Covering Islam – linguistic analysis (by Arlinda Rezhdo)

The text is an introduction to a book which attempts to describe the relationship between the Islamic world and the Western world, including here France, Britain and especially United States, as the author, Edward W. Said says.

“In ‘Covering Islam’ my subject is immediately contemporary: Western and specifically American responses to an Islamic world perceived, since the early seventies, as being immensely relevant and yet antipathetically troubled, and problematic.” (pg. 22; second paragraph) Not forgetting the aim of the topic I would say that in this statement the author shows which side is he going to view the theme from. In our topic (considering linguistic devices) I would consider the sentence as a good example of the type of sentences in the text. They are quite long and with a variety of words that makes it sometimes difficult to understand.

We can see that even though it is an introduction the author analysis itself the word Islam as a word not only with one meaning but as partly fiction, ideological label and minimal designation of a religion called Islam. What we get interested in is how the word’s meaning changes from culture to culture and from time to time.

The author gives generally more opinions (as I mentioned before, his side is obvious) but there are facts as well such as: “With approximately three hundred reporters in Teheran during the first days of the hostage crisis, and without a Persian-speaker among them, it was no wonder that all the media reports coming out of Iran repeated essentially the same threadbare accounts of what was taking place…” (pg. 23; first paragraph) which make the text more credible.

To end up this analysis I would mention the rhetorical questions: “Why then was the shah admitted here? Or we, like the Persians, have an ‘aversion to accepting responsibility for one’s own action’?” (Pg. 32; second paragraph) The influence of these questions is to make the coming piece more interesting and attracting, an aim this achieved successfully especially in the text, since these kind of questions are used rarely and at the right place.

The use of linguistic devices in “Islamofobia”, by Cecilia

 “In many instances “Islam” has licensed not only patent inaccuracy but also expressions of unrestrained ethnocentrism, cultural and even racial hatred, deep yet paradoxically free-floating hostility. All this has taken place as part of what is presumed to be fair, balanced, responsible coverage of Islam.” (p.22) In this paragraph we can see that the author’s is used as a matter of fact, without any real fact to support that; moreover, the argument is expressed in a loaded language, and the hint to racial matters reveals the intention of moving the reader’s conscience. The form in which all that is expressed, at first reading, appears as a fact; that’s the real ability of the author. To be noticed, the rhetoric use of the list of three (fair, balanced, responsible) gives more effectiveness also to the previous sentence.

The author is trying to appear neutral; at first sight he seems, but analyzing the devices used I can say that he is not. Edward W. Said probably knew that Islamofobia is such an emotion-full topic that the only way to tackle it is using an objective approach; in this way, who criticizes the book has to pay attention to be as objective as the author is, if one wants to be listened. Although that, just some of his arguments are facts but most are opinions expressed as facts in a loaded language and supported, sometimes, by some sort of justifications.

The author was foresighted also on another point: knowing someone would remark the instability of the Middle East, he included and criticized an extract of Kelly’s book (p.23-24). In addition, he introduced it using a very loaded language. Since his opinions are reasonable, this counter argument might influence the reader’s way of looking at the other part of the article: he could identify his opinion with the author’s one and extend that to all the book.

In all the extract Said is using some common-sense opinions, so the reader could think: “Since here he’s right, he’s right also there”, creating a trustful atmosphere. Only after, indeed, the author dares to use a stronger dramatic device: rhetoric questions. Emblematic is the question “Is there such a thing as Islamic behaviour?” that is followed by so many other similar questions that communicate to the reader an impression of something very complicate to face, and, in addition give a sensation of pressure.

Worth to notice is the ending of the extract (from “Respect…” to the end): it is written in a very loaded and emotive way, pointing out the morality of respect and understanding.

A worthy end for a bias.

Journal on Covering Islam (linguistic devices) by Neus Giner

Most anti islamophobic arguments resort to the idea that Islam is being used as a way of escaping from western society’s problems, that it is being demonized so the West can blame it for everything.

  

In “Covering Islam” we can see during the text how Edward W. Said completely supports this point of view but, what is more important, also how he tries to convince his lectors to think the same.

  We can generally say that the author is using a loaded language, since his aim is to persuade the reader, to make him comprehend how the West, and specially USA, is playing with the image of Islam to accomplish their own interests. 

Therefore, on account of this language style, one of the most used techniques in the text is giving opinions which, as the following example in page xv, sometimes are even stated as if they were facts: “Yet there is a consensus on “Islam” as a kind of scapegoat for everything we do not happen to like about the world’s new political, social, and economic patterns.” 

