Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, pt. 4 -- Analyse Your Press Release; Serving Non-Muslims

An Analytical Model For Media Output

If there's any overarching principle that guides my approach to media analysis, it's in studying the choices, actions, and materials used to solve the problems of fulfilling a need or realizing an intention.

People seek out media for the content or information carried within it that can help them get their needs met. Whether you're needing to plan your leisure time (checking movie schedules), stay abreast of events (news), or relieve sexual frustration (porn), any material sought (i.e. content) -- in and of itself -- is only part of the mechanism of exchange, some of the currency by which these needs get met. What this currency buys you is the fulfillment of that need.

Note that information/content is, in a strict sense, independent from the form that carries it (media), though the two share an increasingly symbiotic, evolving complex relationship. For example, to look at movie times, I have a variety of distinct options: I can check online, look at the newspaper, call the theater on the telephone or download an iPhone app.

Those options make up the "choices and actions" portion of the above definition, and it's the other aspect of the currency's value: how those needs get met, not just what content is delivered to fulfill it. Content is just a part of what people seek to ultimately meet a given need; media or platform is solving the problem of how they want to meet it.

Your press release or blog post or web site-- no matter how effective and targeted it may be -- isn't the end game; fulfilling your audience's need is, solving their problem is.

I approach the entire process through an active, behavioral lens, with that user's need always in target:

• 1)What are your users really wanting to do,

and

• 2) How are they wanting or trying to do it?

Then measure your press release or media output or blog against the above two questions by asking yourself:

• 3) How far does my content (and the platform that it is on) go toward meeting their needs?
Think about usability issues here as well: is it easy to find, understand, reshare on social media, rewrite (for a press release), learn more about?

Whether you're planning some simple grassroots steps, blogging, designing a web site, writing an article or press release, or preparing for an interfaith lecture, this kind of analytical model is useful because it always forces you to evaluate your output in terms of solving the target audience's problems. It doesn't matter how well you write if you're not identifying deep issues and offering palpable solutions.

It also helps identify any weak links or loose threads: sometimes you'll find either the message won't adequately address the need, or perhaps it will but the platform doesn't. Or, as in the underutilized Facebook and Twitter examples from the last post, you may also have tools at your disposal that are well proven to help meet needs (2, above), but no specific needs have been identified (1)nor content or good practices employed (3).

This model is run through from the perspective of your targeted audience to see if your planned output meets all the listed criteria. Then run it again, this time putting back on your Muslim-media-producer shoes by replacing the 'what are they' phrases in the above questions with 'what am I': what am I truly trying to do with this press release, is the release itself adequate, would a tweet be better for what I'm trying to convey? Rewrite, adjust, run the models again. Achieve the best balance between the perspectives that you can.

The Need Of Non-Muslims

In context of the original question posed in this series -- Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims -- there are a number of broad needs trying to be met that have been addressed in this series: that of Muslims trying to clarify and broaden their identity as perceived by non-Muslims; that of mainstream media news outlets to have easy access to clear information on Muslim issues; and for Muslim organizations to provide as such.

The good news is they're not mutually exclusive; they're just mismatched, not particularly well-aligned.

One dimension not specifically explored is the challenge for the non-Muslim, on an individual level, to better understand Muslims. It lies as the central challenge within this series' title and has been addressed throughout these posts, from grassroots and civic engagement steps, to newsrooms (in terms of their general audience).

Mostly, that challenge has been examined up to now as the 'problem to be solved' in meeting the need of reclaiming Muslim perception, but it's also a real, tangible need, in and of itself, from the view of non-Muslims. Viewing all the strategies and techniques discussed so far though a non-Muslim lens puts the final polish on any civic or media engagement we undertake.

Listening

We've previously looked at the ummah's tendency toward isolationism, manifested mainly in the lack of grassroots civic involvement, a self-referential Islamosphere, and a less-than-stellar level of engagement with non-Muslims through media, ranging from oppositional stances to ineffective messages.

However, the fact is that non-Muslims are turning to Islamic sources on the Net for answers and information, and we're not meeting that need effectively.

