A Reseach Report on the Portrayal of Muslim Girls and Young Women in the Media
"We must prepare young people for living in a world of powerful images, words and sounds." UNESCO, 1982

SUMMARY

The primary objective of this project was to develop a strategy based on the input of Muslim girls and young women, to assess the issue of media portrayal and promote the long-term involvement of Muslim girls and young women in media monitoring and advocacy. A questionnaire and a number of small focus groups, consisting of gatherings of Muslim girls and young women were held to discuss their perceptions of self-image and the role the media plays in this process.

The discussion allowed the Muslim girls and young women to discuss the barriers they faced, and their understanding of the role and impact of media images. Three major themes were identified during these sessions; (i) media and self-image/self-identity, (ii) media and representation/diversity and (iii) media and advocacy.

The recommendations from the questionnaire, during the focus group sessions and at the conference as to what actions were feasible, and how they would like to implement change to address the key themes were noted. The recommendations suggested were categorized into public education, advocacy for change and community capacity building.

In addition, Irshad Manji, a Muslim-Canadian journalist, led a roundtable discussion at CityTV with the Muslim girls and young women. A variety of topics were discussed during the session ranging from the definition of feminism to what it meant to be a Muslim, the generation gap with parents and the Taleban in Afghanistan. Overall, there was a feeling that Muslim girls and young women were portrayed inaccurately and there was a lack of representation of Muslim girls and young women in the media.

Sponsored by Afghan Women's Organization
Funded by Status of Women Canada