Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research - Current Issue
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2024
- Articles
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The Middle East is watching: Iranian and Saudi Arabian newspaper framing of the 2020 US presidential elections
Authors: Mohamad Hamas Elmasry and Mohammed el-NawawyDespite its importance, there has been little research into how Middle Eastern news outlets cover American politics. This content analysis uses framing theory to explore coverage of the 2020 US presidential election in two Middle East dailies, Iranian Hamshahri and Saudi Arabian Al-Watan. Because Iran and Saudi Arabia are rivals and take different approaches to American politics, hypotheses predicted meaningful framing differences. While some findings were consistent with researcher expectations, most findings were not. As predicted, Al-Watan was less likely to frame Trump negatively. However, contrary to expectations, the examined newspapers did not differ in terms of how they framed Biden, the 6 January breach of the Capitol or allegations of voter fraud. The newspapers also did not differ in terms of how likely they were to use pro-Trump and pro-Biden sources. The unexpected findings suggest a cautious approach by Al-Watan, which may not have wanted to show strong support for a US president, Trump, who was likely outgoing. More generally, and as the ‘Discussion’ section explains, Al-Watan’s approach likely reflected the Saudi government’s perceptions about ongoing developments on the US political scene. In one sense, then, Al-Watan’s editorial line was an extension of Saudi foreign policy towards the United States. The ‘Discussion’ section also attempts to make sense of Hamshahri’s framing patterns, which seemed to reflect larger Iranian distrust in the American political system.
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Politics of phygital protests: Palestinian #GreatMarchofReturn discourse on Twitter
Authors: Tawseef Majeed and Ali M. AbushbakTwitter aids public discourse, hashtag activism and sociopolitical advocacy. In terms of Palestinian resistance discourse against Israel, the hashtag #GreatMarchofReturn represents a peaceful digital protest by the Palestinian refugees based in Gaza. We identified 13,000 tweets related to #GreatMarchofReturn, which we analysed using content analysis and descriptive analysis, followed by a visualization of the findings. We argue that hashtag activism facilitates the collective Palestinian protest discourse on Twitter about Israel’s oppressive diplomacies in Palestine. The activism endorses Palestinian nationalism and the mobilization of civilian rights. Moreover, the micro-blogging site becomes a significant platform for politicizing Israel’s punitive populism and subsequent subjugation of Palestinian refugees, especially in Gaza. The psycho-politics of phygital protests affects the socio-emotional mobilization of the Great March of Return in both virtual and physical public spheres.
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Mediated mythical discourses: A critical analysis of the female docility and religious discourses in Indian TV soap operas
More LessMedia representations have the power to evoke and circulate meanings about a dominant favoured ideology. Like films, television soap operas too may become the sites of hetero-patriarchal representation. This article foregrounds the visual and textual tropes applied to coerce the audience into accepting patriarchal gender roles in the disguise of religious discourse. Using critical discourse analysis of three select Hindi soap operas Saath Nibhana Sathiya, Choti Bahu and Bade Achche Lagte Hai, this article flags the use of religious motifs as disciplining strategies of patriarchy. The resort-seeking behaviour of the female protagonists towards the male Hindu deity for the resolution of crisis becomes a marker of sexism. Furthermore, this one-dimensional representation of a multicultural and multireligious Indian society in these Hindi soap operas has evolved them into Hindu Socials with their dominant tropes of Hinduness within the storyline, rituals, melodrama and misogynism.
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Virtual facades: Exploring the relationship between self-presentation on Facebook and social anxiety among Egyptian Generation Z users
Authors: Eslam Abdelraouf and Hussein AminThis study investigates the correlation between the ‘false-self’ – the persona presented to the public that may not accurately reflect one’s true identity – and social anxiety among Generation Z Facebook users in Egypt. An integrated methodology approach was used to explore the connection between Facebook usage, false self-presentation and social anxiety levels. Data were collected by administering a questionnaire targeting 420 Facebook users belonging to Egypt’s Generation Z demographic. The study findings demonstrate a strong positive correlation between higher Facebook usage intensity and false self-presentation. Furthermore, false self-presentation was found to be positively correlated with social anxiety. Significant gender differences in self-congruence on Facebook were revealed, supported by theories related to social norms and gender roles. These findings illustrate the potential influence of social media on gender identity and self-presentation, underscoring the need to take gender differences into account when studying the effects of social media on mental health. Additionally, significant differences in Facebook intensity and attachment between genders were revealed. This study adds to our understanding of the intricate relationship between social media use, self-presentation and mental health outcomes among Generation Z by providing insight into the risks associated with false self-presentation and high Facebook usage intensity.
