A Postcolonial Scrutiny of the Media Imperialism in Wajahat Ali’s The Domestic Crusaders

Abstract

The paper reevaluates Wajahat Ali’s play The Domestic Crusaders through the postcolonial views of Edward Said. It explores the role of the Western media in the classification and alienation of Muslims according to racist misconceptions. Despite the differences in their respective approaches, the two texts—Ali’s The Domestic Crusaders and Said’s Covering Islam—denounce the media’s role in the distortion of the portrayals of Islam and Muslims. Accordingly, the study aims at discussing the two texts through a postcolonial viewpoint in relation to the media’s role in the spread of Islamophobia. Extracts from both texts will be provided to explicitly or implicitly epitomize the dilemma of the Muslim society after 9/11. The paper explores how the media exploit the fear, ignorance, or vulnerabilities of the global audience. The paper proves that the crusades against Islam deliberately and erroneously describe it as a source of violence and primitiveness that threatens humankind.