Similar to opinions we have generalisations, which simplify the argument and give us a wide prototype that covers more elements and, as a result, helps the author to sound more convincing. For instance, in the page xii: “With approximately three hundred reporters in Teheran during the first days of the hostage crisis, and without a Persian-speaker among them, it was no wonder that all the media reports coming out of Iran repeated essentially the same threadbare accounts of what was taking place;…” 

Another linguistic device used is the counter argument, for example in the page xi: “ Superficially, phrases like that have a certain plausibility, but in fact I think hey re used to cover a great deal of what the reporter knows nothing about.” 

However, what makes the text credible, influential and strong are the facts given to support the author’s points. Such as: “On January 20, 1981, the fifty-two Americans held prisoner in the United States Embassy for 4444 days finally left Iran. A few days later they arrived in the United States to be greeted by the country’s genuine happiness in seeing them back.” on page xx, which Said uses to emphasize his consideration of the fact that people take each event related to Muslims into its extreme. 

Finally the use of rhetorical questions on page xv: “Is there such a thing as Islamic behaviour? … and Indonesia?” and on page xxv: “Is “Islam” going to be confined to the role of terroristic oil-supplier? Are journals… and peaceful development?” try to raise the awareness of, in author’s opinion, the senseless situation towards the perception of Islam. 

To sum up, we can conclude that the author uses a wide range of techniques that help a lot the effect on the reader he wants to achieve. I do not need to look for examples far away, I am actually one.

Journal on Covering Islam (linguistic devices) by Neus Giner

Most anti islamophobic arguments resort to the idea that Islam is being used as a way of escaping from western society’s problems, that it is being demonized so the West can blame it for everything. In “Covering Islam” we can see during the text how Edward W. Said completely supports this point of view but, what is more important, also how he tries to convince his lectors to think the same. We can generally say that the author is using a loaded language, since his aim is to persuade the reader, to make him comprehend how the West, and specially USA, is playing with the image of Islam to accomplish their own interests. Therefore, on account of this language style, one of the most used techniques in the text is giving opinions which, as the following example in page xv, sometimes are even stated as if they were facts: “Yet there is a consensus on “Islam” as a kind of scapegoat for everything we do not happen to like about the world’s new political, social, and economic patterns.” Similar to opinions we have generalisations, which simplify the argument and give us a wide prototype that covers more elements and, as a result, helps the author to sound more convincing. For instance, in the page xii: “With approximately three hundred reporters in Teheran during the first days of the hostage crisis, and without a Persian-speaker among them, it was no wonder that all the media reports coming out of Iran repeated essentially the same threadbare accounts of what was taking place;…” Another linguistic device used is the counter argument, for example in the page xi: “ Superficially, phrases like that have a certain plausibility, but in fact I think hey re used to cover a great deal of what the reporter knows nothing about.” However, what makes the text credible, influential and strong are the facts given to support the author’s points. Such as: “On January 20, 1981, the fifty-two Americans held prisoner in the United States Embassy for 4444 days finally left Iran. A few days later they arrived in the United States to be greeted by the country’s genuine happiness in seeing them back.” on page xx, which Said uses to emphasize his consideration of the fact that people take each event related to Muslims into its extreme. Finally the use of rhetorical questions on page xv: “Is there such a thing as Islamic behaviour? … and Indonesia?” and on page xxv: “Is “Islam” going to be confined to the role of terroristic oil-supplier? Are journals… and peaceful development?” try to raise the awareness of, in author’s opinion, the senseless situation towards the perception of Islam. To sum up, we can conclude that the author uses a wide range of techniques that help a lot the effect on the reader he wants to achieve. I do not need to look for examples far away, I am actually one.

Journal on Covering Islam (linguistic devices) by Tijana

By asking many rhetorical questions, such as “what should have been done?”(Said, W. Edward, Covering Islam, p.28) and “But was Iran- is Iran- rational?”(Ibid) Edward W. Said is giving us answers related to Islam and Islamophobia.

                                                

Said’s opinion is that Islam is a special case, as he says “I mean that like so much of the postcolonial world, Islam belongs neither to Europe nor, like Japan, to the advanced industrial group of nations.”  However, later on, again as his opinion Said emphasizes that he does not strongly believe in nation of “Islam” (p.26). Despite this, it somehow seems that he is still emotional about the topic when he says that the western world sees Islam as “barbarism” (p.22) and only wants its oil reserves.