Earlier I pointed out the reticence adopted by Dr. Assaf in his blog post following Ft. Hood. When his post was also placed on NJ Voices
, here's some of the response he garnered:


jerseyopine wrote:

After every violent Muslim aggression/association we hear 2 things- 1) Islam is a peaceful religion, & 2) Muslims fear a "backlash" after whatever recent Muslim activist violence has occurred.

And I wonder why isn't the peaceful Muslim community sending out a strong message to the public throughout the year- an ongoing public condemnation against such acts of violence? An ongoing reinforcement of Islamic values that repudiates terrorist murders in the name of the Muslim faith?

It seems the 'aftermath' Muslim leader public comments are only some half hearted rebuttals in reaction to potential fear of some discrimination. The concern seems more about negative public feelings that may cause inconvenience to Muslims. Where is heartfelt remorse, indignation, & condemnation? Reminding yourself and reporters of anti-violent Quranic verse is not sending too much of a statement here.

Posted by BanditGuy:

don't know much about the Muslim religion, nor do many Americans, and that is a failing of organizations like yours. But I think I understand that Islam is not hierarchical. So, perhaps it's not easy to present a "united front." Nobody is in overall charge. That does not mean, however, that organizations such as yours could not coordinate your efforts in getting your message out. If you fail to do so, you will continue to be looked on with suspicion by many. You, as an American, should understand the power of public relations. As Christians like to quote, "The Lord helps him who helps himself."

Later the same commenter writes:

If Muslims/Arabs/Farsi and the rest want greater understanding of their culture and religion, it's going to be up to them to see that that happens. Perhaps a national organization that could explain the mysteries of Islam could be created. It could start by condemning with a single voice fanatical Muslim atrocities (I know that this will be difficult culturally but necessary). It could also proclaim for all to hear it's belief in Israel's right to exist. When this happens, I will begin to suspect that Middle-Eastern Americans are truly Americans first and Muslims/Arabs/Farsi etc. second.

When Muslimmatters.org covered the Swiss minaret affair, here are some responses:

iMuslim: "I'm not saying we shouldn't assert ourselves, but if the neighbours of the original mosque project were offended by something as benign as a minaret, that should signal alarm bells to the Muslim community, and lead to the decision: "let's talk to our neighbours, and address their fears". Not: "let's fight this in the courts, and risk the problem going national"."

Muslim Apple: "I take this situation as a wakeup call for myself within my own community and spheres of influence that if my neighbors, friends, coworkers, classmates, and others are afraid of me or afraid of Islam that I have not lived the life of a Muslim to convey the message. Even though we will never be able to please everyone but if half on those concerned enough to vote feel comfortable passing measures like this or other ones, we haven't done our job effectively."

Jeff: "I am ashamed to say I may even have felt the same way if something hadn't happened to me two years ago. I met an actual Muslim. Since then I have made many Muslim friends. I may not agree with all aspects of Islam, but all the Muslims I have met are kind, decent, hardworking people."

Note how all the steps discussed to date in this series will help in meeting these concerns.

Muslims involved in media output need to be combing through the Islamosphere and other interfaith blogs that allow comments, read through them, and get a sense of the questions being asked by non Muslims (for more on commenting,and whether you should take it on, see postscript below).

It's then the responsibility for any Muslim to shape and focus their response with those concerns in mind.

Again, the needs of Muslims and non-Muslims in this context are actually very close: the need to be better understood, and the need to better understand.

Such closely shared objectives give me a great sense of optimism that a better perception of Muslims can be created, if Muslims are willing to step out of their shell and be a part of the larger ummah at all levels, if we're willing to step up to the plate and do our end of the work.

Hopefully, some of the ideas passed on in this series can help make that work easier to achieve.


Postscript: Dealing With Comments

Allowing comments on your blog is a big step, and while I think most Islamic blogs should, I certainly respect the choice not to. Long and short: If you're not willing to commit the considerable time and effort to actively monitor and focus the discussions, then don't do it at all. It is far better to not go there, in my view, than to do it poorly or leave those discussions unattended.

That said, here are some pointers if you do decide to go there.

