Terrorism coverage explains Muslim converts’ violence via failed heterosexual masculinity

Evidence

In their explanations to the public for the criminal involvements of Lindh and Padilla, the media has made one thing explicit: both are converts to Islam. The media has focused on and sensationalized the stories of these two men, constructing a narrative that links violence, criminality, terrorism, and a delusional mental state to Islam; and more specifically, violence committed by Muslim converts is explained through an interlinked narrative of failed heterosexuality. Lindh and Padilla are not necessarily portrayed as homosexual; rather, their trajectory into terrorism is linked to failed heterosexual masculinity. And this supports the larger narrative that the causes of terrorism stem from sexual, as opposed to political, reasons. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1095 (#expands, via linked claim)

While “going Muslim” operates as an explanation for violence, in both cases, a root cause is identified as an additional explanation. In Lindh’s case, it is implicitly suggested that his liberal education is to blame for his involvement with terrorism. It was too open, too tolerant, too lax; it was a liberal education gone very wrong. In the case of Landon, it was symbolic castration that inspired him to look for an ideology that would legitimize his retaliation against female sexual rejection. Both the news and TV drama narratives contain a critique of liberal values and an enduring focus on sexuality. Sexual explanations, in other words, stand in for political explanations. The vast realm of political violence, whose complexity is already diminished through the use of the term terrorism, is now further depoliticized and portrayed as a mere cover for sexual problems. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1043 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Media linked Muslim converts’ violence to failed heterosexuality rather than political motives — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race…, 1095; Portraying terrorists as failed heterosexuals suppresses analysis of political causes; Modern media still equates Muslim male violence with frustrated sexual desire and celibacy — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 780 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Media linked Muslim converts’ violence to failed heterosexuality rather than political motives #expands (0.97) — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1095
• Sexual explanations substitute for political explanations of terrorism. #corroborates (0.93) — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1043