Islamophobia : Media Vs. Drama, A Study in Wajahat Ali's "The Domestic Crusaders"

Abstract

In the new world, man comes to be alienated as a result to his ethnic and beliefs. Beliefs are varied due to the distinctions in the place or the way of living. Media comes to be one of the most important tools that explain and shape these beliefs and conceptions to the public opinion in any means that may match its goal and tendency. Absolute truth in media is a big lie. Consequently, honor and ethics stand naked on the shore of legitimacy. By directing the lights on the issues of certainty and reliability, it comes to be clear that media plays a great role in presenting the image of Islam to the public in a way that matches its ends. Accordingly, the black clouds still hover above the heads of Muslims all around the world.Nevertheless, literature stands on the next shore to media by having different views and aims. Some writers like John Updike in his best selling novel Terrorist which have received positive reviews and Wajahat Ali in his two-acts play The Domestic Crusaders among other American fiction writers have responded to the 11 September attacks in a different conduct to what have been presented by media. These writers are trying their best to correct the disfigured image of Islam throughout their works. Hence, this study tries to illustrate the role of media in presenting the flawed image of Islam along with the literature that served as a counterpart to this progress of action in which Islam is the core of debate.Wajahat Ali's play The Domestic Crusaders is the centre of discussion in this paper which is divided into two sections. The first section is establishing clearly the ideas that stand behind the term "Islamophobia" as well as the role of media. The second section presents the touches of Islamophobia and the unsupportive role of media in Ali's play. The conclusion sums up the main findings.