There are a number of sites and resources for commenting best practices, but in a nutshell, a) clearly posted rules of engagement, b) strict and consistent enforcement of those policies, c) and active monitoring and engaging with the commenters yourself are sound strategies to adopt for starters.

Non-Muslim commenters on the Islamosphere tend to fall into two categories: those with a genuine interest in seeking information, and those who just want to inflame. The latter you do not want any protracted engagement with, but you do need to address such commenters, and identify and draw them out as early as possible.

If you get flamed:

• 1: Take a step back. Do a quick zikr. Don't get caught in the emotional moment of the attack; wait five minutes before hitting the 'send' button on your reply. Your calmness of response will disarm their fear and anger, usually the underlying source of such attacks.
• 2: Avoid the trap of trying to be the official sound for all Muslims. Bookmark in advance some sources you trust that you can point people to, as either reinforcement or if you feel that those sources articulate some issue better than you can. Don't try to be the official Muslim representative, just be a true representative of yourself, and share that personal truth.
• 3. Humanize. Speak personally; tell your own story or experience if it can apply; describe in personal terms your own take on the issue.
• 4: Avoid the "verse wars." There are way too many threads on the Islamosphere where Qur'an and Bible verses are lobbed at each other all day. If you do get hit with such posts, then combine the techniques above: just describe simply your own personal take on it, point to other sources that share your grounding, and acknowledge that there may be differing views in the Islamosphere. Leave it at that.
• 5: This comes from (and full credit goes to) Haroon Moghul, who covered this point at the recent ICNYU conference: avoid loaded terms like jihad, terrorist, etc. Moghul rightly assesses that such words are by now so loaded with weight and meaning and subtext, any message you offer that incorporates such terms is immediately and already lost.
• 6: Develop a sense of discernment to the true motivation behind provocative comments, i.e., try to "read between the lines." Semiotics and psychology are good fields to help in this, as is the analysis model at the top of this post -- read their comment and your draft of a reply through that checklist.
  
  If their intent is not clear, then draw them out, claiming the higher, calmer ground in your response. Respond, in your own language (I wrote the sample so stilted to force you to use your own vocabulary, haha) as in the following sample:
  
  

  If you truly want an answer to your concerns, then I'm happy to answer as best I can, with the understanding that I don't represent the full range of thought and ideas across 1.5 billion Muslims, just as you may not wish to speak for every Christian, be they Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant or Baptist. What I can't answer, I'll try to point you to sources that I feel are sound and reasonable.
  
  If on the other hand, you are here to instigate or flame, I won't play. You and I both know that kind of exchange won't lead to any greater understanding or appreciation of each other's perspective, and I'd rather find out what's *really* concerning you about Muslims.
  
  So how can I help? Now that you've said how you feel, can you explain what you're really worried about?
  

  This takes you off of the defensive and puts the onus on the commenter to clarify their position and intent.
  
  Some commenters may have genuine concerns or issues that are hidden underneath a layer of fear that presents itself as aggressive language. This kind of proposed answer gives them a chance to work through and better frame their issues.
  
  True Islamophobes or trolls will either stop, or keep attacking -- but if they do, they've exposed themselves by not fashioning their response under the terms you've requested. You can ban them from that point.

Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, pt. 3 -- How Muslim Organizations Fail With Media

In two previous posts, I've explored the topic of improving the relationship between Muslims and the media -- from grassroots steps we can take as Muslims, then looking at how mainstream media (MSM) news operations function and some of the challenges they face in getting clear, usable information on Muslim issues.

In this segment, I'll explore how Muslim institutions in particular have failed to meet those challenges due to 1) weak messages and and 2) a general unwillingness to engage with the media and the public, including insufficient leveraging of modern media tools.

However,these deficiencies can be remedied when organizations reevaluate both their strategy and their tactical methods, which I'll address in the final post.

People, Not Quotes

To sum up from the last post: MSMs require a) a story that can connect with its audience; b) a wider range of easily accessible, less insular Muslim sources that are willing to speak in a compelling manner on Muslim issues or that can refer to those who are; c) a simplified understanding of the range of Islamic thought and discourse, and easier access to that diversity.

