The Representation of Muslim Women Converts in Algerian Media Discourse

Abstract

Women representation in media has been a great debate for many years, specifically Muslim women reverts. Studies that concern Muslim women converts are almost based on narratives and stories that describe the journey of Western women who have converted to Islam. These studies ignore the context of conversion occurs and undermine the discourse that deals with these women, besides marginalizing the gender element in their investigations. For instance, Mansoureh Chavoshpour (2012) has devoted her study to detect reasons of conversion and the impact of wearing Hijab on these women after their conversion to Islam; Caroline Neumueller (2012) has based her research on narratives of a number of native British and German women to compare their experiences of conversion to Islam, while Sabina Catlin Wahl (2014) has interviewed a number of Muslim women converts in order to voice their stories and depict the specificities of their existence in South Africa. The current study aims to critically examine the portrayal of Muslim women converts through Algerian media. Mainly, through newspaper articles. First, it intends to unveil the ideological representations of women who converted to Islam under newspapers coverage. Second, the study aims to disclose the extent of credibility of this depiction. Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis mentors the study under scrutiny to examine the discursive representation of Muslim women converts in Algerian newspapers’ discourse. In order to meet the objectives of this research, the study adopts the framework provided by Van Leewen (2008), and the approach designed by John B. Thompson (1990) to analyse articles collected from Algerian newspapers with a specific focus on gender stereotypes and ideologies perpetuated about Muslim women. It also analyses a questionnaire administered to women converts in order to check the validity of the discursive representations. The overall findings of the study suggest that Muslim women converts are represented in Algerian newspapers’ discourse conventionally highlighting values of patriarchy, regardless of the active roles that these women play in society. They also demonstrate that the Algerian newspapers discourse symbolises unity among born Muslims and women converts; on the other hand, it sustains differences and creates a split considering born Muslims as the “Us” and Muslim women converts as the “Other”. In addition, the study detects difficulties faced by Muslim women converts with born Muslims and the way newspapers’ discourse affects negatively the attitudes of readers who reject them.