I read with interest the article “Saudi Arabia through the eyes of an American” (June 15) by Tim Balconi. I agree with the views of the writer that the media portrayal of a culture or a people sometimes lead to misunderstandings and even clashes. The way Muslims and Islam are being portrayed in the mainstream western media is responsible for the hatred toward us in the West. The westerners, not all, think that Arabs are savages and they are uncivilized people who just want to kill and get killed. Instead of relying on their media outlets, they should try to learn more about the people of this part of the world themselves so as to better understand the reality. Even in the Muslim world, there are various misconceptions about the westerners. Interestingly, various Hollywood flicks have created those impressions. Nowadays, due to the advancements in technology it has become convenient for people to stay connected and get to know each other better. Instead of relying on media, we should try to understand each other by communicating. There is a great need to exchange ideas to dispel their misconceptions. The truth is certain forces want to create these misconceptions so as to engineer wars and conflicts. We should wage an ideological war against such elements. — Inam Ahmed, Jubail
Media portrayal
