A study of the content provided by the French media on Islam, shows that racism and prejudice constitute restrictions on media freedom that can outweigh the censorship and restrictions imposed by the tyrannical authorities.
My professor, Professor James Halloran at the University of Leicester, directed me to the importance of studying bias and its impact on freedom of the press in 1990 .. Hallorann was the pioneer of studies of bias, when he explained that the British media was biased towards capitalism when it covered the student demonstrations in 1968.
Prejudice causes the media to view events from one side, sacrificing fairness and objectivity.
Many events made this clear, as the prejudice of the Western media during the American aggression on Afghanistan and Iraq led to concealment of many facts and focus on the discourse of power, and justify the massacres committed by Western countries against the peoples.
The French media consider Islamic symbols (the hijab) a violation of the French cultural system, and portray these symbols as terrorism
Active participant in the conflict
Bias makes the media an effective participant in the conflict, and therefore it gives up its function of providing knowledge and information to the public, and it does not fulfill its function in managing free discussion of societal issues.
The position of the media in Western countries towards Islam can be an important case that reveals the impact of prejudice on freedom, and that the media professionals must start a new phase against indirect restrictions on media freedom.
And practical research contributes an important role at this stage, as it can light the way to liberate the media from the monopoly that leads to the use of the media to achieve the goals of power or capitalism.
Moreover, scientific research shows the propaganda role played by the media, and the lack of fairness or objectivity in their coverage of many events.
Prejudice of Jewish Christian Culture
Abd al-Rahim Ait Abd al-Salam provides an explanation for the French media’s misrepresentation of Islam, that it is a result of its bias towards the Jewish Christian culture, and this contradicts the slogans raised by France about secularism (secularism), and despite the fact that Muslims have become an important part of French society, where their number ranges between 5-6 million people, and this means that Islam has become an important presence in society. However, the media deal with hostility with this part of society, and that hostility appears in the rejection of the existence of Islamic symbols such as the veil.
The French media consider Islamic symbols (the hijab) a violation of the French cultural system, and portray these symbols as terrorism.
Elite newspapers
Abdel-Rahim Abdel-Salam focused his study on Le Monde and Le Figaro, two newspapers that enjoy a leadership position in the French media as elite newspapers, and this type of newspaper contributes to defining the media agenda and focusing on specific angles in covering events that are imitated by other media.
His study showed that the two newspapers presented Islam in a negative light, and used vocabulary such as "radical" and "political" Islam to frame their coverage of events, and Le Monde called for the amendment of Islam to become French Islam.
It is clear that this expresses the discourse of authority, and adopts the foundations upon which this discourse is based.
Hate reality
The prejudice against Islam in the French media increases the intensity of hatred in French society, and leads to the accumulation of injustice to which Muslims are exposed.
Despite France’s progress in the field of sociology, it did not realize that directing insults to the Islamic faith and the noble Prophet Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, constitutes a declaration of war on all Muslims, and increases anger and discontent, and this leads to many consequences that threaten society.
In light of this, we can clearly notice that the French media - as a result of fanaticism and prejudice - have abandoned their function of warning society of the dangers that could threaten its unity and lead to its division and fragmentation.
The French media have rushed to defend Charlie Hebdo's publishing of cartoons insulting to the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, under the slogan defending freedom of opinion .. This raises an important question: Do Muslims in France enjoy freedom of opinion, expression, media, press and worship, or are these freedoms not Available to Muslims under French secularism ?!
And that the French media only express the vision of the authority, and do not provide an opportunity for dialogue and discussion.
Prejudice and a right to know
One of the most negative consequences of the French media’s bias against Islam is that it deprives French society of knowledge.
And because one is an enemy of an ignorant one, this deprivation leads to an increase in hatred within the components of society, and the constant blame of the victim, who are Muslims, and the human right to obtain information and knowledge was one of the most important factors on which Western progress and the European enlightenment project were based ... It is now clear that the French media is systematically depriving the French of knowledge about Islam and ignoring them in order to facilitate the spread of a negative stereotype of Islam that stirs hatred and hostility.
This means that the bias of the French media against Islam will negatively affect the future of France. Freedom of knowledge was the most important victim of this bias, and the society in which the freedom of knowledge is restricted is vulnerable to weakness, failure and fall.
And because knowledge is one of the most important pillars of power, denying French society its right to knowledge, restricting its free flow, and deliberately ignoring the people, will lead to a diminishing capacity of the French people to practice democracy based on the knowledgeable citizen.
Therefore, the negative effects of restricting citizens' freedom to know Islam are not limited to Muslims only, but will lead to the weakening of the whole society and the collapse of the French democratic model.
There is also an important function for the mass media, which is to achieve community cohesion and unification .. The media achieve that function by agreeing on a set of values and principles on which society is based, and justice is one of the most important of those values, and when the injustice felt by a group in society increases, the dangers of disintegration increase. And division.
The prejudice of the French media against Islam diminished their ability to perform this function, and consolidate the values and principles around which a general agreement can be achieved. They have adopted the discourse of authority and the oath that prevents Muslims from enjoying their right to freedom of opinion, expression and worship, and does not deal with them as part of the society.
A threat to the press
Therefore, French journalists must think about their future. It is certain that one day they will be blamed by the entire French people, when this people realizes the dangers they are exposed to as a result of prejudice against Islam, depriving them of its knowledge, and the injustice that Muslims in France are exposed to.
French journalists must work to protect their future, by contemplating the prejudice, injustice and double standards with which the French media deal with Islam.
For example, the French media are hiding the facts about the French aggression against the people of Mali, and about the situation of the French army in the African coast, so this war will continue without the French army achieving a victory, and the continuation of this aggression will lead to an increase in hostility, hatred and the desire for revenge. .
Journalists should do their job in protecting society by revealing facts, passing on information and knowledge to the people, criticizing the authority's discourse, and saving French society from the state of division.
Muslims have become an important part of society, and the future can only be built by respecting their rights, opening the way for them to freely express their identity, enjoy freedom of worship, and participate in the democratic process without marginalization or exclusion.
But are journalists doing their job, fighting to protect the right of their audiences to know, and discussing the issues of their society freely ?!
The coming years will witness comprehensive global changes, so it is imperative that journalists think about their future, rebuilding their job and their role in building democracy.