Broadcasting Sharia: American TV News' Illustration of Social Identity and the Emergence of a Threat

Abstract

Using social identity theory to assess in-group, out-group representations, this study examines the portrayal of sharia in American network television media. A 10-year content analysis showed that ABC, CBS, and NBC continually paired sharia with mentions of the United States, reinforcing its representation as the in-group. These mentions frequently were coupled with mentions of non-Western countries, supporting the idea of an in-group versus out-group comparison. Moreover, the stories included many topics connotatively negative in Western culture. A significant and positive relationship between mentions of non-Western countries and connotatively negative topics was found, reinforcing the positioning of individuals associated with sharia—most often Muslims—within the out-group.

Notes

¹ There are several transliterations of the term “sharia” from Arabic into English. The authors follow the Associated Press style of “sharia” but in direct quotes from other sources retain the original spelling (e.g., “shariah” or “shari'a”) and capitalization.

² Among those topics excluded were topics mentioned once (child labor, economics, Saudis, sex, Tehran, and U.S. State Department) or twice (Qur'an burning and Saddam Hussein).

³ Among those countries excluded were countries mentioned once (Bosnia, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jordan, Liberia, Malaysia, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen) or twice (France, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, and Vietnam).

⁴ The countries excluded from this variable included the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States.

⁵ The topics excluded from this variable included Christianity, conversion, Islam, politics, and women, as they are not necessarily connotatively negative terms in Western culture.