MSMs want a story,not just a reaction to an event -- some kind of personalization, and ideally a localized one. They also abhor "official sound" as a first and only offering. "Official sound" is usually a necessary component, but by its very nature, it's pretty much anathema if it's all you've got. I've seen more than one story get postponed, or else cut from a planned 90 second or 2 minute segment to a 10 second anchor reader if other sources or elements don't develop in time for deadline and all we have is official sound. There's not a story there -- it's just a talking head.

You can't make a story out of only official sound -- and Muslims desperately need their own compelling stories to be shared, so that a tangible, personal shape begins to broaden and clarify the collective mosaic of Muslim identity.

It boils down pretty simply: newsrooms need stories, and Muslims need their stories told.

Of course, not every news story should be a Muslim story, but when there's an appropriate event or a good fit, Muslim agencies should be prepared enough, be supple and agile enough to offer a compelling, useful, response.

Contrast those needs of both the Muslim community and that of MSM outlets with the kind of statements released by major Muslim organizations after Ft. Hood, well compiled by Sheila Musaji in this post on her blog. I'll repost some of her aggregation here, then analyse the releases from a newsroom perspective.

STATEMENTS ISSUED BY MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS:

ISNA Islamic Society of North America: "The Islamic Society of North America condemns in the strongest terms the attack on soldiers at Fort Hood, resulting in the murder of at least a dozen soldiers and the wounding of many others. We express our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. Although many details of the shooting are unknown at this time, it appears that the attack was led by a career soldier, Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The soldier who led this attack was either mentally unstable, or was motivated by a perverted ideology for which there can be no justification. ISNA is proud of the many Muslim men and women who serve loyally in the United States military. We are grateful for the sacrifices made by all US soldiers, who represent the religious, racial and ethnic diversity of America, to defend the Constitution and our national security. ISNA, a faith endorser of US Muslim military chaplains, is proud of the service they provide, offering comfort and support to people of all faiths and beliefs. Just today, ISNA's chaplain endorser, Dr. Louay Safi, conducted a workshop at the US army base in Fort Bliss, Texas."

CAIR Council on American-Islamic Relations: "We condemn this cowardly attack in the strongest terms possible and ask that the perpetrators be punished to the full extent of the law. No religious or political ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence. The attack was particularly heinous in that it targeted the all-volunteer army that protects our nation. American Muslims stand with our fellow citizens in offering both prayers for the victims and sincere condolences to the families of those killed or injured."

MPAC Muslim Public Affairs Council: "MPAC and the Muslim American community unequivocally condemn this heinous incident. We share the sentiment of our President, who called the Fort Hood attack "a horrific outburst of violence." We are in contact with law enforcement and US federal government officials to gain more facts from this tragic incident and work together in dealing its aftermath. Our entire organization extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed as well as to those wounded and their loved ones," said Salam Al-Marayati, Executive Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. We stand in solidarity with law enforcement and the US military to maintain the safety and security of all Americans."

ADC The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: "The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is appalled by the attack that took place earlier today against soldiers and others at Fort Hood, Texas. Preliminary news reports have indicated that a rogue Army Major Malik Hasan and two others shot and killed at least 12 people and injured numerous others. ADC President Mary Rose Oakar said, "This attack is absolutely deplorable. ADC has been consistent and on record in condemning any attacks aimed at innocents, no matter who the victims or the perpetrators may be. Such violence is morally reprehensible and has nothing to do with any religion, race, ethnicity, or national origin. ADC urges the FBI and law enforcement agencies to make every effort to see that justice is served." Oakar continued, "ADC also calls upon law enforcement agencies to provide immediate protection for all Mosques, community centers, schools, and any locations that may be identified or misidentified with being Arab, Muslim, South Asian or Sikh as a clear backlash has already started. The actions of a few should not invite a backlash on innocent members of any community and we urge law enforcement and others to keep that in mind. "

AMAF/VAC The American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council: The American Muslim Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs Councail [sic], bold mine -- msd(AMAF and VAC) condemns in the strongest terms the attack on soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas resulting in the murder of at least a dozen soldiers and the wounding of many others. We express our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. We join the Community of Fort Hood, Texas in their mourning. Islam holds the human soul in high esteem, and considers the attack against innocent human beings a grave sin. This is a criminal act that is now best dealt with by the law enforcement community.

