Islam in mass-media space

of russia and Tatarstan:

policy and social analisis

final research paper

February 2003 – October 2004

Irina Kouznetsova-Morenko

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. Experts opinions towards representation Islam

in Mass-media

1.1. Journalists and Muslim clerics about representation of Islam in All-Russian Mass-media

1.2. Representation of Islam in Tatarstan Mass-Media

1.3. Journalists professionalism in representation of Islam

3. The press about moslims: data from discourse and content analisis

3.1. Seizure of hostages on Nord-Ost in the mirror of mass-media: “warrior of Allah” or terrorists?

3.2. Representation of war in Iraq

3.3. Image of the Russian Muslims in the information company

“the case about Hijabs”

3.4. Daily life of Muslims on the example of representation

the feast Kurban-Bairam

4. Moslem Journalism in Republic of Tatarstan

4.1. The Muslim press

4.2. Muslim journalistic community in Tatarstan Republic: an estate and prospects.

5. Interaction between Muslims and journalists society as a factor of representation of Islam

6. Ways of increasing of journalist’s professionalism in representation of Muslim issues

7. Perspective directions of Media Policy Towards Islam in Mass-Media

Conclusion

Literature

Appendix. List of newspapers and magazines

INTRODUCTION

Russian mass media has been paying great attention to Islam since the 1980s. It is caused by the revival of religion in Russia with the post-perestroyka process which spread along the whole territory of the Soviet Union. Islam renaissance can be proved by the following facts: there are 7000 mosques in Russia now (compared with 311 in 1986), about 40 independent Muslim Authorities and about 40 newspapers and journals. According to the some data, Islam is confessed by 15-18 % of population in Russia.

The events in Chechnya, teracts on the territory of Russia and Dagestan caused mass media’s great interest toward Islam. Such notions as “Islam fundamentalism”, “Islam terrorism”, “and Islam radicalism” have become firmly established in mass media, referring to the events in Afghanistan, Balkans and Israel especially after the teracts in the USA in September, 11.

The purpose of the investigation was to study of Russian and Tatarstan media policy towards Islam in a context of interreligious tolerance and research of potential of transformations in media policy. The project based on studying of the level of attention of Russian and Regional press for the life of Muslims in republics of traditional distribution of Hanafit maskhab (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan), analysis of opinions and stereotypes concerned Islam and Muslims translated by mass-media, revitalization peculiarity of treatment of the questions concerned processes in Muslim world of Russia, Tatarstan and foreign countries in Russian and Tatarstan mass-media.

In the given project the legislative frameworks of media activity in coverage of religion, attitude of the journalists to the given problematic were investigated. For analysis of interactions between Muslim society and mass-media, journalists stereotypes and attitudes were examined four cases: capture of the hostages on performance "Nord-Ost" in Moscow in October 23, 2002; war in Iraq; struggle of Muslim women for the right to be photographed on the passport in scarves (“the case about hijabs”) and traditional Moslem holiday Kurban Bairam. Were used methods of discourse and content analysis of All-Russian and Tatarstan newspapers and magazines (2002-2004). For investigating of attitudes of journalists, Muslim clerics, eliciting of perspectives directions of the media policy transformation interviews with Muslim religious figures, journalists of electronic and printed mass-media (local editions, staff reporters of the Russian editions and journalists of regional representations of the Russian editions), head of the Journalism department, and director of journalistic public organization have been carried out. Conclusive stage of the project was organization and carrying out of a round table “Muslims and mass media” (on June, 8, 2004).