right now.
It varies from newsroom to newsroom and reporter to reporter, but the blogosphere is probably lower on the list of sources when you're assembling info or looking for stories, but there are ways you can move that up the chain -- by either demonstrating you have an interesting personal story yourself (or becoming aware of another one you can pitch), and/or being known as a particular credentialed voice.
Muslims And The Media
But do most Muslims really want to be that kind of long-term voice? Sadly, no, and it's my belief that this mindset must change.
(I'm reprising and expanding here some sections of an earlier post, because I think they bear repeating in this context).
There is an extreme reticence among Muslim leaders to develop a lasting relationship with the press.
in a post following up on Ft. Hood on TAM, Sheila Musaji wrote :
In the meantime, I cringe every time someone asks me to explain why Maj. Hasan or any other Muslim criminal has committed some reprehensible act. I don't know why. ... Actually, I am amazed that intelligent people could possibly believe that it makes sense to ask any random Muslim to explain the actions of any one of the other 1.5 billion Muslims on earth, as if we are connected to each other like the Borg.Dr. Aref Assaf, president of the American Arab Forum, expressed similar sentiments (among some otherwise excellent points) in his article "Please Do Not Call Me! Being an American Muslim when tragedy strikes": "I'm utterly hurt and profoundly burdened by implications and the frequency of these questions from media outlets whenever some lunatic Muslim decides to commit a random act of violence," he writes.
It's a sentiment I genuinely respect, understand, and often feel as well; but keeping a larger endgame in view of bridge-building to a wider circle could help Muslim voices to push beyond this reaction.
Assaf articulates the uneasy relationship most Muslim voices have with the media:
I recall while talking to an editor of a large NJ paper, I wondered if my name was on their reporters' hot list of people to call only whenever Muslim kill or bomb something around the world. I pleadingly, asked if he would ever consider calling me to comment on such trivial issues as my views on school choice, on my ever rising property taxes, on traffic hurdles. He almost innocently admitted that he has been so conditioned to think of me only as an Arab and a Muslim, not as a concerned and a taxpaying citizen who also worries about the environment, white collar crime, and political corruption.But, as in any relationship, Muslims have to own their part -- and the kind of personal civic activity I've advocated in the previous post and this one can help immeasurably to overcome the singular view of Muslims by the media. But it takes work: Dr. Assaf's wish to be called on other civic issues won't come true unless Muslims overcome their separatist stance and demonstrate that such concerns are germane to Muslims as well. We can't have it both ways.
From a media point of view, our isolationism has sent a very mixed message, the outcome of which can be seen in media reluctance to view us as citizens. And while it may seem unfair that we're not randomly called upon to share our civic views, our reluctance to participate as citizens means we have more work to do to overcome that perception. To establish a genuine civic concern and presence by Muslims and to increase the visibility of that presence can only by accomplished by deed.
The Muslim community has the ability and the power to reclaim and reset its identity (whether we have the will and inclination to overcome our isolationism and do good works for our cities and neighbors is another question, but I'm genuinely optimistic). Of course, there are tremendous semiotic and iconic obstacles to overcome, and building community relationships is a long-term process, but it is entirely within our grasp to stop playing the 'victim of media' card, set the example, create the alternative story, realign the perception.
Assaf offers several powerful observations throughout his post, yet in his closing paragraph he makes an elegant point then immediately destroys any hope of outreach to get his views disseminated:
We should honestly worry about what makes any citizen hate his country so intensely that he is ready to waste his life to express his anger? Till then, please do not call me. For, like you, I have not the answer.This sends an ultimate mixed message, almost passive-aggressive in light of his previous request to be called on for community issues. If I worked in the newsroom and read such a statement, you can be damn sure I'll take his request and not call him -- ever again, on any issue, Muslim or not.
Interestingly, in another version of his article on NJ voices, the comments seem to bear out some of these observations, and I'm encouraged that some non-Muslims are seeking a more accessible Muslim media presence to turn to and are also noticing the lack of it. This marks an important point about identifying needs and responding to them that I'll return to later.
