Media portrayals frame Muslim religious expression itself as irrational fanaticism

Evidence

When Landon is found and brought to court, the audience is told a tale of a Muslim convert who is led to murder: he is misogynistic, anti-Semitic, critical of American foreign policy, and convinced that America is part of a conspiracy against Islam. During court proceedings to determine his bail, he chants in Arabic, “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, I am a slave to Allah” (God is great, God is great, I am a slave to God), and demands a Muslim lawyer. “This prosecution is part of America’s crusade against Islam. I want a lawyer who sees that,” he declares. His hostile and inappropriate courtroom behavior positions him as a fanatic who is not in touch with reason. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 971

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Mediaeval critics mocked the Qur’an’s chapter names as irrational; Western commentators frame Muslim leaders as irrational while granting Israelis and Americans rationality — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 331; Terrorism is framed as irrational fanaticism rather than political response (+1 more)