NOW THAT the two sniper suspects have been identified, there will no doubt be a media blitz that will delve into the lives and motives of the suspects. From tabloid biographies to psychological analyses by the "experts," the public will be saturated with the history and lives of the sniper suspects before the commotion is over. All of these news sources have the potential for bias in their reporting, and in this case, the media needs to leave it up to their audiences to draw their own conclusions about the events. Media coverage of the sniper case runs the risk of bringing a backlash against the Islamic community, and more responsible journalism will prevent such racist actions from occurring.
Leaders of the Islamic community have already expressed concern over the chance that in the wake of the sniper's rampage, there could be a backlash against the Islamic community. John Allen Muhammad, the sniper suspect, converted to Islam 17 years ago, and concerned Muslims do not want to be associated with him in any way. They are afraid that the hatred directed toward the sniper suspects will be extended to all followers of Islam. Many Muslims see the media as perpetrators of such generalizations. Nihad Awad, the executive director for CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, advised the press to avoid "stereotyping or prejudice," and said, "The American Muslim community should not be held accountable for the alleged criminal actions of what appear to be troubled and deranged individuals."
This good advice has been ignored by members of the media that ought to know better. On their Web site, CNN has posted a profile of the sniper suspect. The title of the article reads "Muhammad a Gulf War Vet, Islam Convert." The article then goes on to place his conversion to Islam alongside his military record and depressing social life, which included two divorces.
Although the reference to his military background and divorces are relevant due to the fact that they explain both his marksmanship and depressed state of mind, the reference to his religion is far more questionable. Evil does not manifest itself in specific faiths, and it is both offensive and prejudiced to display Islam as a main feature in the profile of a suspected killer. Although the murders may have been religiously inspired, this has not been proved, and until it has been, the sniper suspect's faith does not warrant such focus.
As the CNN article stands, Islam is completely villainized by the way in which it is portrayed. Aside from distastefully displaying Islam in the headline, the article is also poor in its structure. Muhammad's military life is followed by reference to his "bitter custody battles," and this is followed by a subheading that reads, "Converted to Islam after first marriage ended." The prominence given to this implies that his conversion to Islam was the effect of a military career and a bitter life, and that it is a culmination of these that turned him into a serial killer. The bulleted points on the side of the article place his conversion to Islam side-by-side with his military experience, and unfoundedly give them equal importance.
Although news sources may justify the mention of Islam with the fact that Muhammad was rumored to be sympathetic with the September 11 hijackers, this is a blatant generalization of Islam. Al Qaeda is a radical splinter group that has perverted the tenants of Islam to fit their homicidal agenda. CNN gives true practitioners of Islam a bad name, and they ought to acknowledge that those who sympathize with mass destruction are not truly following Islamic doctrine. To do otherwise is irresponsible and supports the misrepresentation of an entire religion. John Esposito, a professor of Islamic studies at Georgetown University, commented on the nonsensical nature of such generalizations, and stated, "There's no formal connection we know of to groups like Al-Qaeda, but his last name is Muhammad. It's the last thing Muslims need right now. This is their worst nightmare" (http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=19807).
The media has begun to perpetrate this nightmare, and it is doubtful that CNN would have mentioned a conversion to Christianity, Judaism or Buddhism with such implications of relevance. The mention of Islam is obviously meant to catch attention, and news sources such as CNN have unfairly connected the Islamic religion to acts of terrorism due to groups such as al Qaeda. Although news sources may profit from using Islam as a scapegoat for terrorism, they ought to forego a sensationalist article in favor of news that amounts to something constructive. Sensationalism of multi-faceted issues does not do justice to their complexity, and this simplification can result in generalizations. These in turn have the potential to create stereotypes and cause hate crimes, and unless news sources such as CNN want to carry the responsibility for this, they need to stick to reporting the facts without letting their ignorance get in the way.
(Kevin James Wong's column appears
Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kwong@cavalierdaily.com.)
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