LONDON, 21 May 2008 — Unlike many groups, organizations and entities that study the Arab world and Muslim countries, CAMMRO (Center for Arab and Muslim Media Research) is probably one of the few think tanks that is apolitical. It works beyond the blame culture in approaching social and political changes and also similar changes among Muslim communities in Western countries.
CAMMRO is based in London and is an independent international scholarly institution. It brings together experts to engage in and do research away from media stereotypes and hype which has divided Muslims into either “moderates” or “extremists.” The founder, Dr. Noureddine Miladi, a British university lecturer of Tunisian origin, believes CAMMRO is the only way we can understand the “myth and reality” surrounding the Muslim community in light of the ever increasing radicalization of some Muslim youth.
Dr. Miladi argues that a significant field of study in trying to understand what is happening is assessing the impact of media in our societies — and more importantly, where Muslims are concerned, the growth of Arab satellite TV stations. He argues that the most important impact over the last decade has been the advent of independent and commercial Arab satellite stations such as Al Jazeera, and others. For many years public opinion in the Arab and Islamic world was of strategic importance to Western powers due to the huge oil and gas resources; Arab audiences were subjected to foreign Arabic-speaking broadcasting services such as BBC World. “However all this has changed with the phenomenal growth of Arab satellite TV channels in the region; the mass production of cheap satellite dishes and decoders have transformed audience perceptions concerning world events and in turn their roles in it. Today channels like Al Jazeera have the ability to unify and mobilize public opinion, which may run contrary to the opinion their governments hold.”
In addition, Dr. Miladi points out that these satellite channels have enabled the Muslim communities in Europe to have a “Muslim opinion,” an alternative view of what is happening in the world. He argues that the radicalization of Muslim groups some refer to is a subjective term and is not so much about radicalization as about an awakening. At present, the Arab public can view events as they happen instead of relying on official versions or biased reports from stations like CNN or Fox News.
“The problem is not forming opinions — everyone has a right to do that. The problem is how news reports are broadcast; if they are subjective and biased following a political agenda, then incorrect opinions are formed which can lead to discrimination, and, as we have seen in the West, ‘Islamophobic discrimination.’”
Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the publication of the groundbreaking and influential document by the Runnymede Trust, “Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All.” Produced by the Commission for British Muslims and Islamophobia, the 1997 report stated in its opening pages that “Islamophobic discourse, sometimes blatant but frequently coded and subtle is part of everyday life in modern Britain.” It pointed out “... in the last 20 years... the dislike (of Islam and Muslims) has become more explicit, more extreme and more dangerous.”
Dr. Miladi argues that no one at the time of the first report would have guessed that Islamophobia 10 years later would have almost become the norm and the situation regarding Muslims would have become so dire. “Recent research has highlighted that just over 90 percent of all press coverage of Muslims is entirely negative and rooted in stories relating to war, terrorism, threats, violence and crisis.”
Dr. Miladi points out that the controversial wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have not only fuelled Islamophobic tensions but also highlighted the opposite positions that the Western and Arabic media have taken. “The distorted media image of the Arab people is becoming ingrained in Western culture and continues to inhibit the foreign policy of such countries as the US, UK and France.”
In its various events and its recently launched journal “Arab & Muslim Media Research,” CAMMRO focuses on showing the extent of the harm caused by distorted images and how misperceptions from the past have helped influence policy makers’ actions and decisions. “Fair portrayals and accurate information are essential to foreign policy decisions; false images and incorrect information may corrupt the policymaking process.”
According to Dr. Miladi, only thorough empirical studies will reveal which way society is heading and how we can counteract negative elements, so that we can build cultures of tolerance and equality.
On June 16 CAMMRO will host its 4th International Conference entitled “New Media and Social Change in the Arab and Muslim World.” Its aim will be to look at the role of satellite TV and the Internet in transforming the media landscape in Arab and Muslim countries, and the extent to which these have been a driving force in social change. Blogging, Facebook, YouTube and other mushrooming Internet platforms have become regular digests for youth and activists in the region. “Although their development is a recent phenomenon, new media have not only opened up new opportunities for journalism but have also empowered audiences and civil society organizations with unprecedented platforms for ‘free’ expression and social activism. New technologies are said to have reinvigorated a sense of an ‘Arab transnational public sphere’ brought together the concerns of Arab audiences and united a region geographically vast. The possible consequences of such rapid developments on social and political change in the region are not hard to imagine.”
The conference will be attended by academics, researchers, policy-makers, journalists and civil society organizations presenting papers on a number of relevant topics. Full information about the program and the speakers appears on CAMMRO’s website: www.cammro.com.
Since its founding in 2005, CAMMRO has become an international platform where academics, researchers and journalists debate the growing role of media and communications in social change. The conference will lead the debate about these emerging changes in media and society in Britain, the Middle East and elsewhere.
