Covering Islam

By EDWARD SAID (Vintage)

Reviewed by James Cookson

Building from Orientalism – Saids’ earlier influential work (now, rightly, a Penguin Modern Classic), Said turns to address “coverage” of Islam here, in the Western mass media -including the UK. Reports here of current events in the middle-east still demonstrate the relevance of this work. Right from its first publication in 1981 after the fall of the Shah in Iran and the ensuing hostage crisis (and US blunders) were still news. While reading this book I was struck by the wording of a radio news-piece which described recent suicide bombings in Iraq and then suggested rather casually the prospect of a supposedly immanent ‘holy war.’ Since the seizure of the US’s Tehran embassy there had been much more attention on the event in the media leading to ‘Iran’s demonisation for years after.’ Statements such as: “where there are Shi’ites, there is trouble”(Atlanta Journal-Constitution); the “Shi’a penchant for martyrdom”(New York Times) have had a lasting impact, and with operations underway in Iraq today (much of the Iraqi population are Shi’ite -it turns out): Said’s analysis has growing relevance to the way similar statements today portray Islam… and for example, the people of Iraq.

Islam has been historically “too closely tied to conquest and domination.” Said concludes that the choice, when faced with interpreting other cultures like Islam is “whether to put intellect at the service of power or at the service of criticism, community, dialogue and moral sense.” And simply, that “Except for the purposes of conquest, “Islam” is not what it is generally said to be in the West today.”

In the introduction to the Vintage edition Said remarks that with the continuing intense focus on Muslims and Islam, there was “more highly exaggerated stereotyping and belligerent hostility than what I had previously described in my book.”
Said’s work is formidable and highly informative.

(Sadly… on 25th September 2003 Edward Said died of leukaemia)