If I'm a reporter or an assignment desk editor, I need someone or some group who's willing to work with me. Who else can I call, who else is on the list? Where can I go to get a sense of the Muslim pulse? (another need).
The problem doesn't lie just with the Muslim ummah, of course. The media does bear some role to play in the equation, but unless you're an obviously partisan outlet or just inexperienced, you're not going to deliberately set out to paint an "all Muslims are evil" or a singular Muslim viewpoint. The problem is, with a very limited range of alternative and/or local Muslim experiences to draw from, media coverage options are limited. When they are found, they're often not very satisfactory (the failure of strong, resonating messages from Muslim institutions is another need I'll address).
Compounding the problem for Islam and the media is that Islam is not structured in a denominational sense. This is very hard for western media to work around. We don't ask one Christian to represent all Christians, because you can ask a Baptist or Protestant or Catholic or 7th-Day Adventist or Pentecostal or Evangelical or Quaker or Mormon for their take. The granularity of that denominational diversity gives a newsroom some readily identifiable, "go-to" starting points to get answers and specific viewpoints from any particular group.
Even a cursory sample of comments on posts throughout the Islamosphere reveals how diverse (or divided) the range of thought within the Muslim ummah is. That the level of discourse within the ummah isn't always respectful is significant point to ponder: we can't very well preach that "Islam is a tolerant religion" when we don't often respectfully tolerate differing views amongst ourselves. Another significantly mixed message.
From a newsroom standpoint, the relative lack of Islam's denominational structure makes the range of Islam seem more unified than it really is. It's very hard at a quick glance to even be aware of that diversity, let alone identify and isolate and understand it, or contact a spectrum of various representatives. Our tendency toward isolationism reinforces this problem, as do the messages we send out from a gut-level response when we feel on the defensive: "Islam is a religion of peace!" we decry, the subtext of which presents an apparent sense of unity that doesn't in reality exist and forces us to later apologize for and/or begrudgingly admit that yes, there are fringe elements that aren't adhering to central Islamic values.
A little bit of proactive education from Muslim bloggers and institutions could help here: we need to come clean at the outset in our blogs and statements to Western media about the level of diversity and debate within the Muslim ummah, and in some succinct objective fashion explain the diversity of thought and discourse. This is a challenge to do while trying to remain objective about your own particular position in that spectrum -- and in any materials sent out, you need to disclose where you fit -- but it's a necessary undertaking. Mosques and institutions should prepare such materials and periodically hold a media outreach day. Such events would be welcomed by media outlets, as it goes a long way to meeting their need for clear, accessible information and context.
More on messages and addressing media needs in the next post.
Next: Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, Pt. 3 - How Muslim Organizations Fail With Media
Monday, December 07, 2009
UNM Revamps Journalism Curriculum
Found this through a retweet at the station's Twitter, and I was intrigued: UNM's Department of Communication and Journalism is going to revise its curriculum, effective Fall 2010, "from separate print and broadcast concentrations to a combined multimedia journalism concentration." Was curious to the details -- as thinking about how journalism is taught these days is also big topic on this blog -- but the links to their pages describing details give error messages at the moment. I'll check back.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, pt. 1 - Be A Citizen
A lot of talk in the Islamosphere centers around the perception of Muslims by non-Muslims and by the media. "The media portrays us all as terrorists, they only cover Islamic terrorist attacks. We're all tainted by association, because public perception is twisted by media portrayal," the argument goes.
But this sentiment only examines the symptoms. It's my view that the behavior of the Muslim ummah itself is a significant contributor to the underlying cause. It's long past time to acknowledge our own culpability, in both action and inaction, in how we are perceived and portrayed. Fortunately, by taking responsibility for our own role in how we are perceived, we also empower ourselves to take ownership of it, reclaim it, change it.
In the following series of posts, I'm going to explore this: our failure of engagement from the grassroots level to established Muslim organizations, how media works, how and why our media messages fail, and improving civic and media relations (the two go hand in hand).