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Enhancing prosocial behaviour and donation intentions through neuroscientific techniques (EEG and eye tracker): Exploring the influence of charitable advertisement appeals
Authors: Abeer A. Mahrous and Yomna MohsenThis study investigates the impact of charitable advertisement appeals on prosocial behaviour and intentions to donate, employing cutting-edge neuroscientific techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracker. It also seeks to analyse the moderating effect of altruism, social norms and moral intensity on the relationship between advertising appeal and prosocial behaviour and intention to donate. Findings indicate that negative appeal is more effective than positive appeal in influencing prosocial behaviour and intent to donate. Furthermore, using an eye tracker showed that individuals try to avoid painful scenes in charitable advertisements. This study provides valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms that drive prosocial behaviour and donation intentions by delving into the influence of various charitable advertisement appeals (both positive and negative) on individuals’ neural and ocular responses. We therefore, argue that findings from this research hold significant implications for marketers and advertisers seeking to create more effective and persuasive charitable advertisements, ultimately promoting greater engagement and support for philanthropic causes.
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‘They are us’: Orientalist perspective challenged in New Zealand newspapers’ coverage
More LessIt has frequently been debated that western media coverage of Islam and Muslims constructs an Orientalist image of Islam – often that Islam is a threat to the West – that sidelines and dehumanizes Muslims. However, by examining the terrorist incident that occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019, in which 51 Muslims were killed at a Mosque, this study discursively argues that an Orientalist view was not manifest in the coverage of New Zealand’s newspapers. Focusing on two mainstream newspapers, the New Zealand Herald and The Press, this study also argues that New Zealand’s newspapers played a constructive role in their opposition to and condemnation of the terrorist attacks. This study argues that, while covering the attacks, these media outlets fully supported and reinforced the view that the people of New Zealand belong to a society of which Muslims are an essential part. The way these newspapers framed the issue, the terminology used and the metaphors they selected to construct the terrorist attack challenged Orientalist perceptions, and thereby rejected any perceived clash of civilizations. The selected newspapers were supportive of the victims, the victims’ families and the Muslim community as a whole. This study also observes that a shift in media coverage from negative to positive perceptions of Muslims is possible.
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Beauty hacks, wardrobe suggestions and DIY regimes for a Muslim bride: Analysis of bridal beauty vlogs
By Athira B. K.Drawing on beauty vlogs uploaded on specific Malayalam YouTube channels, the article documents the digitally mediated circulation of bodily and sartorial norms for a Muslim bride from the region of Kerala. The study explores how fashion vlogging and social media participation assist in furthering the imageries of Malayali Muslim women as neo-liberal feminine subjects by placing the role of consumption as consequential to the emerging sources of their identity. It is proposed that these vlogs catalyse the creation of a Muslim womanhood at the conjectures of cultural notions of modesty, faith and identity aspirations, arguably in the backdrop of transnational Islam and free market ideology. Furthermore, the study hints at the limitations of the analytical device of ‘Brand Islam’ in explaining facets associated with a bridal beautification scene, where the bodily and sartorial prescriptions are mediated by the diversity of co-participants involved and variations in the sartorial references endorsed.
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- Book Reviews
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Global Media Coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: Reporting the Sheikh Jarrah Evictions, Noureddine Miladi (ed.) (2023)
More LessReview of: Global Media Coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: Reporting the Sheikh Jarrah Evictions, Noureddine Miladi (ed.) (2023)
London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi and Sydney: Bloomsbury, 296 pp.,
ISBN 978-0-75564-989-1, h/bk, £100
ISBN 978-0-75564-993-8, p/bk, £28.99
ISBN 978-0-75564-990-7, e-book, £90
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The Digital Double Bind: Change and Stasis in the Middle East, Joe F. Khalil and Mohamed Zayani (2023)
More LessReview of: The Digital Double Bind: Change and Stasis in the Middle East, Joe F. Khalil and Mohamed Zayani (2023)
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 316 pp.,
ISBN 978-0-19750-862-6, h/bk, $99
ISBN 978-0-19750-863-3, p/bk, $27.95
ISBN 978-0-19750-865-7, e-book, $18.99
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