Visual framing of Muslim women in the Arab Spring: Prominent, active, and visible

Abstract

This content analysis of still images explores how leading media from the US and Middle East (CNN and Al-Jazeera) visually framed Muslim women during the Arab Spring. The findings indicate that when women were in images, they were the primary focal point more than men. Both media framed Muslim women as active participants in the political unrest; however, Al-Jazeera portrayed Muslim women as active significantly more than CNN. The results contrast sharply with previous studies of portrayals of Muslim women in Western media, especially in the post 9/11 era in which women were largely framed as passive victims.