The American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council (AMAF and VAC) is a not for profit, non-political, independent American based organization. AMAF and VAC was established to serve the spiritual needs and religious welfare of Muslims who serve or have served in the United States Armed Forces, their dependents, as well as veterans. This encompasses all branches of the US Military, including the US Coast Guard.

UMAA The Universal Muslim Association of America: "UMAA strongly and categorically condenmns the heinous attack of a deranged individual in the name of Islam, at Ft.Hood Army Base. We pray for the families of the victims and the departed souls. No religion teaches any sort of violence against innocent civilians. The perpetrators of these vicious attacks have no semblance of being Muslims and do not belong to any civilized society. UMAA beleives that the responsible individuals should be punished to the fullest extent of law."

APAAM The Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in the Military: "At a time of deep sorrow in the midst of this horrific tragedy, our thoughts are first and foremost with the Fort Hood shooting victims and their families. One can only imagine the unspeakable pain and loss they are and will be dealing with in the weeks, months and years to come. It is unfortunate that whatever demons possessed Nidal Hasan, that he chose to deal with his problems in this way. In the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, it is more important than ever that we not make the same scapegoating and broad stroke mistakes that were evident in the aftermath of previous tragedies. The Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military urges the media, government officials and all of our fellow Americans to recognize that the actions of Hasan are those of a deranged gunman, and are in no way representative of the wider Arab American or American Muslim community. In fact, thousands of Arab Americans and American Muslims serve honorably everyday in all four branches of the U.S. military and in the National Guard. Additionally, many of us have willingly stepped forward to fulfill our duty with our fellow soldiers in both Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations around the globe for the defense of our national security, including most of the member of APAAM. Indeed, many of us are today currently deployed in both countries, honorably serving each and every day.

While these statements of unanimous condemnation by such organizations are certainly necessary, sincere, and often eloquent -- and institutions of course can't not do them -- from a newsroom perspective, there is little memorable or useful in any of them. There is no story, no angle, no human connection; nothing offered that I can build a news piece around, only droning quotes to repeat. It's all official sound, each interchangeable and in aggregate, somehow predictable, indistinct, generic. It's nowhere near enough.

These all fall under the category of what I call IIAROP Release Suicide. For nine years, Islamic organizations have spewed out thousands of press releases saying "Islam Is A Religion Of Peace" (what I call "IIAROP" releases), and yet Islamophobia has never been higher. So you tell me if this is a good, effective strategy with proven results. I think not.

Of the batch, the more enticing statements come from ISNA and APAAM. As a newsroom editor, I'll want to know more from ISNA: Can Dr. Safi be reached for comment? Can he describe the workshop? How did he and workshop attendees react to the Ft. Hood news when it broke? How did he adjust or use the workshop itinerary, what kind of discussion ensued? That's a great story. ISNA had the foresight to provide contact info for Safi, and announced plans for a later press conference.

APAAM is promising, too: strong, vivid, easy, unequivocal language, and also leaves me with a desire to know more. Tell me about Arabs and Muslims in the military, hook me up with someone who's willing to talk about their experience. while the relase is a little long and repetitive, their overall tone also imparts a sense of approachability: you definitely get a sense that if they were called, they'd be willing and eager to help share their stories and experiences.

CAIR gets some points for conciseness and strong language; though they don't offer me anything that makes me pick up the phone and follow up with them, their language and brevity makes them the most usable quote, and that's certainly of some value.

However, the usable accounts, the real stories, what a newsroom really needs, did not come from any organizations, but from blogs. But frustratingly, these moving stories of Muslims who have sacrificed in the American military, such as those concisely chronicled in the Beliefnet blog post "Crescents Among The Crosses" by Shahed Amanullah, were many, many links away from the prime sources of major Muslim institutions as listed above.

