Fighting Islamophobia Through Preservation of Memory. A Case Study: Palestinian Journalism

Abstract

Palestinian journalists have been Orientalized to silence their voices on the multiple events and situation under occupation stemming from the Palestinian partition. Palestinian journalists are aware of what it means to face discrimination and stigmatization for belonging to an ethnic or religious group. The history of Palestinian journalism is built on constant attacks against their credibility. At the beginning of the 20th century, they were considered too biased to do a professional job, too nationalists to be objective, and thus unprofessional. Then during the second half of the 20th century, they were suspected of supporting terrorism or even designated as terrorists. Nowadays, they are still asked to be less activist and more objective by their mainstream media colleagues. This article analyses empirical cases that show how Palestinian journalism has articulated a successful counter-narrative to fight against stigma and Islamophobia. Palestinian journalism has been Orientalized 1 in a process which has overshadowed the narratives, memory, and identity of Palestinian society.