But I'll also look at remedies: writing more effective press releases, focusing and controlling one's message, ways to leverage new media and social networking tools, developing a sensitivity and attention to the comments of non-Muslims who seek to genuinely engage with us, the importance of overcoming the Muslim reticence to cultivate long-term, healthy relationships with local and national media outlets, and grassroots tips.
I'll start at the grassroots level and build upwards and outwards.
Underneath everything else, the root of Muslim culpability in how it is perceived and portrayed is the ummah's powerful inclination towards isolation and separatism. This pervades everything in the chain from grassroots on up, and needs to be kept uppermost in mind as we explore solutions throughout the chain of communications and relationships with those outside the Muslim ummah. We have been separatist and isolationist for far too long, and now to our own detriment.
At a simple, grassroots, individual level, we must begin engaging with our community as citizens first, Muslims second. I know that seems uncomfortable on the surface, and understand I'm not advocating we deny our faith or go into hiding -- in fact I'm proposing we need to be more visible -- but more visible as citizens who just happen to be Muslim, as opposed to Muslims who are preoccupied mainly with our Muslimness to the exclusion of our civic duties and neighbors.
We need to stop being defensive Muslims and start becoming concerned civic participants.
We need to understand that the Muslim ummah is not the only ummah we are a part of.
How to do this?
A) Get involved locally: go to a town hall meeting, your school's PTA or the school board, neighborhood association, etc. Find a civic cause and get involved. Invite your neighbors for dinner. Join a gym. Join any kind of recreational or social group, be it bird watchers, chess club, green causes, Democrats, Republicans, whatever.
The key is to connect outside of our sphere, human to human, person to person, townsfolk to townsfolk.
B) If you're a Muslim blogger and/or a follower of Muslim blogs: Congrats, you've worked real hard, shukriya for all you've done -- and now you've won a vacation! Here's your temporary exit visa from Blogistan!
Go visit some other part of the internet. Take a long hiatus from blogging about Muslim issues that -- let's be real here and call a spade a spade -- are pretty much only read and discussed by other Muslim bloggers blogging about Muslim issues. I'm not saying that kind of exchange shouldn't happen, of course it should. I love the Islamosphere, but we need to take a reality check and shake any delusions about its true external reach and influence on non-Muslims. There are ways to improve that reach that I'll address in upcoming posts, but currently that reach is not much at all.
Start a section on your blog (or set up a new one) about what's happening in your city. If you're personally involved in some of the community steps mentioned above, then blog on those. Link with other community bloggers, comment on their blogs, comment on your city newspaper or TV station web sites (most of those now have reader commenting mechanisms). How much and when you want to point to your Muslim blogging interests at this stage is up to you, but the key is to build a local voice and presence that actively demonstrates civic interest and concern. For that kind of audience and targeting, building your civic cyberidentity is more important than showcasing your Muslim one, at least initially.
In truth, I don't think Muslim bloggers are up for the challenge of a temporary vacation from the Islamosphere, but at least we can add these other steps concurrently if we can't fully give it up:)
Both these activities -- individual civic activism and playing a part in the local blogosphere -- have an additional benefit of setting the stage for a better long-term relationship and presence with local (and ultimately national) media. How media outlets work, the Muslim reticence to develop media relationships and failure to deliver effective lasting messages to the media -- and how that can be turned around --- will be addressed in the next post.
If Muslims are not willing to be known and be identified as fellow citizens -- fully participating in and concerned about our civic community -- then the only Muslims those communities will ever know about, are those Muslims that make the news when they commit senseless violent acts.
Our present isolationism has guaranteed that our civic communities know no other kind of Muslim.
But by undertaking some simple steps, we offer our civic ummah a wealth of positive experiences with Muslims -- alternative experiences that can counteract the singular negative experience we've allowed to flourish by our separatist stance.
More to follow.
Next; Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, Pt. 2 - Understanding The Media
But this sentiment only examines the symptoms. It's my view that the behavior of the Muslim ummah itself is a significant contributor to the underlying cause. It's long past time to acknowledge our own culpability, in both action and inaction, in how we are perceived and portrayed. Fortunately, by taking responsibility for our own role in how we are perceived, we also empower ourselves to take ownership of it, reclaim it, change it.
