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Ronia Ali
Ms. Lacey
English 112
22 January, 2015
Spin Journalism and Media Bias: The Real Enemy

Many may argue that after a catastrophic event such as the attack of September 11, all
Muslims possess terrorist traits and show no sign of kindness. The media constantly feeds the
American people the false lie that all acts of terror must lead to a Muslim man or woman. What
our society fails to realize is that not all Muslims perform acts of terror, and not all terrorists are
Muslim. In fact, some of the most grueling attacks are caused by White American Christian men
towards their own country and people. Hitlers mass murder of Jewish individuals is another
example of a non-Muslim attack. Many people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds
cause terrorism. A common trait our society lacks is the ability to distinguish between one who
deserves to be defined as a terrorist, and one who spreads nothing but peace. In sum, tragic
events should not be correlated with the idea that all Muslims are terrorists because of the
extreme fact that sick-minded individuals take it upon themselves to harm innocent people in the
name of Islam.

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Our society today is easily brainwashed with media bias against minorities. The
American Government creates this false image of protecting their people from terrorism, a spin
journalism tactic used to steer the American people away from being able to see whom the real
enemy is. What the government wishes for their people to see is what they will only see,
otherwise the rest is to be steered clear away from their direction in the hope that the people will
end up believing that they choose to show. The media will only show Islamic extremists that go
against the Islamic teachings and morals. One of the morals of Islam is giving to those in need.
Zakat is the compulsory giving of a set proportion of one's wealth to charity (BBC). Being that
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam, It is a type of worship used for self-purification as well as
helping those who cannot provide for themselves without a helping hand. This pillar of Islam
stresses aiding the poor as a mandatory obligation, a side of Islam the media does not encourage
showing.

The media tends to hit hard on religion because it is something that everyone becomes
sensitive about. Religion is the reason for peoples decisions and the morals they subscribe to. A
prime example for this is when the two Muslim brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, attacked an
innocent newspaper staff for showing a false image of their beloved prophet Mohammed. During
the attack, one of the assailants was captured on video outside the building shouting "Allahu
Akbar!" (God is Greatest) as shots rang out (Irish & Sage, 2015). These sick minded Islamic
extremists attacked innocent people for the sole purpose of pleasing God, something the religion
of Islam does not condone. According to the Islamic beliefs, spreading peace is something that is
constantly being stressed. I disagree that the decision both brothers decided to partake in was
ethical, however, I can agree that it is not fair to place the blame on a religious group as a whole.

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Terrorists are mentally ill people who commit acts of terror either because theyve been
stripped their rights away that they feel they deserve, or are psychologically driven to harm
innocent lives for their own happiness. According to a researcher at Stanford University, Muslim
immigrants in France are two-and-a-half times less likely to be called for a job interview than a
similar Christian candidate and Muslim incomes are around 15% below their Christian
counterparts (Bergen & Schneider, 2015). This could have played a huge role in why Cherif and
Said Kouchi injured the innocent newspaper staff. Many Muslims, such as the Kouchai brothers,
live in grim banlieue --suburbs of large French citiesthat are not dissimilar to projects in the
United States where there is little in the way of opportunity; they live divorced from mainstream
French society (Bergen & Schneider, 2015). Not only were they driven to harm those around
them for the name of Islam, but they possibly could have also felt like they were not receiving
the equal rights they deserved. Another example of a non-Muslim terrorist attack was the
Columbine shooting that was caused by two White American teenage boys. It was speculated and
questioned for years, and soon figured that thepairofsupposed"TrenchCoatMafiaoutcasts"
weretakingrevengeagainstthebullieswhohadmadeschoolmiserableforthem(Cullen).

In conclusion, then, as I suggested earlier, defenders of media cant have it both ways.
Their assertion that media biased doesnt exist is contradicted by their claim that all Muslims are
terrorists. Statistics, as well as past and current terrorist attacks, show that terrorism is caused by
individuals with different beliefs and morals. Those that decide to partake in grueling attacks are
not always Muslim and are not always committing these attacks for religious reasons. Some
attacks are caused because the individual or group individuals feel like they are getting stripped

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of their rights or fair treatment. Psychological and mental illnesses play huge roles as to why
these attacks are caused as well. Before a finger gets pointed at a religious group as a whole, one
must take into consideration that although we come from different ethnic backgrounds, we are all
human. We must begin to realize that the act of judging innocent people and classifying them as
a group of terrorists is in itself an act of terror, something we as a society need to grow apart
from.

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Works Cited

Bergen, Peter, and Emily Schneider. "How the Kouachi Brothers Turned to Terrorism CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 9 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

Irish, John, and Alexandria Sage. "Police Hunt Three Frenchmen after 12 Killed in Paris Attack."
Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 07 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

"Five Pillars of Islam." BBC News. BBC, Sept. 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2015.

Cullen,Dave."AtLastWeKnowWhytheColumbineKillersDidIt."TheDepressiveandthe
Psychopath.TheSlateGroup,Apr.2004.Web.01Feb.2015.