Representation of Muslim Women in Social Media: Some Reflections from Western and Indian Media Representations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand the representation of Muslim women in social media. The essentialist and stereotypical projection of Muslim women by Western media often influences Western feminist understanding of Muslim women. Similarly, in the Indian context, the representation of Muslim women in visual media is much sensualized and is restricted to certain specific issues like personal laws, triple talaq, and low education level with an overtone of religion. However, this portrayal of Muslim women in media is not static; it is changing with time. Due to globalization and technological advancement, Muslim women are also becoming tech-savvy. This notion of representation changed when Muslim women’s activists started representing themselves on social media platforms as agentive selves. This paper investigates the self-representation of Muslim women’s online activism on social media. Based on the study of online presence on various social media platforms, this paper uses thematic analysis, content analysis and critical discourse analysis to investigate the formation of discourse about Muslim women in social media. To collect data, leading Newspaper Websites, magazines, news channels, YouTube, and X were chosen purposefully to demonstrate the various ways by which self-expressions of Muslim women, solidarity, activism, and womanhood are re-constituted across time and different locations