In the following series of posts, I'm going to explore this: our failure of engagement from the grassroots level to established Muslim organizations, how media works, how and why our media messages fail, and improving civic and media relations (the two go hand in hand).
But I'll also look at remedies: writing more effective press releases, focusing and controlling one's message, ways to leverage new media and social networking tools, developing a sensitivity and attention to the comments of non-Muslims who seek to genuinely engage with us, the importance of overcoming the Muslim reticence to cultivate long-term, healthy relationships with local and national media outlets, and grassroots tips.
I'll start at the grassroots level and build upwards and outwards.
Underneath everything else, the root of Muslim culpability in how it is perceived and portrayed is the ummah's powerful inclination towards isolation and separatism. This pervades everything in the chain from grassroots on up, and needs to be kept uppermost in mind as we explore solutions throughout the chain of communications and relationships with those outside the Muslim ummah. We have been separatist and isolationist for far too long, and now to our own detriment.
At a simple, grassroots, individual level, we must begin engaging with our community as citizens first, Muslims second. I know that seems uncomfortable on the surface, and understand I'm not advocating we deny our faith or go into hiding -- in fact I'm proposing we need to be more visible -- but more visible as citizens who just happen to be Muslim, as opposed to Muslims who are preoccupied mainly with our Muslimness to the exclusion of our civic duties and neighbors.
We need to stop being defensive Muslims and start becoming concerned civic participants.
We need to understand that the Muslim ummah is not the only ummah we are a part of.
How to do this?
A) Get involved locally: go to a town hall meeting, your school's PTA or the school board, neighborhood association, etc. Find a civic cause and get involved. Invite your neighbors for dinner. Join a gym. Join any kind of recreational or social group, be it bird watchers, chess club, green causes, Democrats, Republicans, whatever.
The key is to connect outside of our sphere, human to human, person to person, townsfolk to townsfolk.
B) If you're a Muslim blogger and/or a follower of Muslim blogs: Congrats, you've worked real hard, shukriya for all you've done -- and now you've won a vacation! Here's your temporary exit visa from Blogistan!
Go visit some other part of the internet. Take a long hiatus from blogging about Muslim issues that -- let's be real here and call a spade a spade -- are pretty much only read and discussed by other Muslim bloggers blogging about Muslim issues. I'm not saying that kind of exchange shouldn't happen, of course it should. I love the Islamosphere, but we need to take a reality check and shake any delusions about its true external reach and influence on non-Muslims. There are ways to improve that reach that I'll address in upcoming posts, but currently that reach is not much at all.
Start a section on your blog (or set up a new one) about what's happening in your city. If you're personally involved in some of the community steps mentioned above, then blog on those. Link with other community bloggers, comment on their blogs, comment on your city newspaper or TV station web sites (most of those now have reader commenting mechanisms). How much and when you want to point to your Muslim blogging interests at this stage is up to you, but the key is to build a local voice and presence that actively demonstrates civic interest and concern. For that kind of audience and targeting, building your civic cyberidentity is more important than showcasing your Muslim one, at least initially.
In truth, I don't think Muslim bloggers are up for the challenge of a temporary vacation from the Islamosphere, but at least we can add these other steps concurrently if we can't fully give it up:)
Both these activities -- individual civic activism and playing a part in the local blogosphere -- have an additional benefit of setting the stage for a better long-term relationship and presence with local (and ultimately national) media. How media outlets work, the Muslim reticence to develop media relationships and failure to deliver effective lasting messages to the media -- and how that can be turned around --- will be addressed in the next post.
If Muslims are not willing to be known and be identified as fellow citizens -- fully participating in and concerned about our civic community -- then the only Muslims those communities will ever know about, are those Muslims that make the news when they commit senseless violent acts.
Our present isolationism has guaranteed that our civic communities know no other kind of Muslim.
But by undertaking some simple steps, we offer our civic ummah a wealth of positive experiences with Muslims -- alternative experiences that can counteract the singular negative experience we've allowed to flourish by our separatist stance.
More to follow.
Next; Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, Pt. 2 - Understanding The Media
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