Robert Salaam, a military veteran and Muslim convert who keeps an active blog, also had great points, but was hard to discover initially.

As always, Sheila Musaji's work at TAM provided great resources in addition to the above compendium, but again she's demonstrated a reticent stance in engaging with non-Muslim media in some of her posts. If I were a non-Muslim in a newsroom, it's clear she's not going to be a source I can partner or ally with to help my viewers gain a better understanding of Muslims. She and Assef are not going to help Western media tell the Muslim story.

Organizations such as APAAM and AMAF/VAC should have had such stories of Muslim veterans readily on offer for the media to draw on, in addition to the largely interchangeable 'official sound' press releases. One shouldn't have had to dig that hard to find such stories of Muslim American soldiers who have served this country -- and newsrooms trying to find compelling ways to personalize or contextualize a breaking news event like Ft. Hood don't have time to chase a 7-step chain of blog links to find such accounts. Those stories were a strong collection of palpable, real experiences that could have connected and resonated with the mainstream media and its audiences had they been more easily surfaced. Instead, from a newsroom point of view, I'm pretty much relegated to deciding which bland, unmemorable, interchangeable "we condemn..." soundbite to use.

Disengaged

So if the major organizations couldn't offer a story, could they at least tell me what they're doing, their plans, their next steps? Not really. Only ISNA announced a later press conference, and not very effectively, at that.

In events such as Ft. Hood that will impact the Muslim community, it's important that Muslim organizations go beyond abstract sound bites and offer (or point to others who are offering) specific, future plans or courses of action.

In the case of ISNA, its announcement of the later press conference is cryptic as to the presser's intent, other than to say "representatives from all three organizations will be holding a press conference ... to discuss the matter further."

That kind of nebulous ambiguity is not conducive to ensuring media coverage, because if a newsroom is juggling resources to cover events,as outlined in the earlier post, then what often makes or breaks a presser getting covered is a sufficient understanding of what the presser will be about. It can even be in how it's worded; for example, "Mayor Holds Press Conference To Discuss City Finances" vs. "Mayor To Unveil New Steps To Tackle City Budget." The second sample is more specific, conveys a sense of more relevance to the user.

In researching this blog post, it wasn't until I found ISNA's post-conference release that I learned about the fund set up by ISNA for Muslims to donate for the victims. Considering that the announcement for the presser came earlier on the same day ("Today at 10 am"), it seems unlikely (but I suppose possible) that at least some basic plans for the fund drive hadn't been arrived at in time to include in the announcement. If I know in advance the presser will touch on such a plan, I'm far more likely to cover it; that's a tangible element and story, an interesting development. Without such specifics, three or four representatives simply "discussing the matter" has less appeal if I have a busy news day and limited staff to go gather news.

None of the other organizations even hinted at future steps or plans, which is a particular shortcoming from the The American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council, in my view. Given the factors and questions that surrounded the immediate aftermath of Ft. Hood, it was the most qualified organization to take a very active stand in coordinating or relaying follow-up investigations and developments, offering military psychological experts, other Muslim soldier experiences, etc. So many questions were crying out to be answered, by Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, that AMAF/VAC could have provided a valuable service by taking an active and visible role in offering media access and availability. Instead, they offered a brief statement (with typo) and no visible follow up. True, their focus is not as a media relations arm, but even statements of what their courses of follow-up were would have been of immeasurable benefit.

An in-depth analysis and critique of each of the above organizations' web and social media usage is beyond the scope of this blog. In brief, however, all of the web sites in the above organizations could use varying degrees of revamping in terms of objective, targeting, focus, content, and ease of use.

More problematic is the lack of visibility or good use of social media tools. While an effective leveraging of Facebook and Twitter vary among the organizations, most fell short (simply regurgitating or automating your web content onto Facebook is NOT a good practice).

However, the most egregious problem is that NOT ONE of these organizations have their Twitter or Facebook information available anywhere on their main site. To me, that's shocking in this day and age. I only found their Facebook and Twitter pages via Google or Bing searches, or an internal Facebook search.