In order to show how the islamophobia started, he uses facts about the “hostage return” that happened on January 20, 1981 (Ibid, p.27).

Said is still were kin about defending Islam and showing a real picture, and in order to achieve it he uses loaded language, for example “Most newspapers and national weeklies ran supplements on the return from learned analyses of how the final agreement between Iran and the United States was arrived at, and what involved, the celebrations of American heroism and Iranian barbarism.”(Ibid, p.27)

If you try to find some tabloidese on the same topic, on the internet, you will get the title “Hook’s ‘Bomb Big Ben Book”(www.goliath.ecnext.com), which is how one London tabloid called the book written by Abu Hamza al-Masri, the hook-handed former imam of the notorious Finsbury Park mosque.

Moreover, I think that Said is actually generalizing all the time, by saying West, East, Europe, US, and looking at people that live there in general.

We can see how the techniques which writers are using, possibly on purpose, can influence the creation of our opinion, while we are reading some text, and we do not necessarily notice that, despite when we have it as a taskJ.

 word count: 326

Witchcraft, by Cecilia Astolfi

I am a witch.

That makes me feel different. Since that, people look at me in a diffident and curious way. Since that, I look at the other religions, especially Catholicism, in a diffident and curious way.

When I say to someone “I am a witch”, generally the first reaction is: “What?? Did you say witch??” and after a few seconds: “can you do spells?”. I have to admit that at the beginning my ego was satisfied by their interest; now, it’s annoying. Every time that someone is speaking about religion, I know that if I want to say my opinion, it will take a long time. It’s annoying when people say “Oh, that’s so so cool!”: they don’t know what they are talking about. In their mind there is still the image of a woman on a broomstick. Consequently, I’m reluctant to start a religion discussion. If I start it, I will take all the time that I need to explain what witchcraft is. That’s the only way, for me, to feel more comfortable with a person just know that I am a witch.

I have, in addition, the inverse problem: I somehow accepted, internalized the witchcraft history. That means, I feel as my personal past all that happened to the different types of “witch” present in the history, from the imposition of the Christian religion on the Celtic (and, generally, pagan) population to the persecution of the women in the Middle and Modern Age, until the current diffidence about pagans. For that, I don’t like Christians: I know it’s a prejudice, but every time that I think about Christianity, I remember burned women and current intolerance of the Pope. To be a friend with a Christian, I need to know one is open-minded. I need to know he/she will not try to convert me and he/she respects my vision. 

Differences by Tijana

A DIFFERENCE

  

It is not easy to live in an environment that makes you overcome the differences in order to ‘fit in’. However, if we think about it, every environment demands this from us, since wherever we are, there will always be something or someone different than us.

 

To put a theory into a practice, in Bosnia, there are tree major ethnic groups. In my previous experience I did not really had many chances to interact with different ethnic groups than mine. There were many prejudices about ‘the others’, though.

 

A new circumstances brought me into a new environment, where I had, not only a chance to talk and meet members of the different ethnic groups, but to live together with them, in other words to really share every segment of my life with them. This made me change my opinion in general. A part of it was forced to be changed, since they were no longer unknown to me, so they stopped being ‘the other’. But the rest changed because of the effort I have out in it. However, to me it seams that there are still some obstacles to a true equality.

 

Before you meet someone or something, that you consider different, you already create a certain image connected to the particular person or object; otherwise you would not be able to identify its difference. It is interesting that, in this area of Balkans, people did not consider themselves ‘different’ before the war. All of the sudden, we all became ‘the others’ to each other. This proves us that the difference does not have to be based on something physical, something that we can notice by our perception; it can simply be imposed to us by somebody on the ‘higher position’ who can have an influence on our opinion.

 

We, as newer generations, were not witnesses of that peaceful time. Our opinions were mostly created by other people, without our will, and that resulted with a very low level of interaction between youth of different ethnic groups. From my own experience I can say that it is not to overcome all the prejudices. However, I personally believe that it is not that easy to ignore or destroy the possible threat and fear that is still present,  just because of the basic differences in religion and some believes.

 

The easiest way to overcome the barriers is friendship and communication. By doing this we start to appreciate other sides of the person we are interacting with, and than the difference becomes less important. However, whenever something, that could push the differences on the surface, happens, the fear appears again.

‘The Other’, by Ajla

Every person has some unreasonable fear. It is not important whether it is something that you think about others, nor if it is what others thinks about you, what matters is that it is something that a person is ashamed of and wants to keep it only for him or her. That is the thing which is marking everyone as ‘The Other’.

