Western mainstream media’s portrayal of Islam and its effect on Scottish Muslim women.

Abstract

This research study engaged in an in-depth analysis of Scottish Muslim women’s lived experiences in order to explore how Scottish Muslim women are affected by Western mainstream media’s portrayal of Islam. Thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes within the data sets; there were four main themes identified. This research revealed that Scottish Muslim women predominantly perceived traditional western media’s representation of Islam as negative. Although, social media’s depiction was a combination of both positive and negative views and attitudes towards Islam. Moreover, it was found that Scottish Muslim women were generally mistreated in society which subsequently lead to a change in their behaviour. Thus, the effects of the media’s portrayal on Muslim women living in Scotland proved to be substantial.