Here's how the above organizations stacked out:

• ISNA: Facebook, Twitter, but neither available from main web site
• CAIR: Facebook, Twitter, but neither available from main web site
• MPAC: Facebook, but not available from main web site; no organizational Twitter that I can find, but its Director of Operations does have one
• ADC: Facebook, Twitter, but neither available from main web site
• AMAF/VAC: No Facebook or Twitter
• UMAA: Facebook, Twitter, but neither available from main web site
• APAAM: No Facebook or Twitter

I did not make a search through YouTube to see if organizations had dedicated channels, though many have video on their main sites. No YouTube profile or channel was advertised from any of the main sites. However, YouTube has its own audience and viral buzz potential, and if organizations are putting up video, they need to be putting it there as well -- and have that known somewhere on their site.

Newsrooms are increasingly using tools such as Twitter and FB, both to gather information and disseminate it. Undertaking better practices and accessibility for such platforms will not only help organizations in their own reach and efforts, the symbiotic benefit as your social media output meshes with that of MSM outlets and practices has great potential and can only help in developing that long-term relationship with the media.

In the next entry, I'll wrap this series up by looking at the media needs on Muslim issues for both the Muslim and non-Muslim general user, and offer some strategic and tactical ideas for organizations to think about that can improve overall Muslim media reach effectiveness. I'll also review previous elements in the series in light of the strategic discussion, and explore how it all can work in tandem towards the stated goal in the title.

Next: Reclaiming The Perceptions Of Muslims, Pt. 4 - Analyse Your Press Release; Serving Non-Muslims

Taqwacore Culture Gains Mainstream Media Attention

It's interesting to see the groundswell of focus the taqwacore movement is getting in mainstream press these days, based on the circulation of not one but two films.

In one of the most vivd examples to date of life following art, Taqwacore (an amalgam of the term "taqwa," approximately translated as the concept of piety or awe and love for the Divine, and "hardcore") began with the novel "The Taqwacores" by Islamic convert Michael Muhammad Knight describing a punk Islamic scene in Buffalo, NY. Initially distributing xeroxed copies for free, his work gained enough traction by word of mouth and e-mail to spawn a real-life Islamic punk culture, with musicians forming real bands inspired by and/or named after imagined ones in the book.

Some of the more established bands on the scene include The Kominas and Al-Thawra, Vote Hezbollah, and Secret Trial Five, among others.

Coupled with Mark Levine's work documenting young musicians struggling in the MENA in his book "Heavy Metal Islam" (see earlier post), one gets a larger sense of a vital, articulated undercurrent of expression that can change the way MENA and South Asian culture is perceived by upcoming generations.

p.s. while my own Duo's electric music shares somewhat of a bond with the taqwacore spirit, I've been inspired for some time to develop a separate project that would prbably be more aligned: Sufi/metal/improv/freejazz/poetry/rap. Last Exit meets Hafiz. Anyone know a Muslim drummer here in NM?

In a novel that could be perceived from edgy to blasphemous, depending upon your own take of Islam, Knight gives voice to identity and faith issues felt by many others, evidenced by the real-life traction the movement has taken (well pointed out in this NY Times article of 2008 ).

In the context of previous posts and general Islamosphere chatter on modern Muslim identity, taqwacore is one facet, one response in that larger discussion that's visibly taken root -- and it can't be swept under the prayer rug in such discussions, regardless of how uncomfortable some may be with it.

It's created two films: one is a film version of the novel, to be featured in Sundance 2010, and one is a documentary (Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam), following Knight and a few of the bands as they make way across the U.S. and into Pakistan.

As these films begin to make their circulation, it will be interesting to see their impact on mainstream media, and what kind of take MSM will put on it. It will also be interesting to see if the movement gains even further traction as result of these films, (though I imagine that those who are seeking an alternative Muslim identity to bond with , already know of it). I'm curious as well to see if the topic comes up at the forthcoming ICNYU conference (which I'm attending), "Building Momentum in Mainstream Culture."

Improvisation For Iran

A solo improvisation dedicated to the current struggle for truth and freedom in Iran. In two parts. We are with you.