I am, as well, a simple human being, and therefore I do have that something that I feel afraid of expressing. It comes the time when a person is able to face its fears, as I am now.

In my country there are three big nations. On the paper we all live together, on the paper we are united. In the reality it is different. It is a fact that in Bosnia and Herzegovina you do not have Bosnian people. What you do have are Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks. Differences between them are big, and all of them think of their own as the best and others as wrong. Each group is closed-minded and even if they seem to be opposite it is not the case. It is really rare to find an individual who is neutral or who is able to ignore his/her point of view in order to live in community. You are part of one of three ethnic groups, and as one of them you should despise everything else. You are what your family, your friends are, and not much choice is left to you but to be what they are. This habit is traveling from generation to generation and it does not seem to change that soon.

Well that is my problem. In this country your identity is based on which nationality you are, and that is based on which religion your family and you are. So I have no identity. My father was complete Bosniak, as all his, and therefore me as well, ancestors were. My mum is a mixture of Croat (her father’s family is from Herzegovina) and Serb (her mother and all her family is from Serbia). I, as a child of theirs, am all three of it, and therefore in this country I am nothing. But I do exist, and my home is Bosnia and Herzegovina and I am Bosnian but that is not enough.

When you tell people here that then you have additional questions –everyone is surprised, and most of them are seeking for a deeper answer.

Next question always is: ‘Which religion are you?’

I am not a person to tell lies. In most cases I try to avoid further discussion but there are situations when it is not possible. I am catholic, and therefore people are always sorting me as Croat. Others are just taking conclusion from my name (which is pure Muslim name) and putting me in group of Bosniaks. Mostly I let them think what they want, but in the last period of time, especially since I’m on college, I do not allow people to sort me in any of three groups. I am maybe ‘The Other’, I can be avoided or judged but my country is Bosnia and Herzegovina and therefore I am Bosnian!

Different (by Arlinda Rezhdo)

What really frustrates me is that just time can do something to diminish my difference. When we were discussing about this topic in class I didn’t even know what to say, and after 5 minutes I just couldn’t stop anymore. I guess they were just small things but that lead to a singular big difference which is ME. Well…yes, I’m different.

Just because of it, I sometimes feel like I don’t belong. I usually blame my culture for this. When I talk to people they seem confident and convinced about what they think or want. The difference with me is that I don’t know what I want. In my culture you are supposed to follow what your parents tell you to, you are not even supposed to have your own opinion or to contradict someone older than you. This made it difficult for me when I came here. I was accustomed to follow what others told me to and never to have my own ideas or beliefs. While everyone else was making steps forward in their lives I was looking for my real me, for what I wanted and for what I was looking for.

The change that the experience in this college made to me was so obvious. When I went back home I had bad relations with my family and friends because they expected me to accomplish what they told me to or at least not to contradict them and this was quite tough for me. But again when I come here I’m still insecure because I haven’t fully discovered myself.

This sometimes makes me see myself in a low position compared to others. I sometimes imagine myself rejected from the society, a fact this that makes me feel even more insecure and different.

Response to Watching Journal-Borat

Are you suggesting we should make the ‘watching journal’ a regular affair? It seems as if we needed a film like Borat to provoke such passionate, vivid, even livid responses. This journal betrayed just how good you are and how far you can go in mastering the language. You took very good care getting exactly what you meant across which was what made your writing targeted, honest and effective. Your ideas were mature and showed an immensely satisfying level of personal engagement.Ajla raised not one but a few media-related issues including censorship and freedom of expression; Arlinda discussed the instructional potential and pedagogical agenda of the media- literally, ‘cultural learnings’ not only for Borat but for us; Cecilia, cynicism of (Anglophone) media; Tina, the hypocrisy of our society and Neus, what the media reveals about the environment/cultural context/people around the individual including ourselves. Quite a bit of independent thought went into this task as you can see from the varied foci of your responses.Congratulations. Now we’re talking 7s in the IB Maria

Some thoughts on developing the critique:

- When arguing whether or not ‘Borat’ challenges or conforms to media conventions, structure your thoughts and balance both sides of the argument equally. This means giving both sides equal consideration if not credit.

- Take those ideas a step further: So what if the film conforms? Which conventions specifically does it conform to and WHY? So what if it breaks certain conventions? Which did it break and WHY? What does this tell us about Cohen’s primary purposes? Identify the order of importance (the hierarchy) he gave these purposes.