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Defining the conversation about Shari'a : Representations in Australian newspapers
Possamai, Adam Turner, Bryan S. Roose, Joshua Dagistanli, Selda Voyce, Malcolm
Possamai, Adam
Turner, Bryan S.
Roose, Joshua
Dagistanli, Selda
Voyce, Malcolm
Abstract
Debates about Shari’a law and legal pluralism have come to the fore of political discourse in many western multicultural societies including Australia. The mass media, in particular newspapers, have been active in reporting on Shari’a related news items and in doing so, have made a significant contribution to shaping political debate across western nations from governmental to grassroots levels. Understanding how newspapers report on Shari’a will provide important insights into how political discourse about Islam, western Muslims and Shari’a is formed. Utilizing the example of newspapers in Sydney, Australia, this article draws upon methodologies used to analyse the negative portrayals of new religious movements in the press. The article aims to analyse the way that Shari’a has been reported in key newspapers in Sydney over the last five years. It explores a variety of issues influencing the reporting of Shari’a including reporting of Shari’a at the local and international levels, the division between ‘good’ Shari’a (Islamic finance) and ‘bad’ Shari’a (family and criminal law) and differences between newspapers and media owners.
Keywords
Islam, legal pluralism, media, Muslims, new religious movements, Shari’a
Date
2013
Type
Journal article
Journal
Current Sociology
Book
Volume
61
Issue
5-6
Page Range
626-645
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled