Summary and Review of Covering Islam by Edward Said

     

Book: Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World

Author: Edward W. Said

Publication: Vintage  Year: 1981   Page: 200

After the historic event of 9/11, corrupted representation by mainstream media has precipitated grudge against Islam and Muslims in the form of phobias, terrorism and fundamentalism. Elucidating this reality of 'Islam Misinterpreted', Palestinian-born orientalist intellectual Edward Said put forth a comprehensive book shortly titled 'Covering Islam' on critical role of media in Muslim Issues.

     The book, published in 1981 by a division of Random House, gives theoretical and practical explanations on 'how the media and the experts determine how we see the rest of the world.' Divided into three distinctive chapters, it connects corresponding issues and affairs happening in Muslim world - the Middle East, including still-lasting Palestine-Israel Conflict and drastic rising of Iranian Revolution. 

     The biased emotion of media focusing 'West' as 'us' and South Asia especially Middle East as 'others' is the main factor behind the distorted presentation of Muslims, Islam and its culture. This malign can be dissolved only through effective representation of Muslims by themselves, not the so-called orientalists.

 Read more reviews: Muhammad in the Hindu Scriptures 

     The first chapter 'Islam as News' includes some base-events and theories of orientalists and Western experts in the field of interpreting a community. Next to that the second chapter 'The Iranian Story' mainly focuses on Iranian Revolution and multi-dimensional effects on the Western world. With an account of reports on current research studies and their topics on Middle East issues the book ends in 'Knowledge and Power'. 

     Covering Islam, although simplified in literary sense, looks to be less understood by readers without proper knowledge about the developments of Arab World during 1980s-1990s. The author has, without much description, mentioned multiple incidents commencing the contemporary times which seem strange to novice readers on the subject. Withstanding this, the book means for reading to understand the news of the Western Media o Muslim Issues.