Implications of Negative Media Coverage in the Middle East

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Instead of focusing on the negative, let’s take a minute and focus on the positive aspect of the Middle East. We need to remember that even though the media makes it seem as though the Middle East is unsafe place, that isn’t necessarily true. Yes, there is unrest in the Middle East, but the regions that are safe, are tremendously safe. The Middle East offers you either war, or extreme security, there really isn’t an in between. Middle Eastern people are quite friendly and are very welcoming. Call to prayer in the Middle East is a reminder to pray to your God. You don’t have to be Muslim to need a reminder to pray, call to prayer just gives you the time to remember that there is someone greater than us. The Middle East has amazing food! The Middle East has an endless supply of places to see. There are many ancient mosques, Egyptian temples and pyramids. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) has less crime than the United States, Germany, Canada, Britain, Australia or New Zealand. In Abu Dhabi which is the capital of the UAE, they are building a city that won’t have any cars, no carbon emissions and a university that will specialize in green technology.

We need to realize that there is more to the Middle East than just violence. There are everyday people living there that have nothing to do with the terror that takes place. We have awful people that live in the United States that commit horrible crimes, but we don’t say that the United States as a whole is a horrible place to live. We need to think about the lives of the people that are just trying to survive. Most people in the Middle East just want to get the most out of their lives, just like us. Children go to school, parents work, they are people just like us, but are seen as monsters because of a very small group of violent people.

How are we to overcome all this negativity and see the positive in the Middle East? Do we need to stop watching the news and reading newspapers? I do not believe that turning off the world around you is the answer. We need to police ourselves and not be so quick to judge, education is key. If we took the time out to fully understand the controversy that is taking place in the Middle East and educated ourselves, then I believe we would know better than to believe all the negativity.

References:

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Goldschmidt, A., & Davidson, L. (n.d.). A concise history of the Middle East (Tenth ed.).

Said, E. (1997). Covering Islam: How the media and the experts determine how we see the rest of the world (Rev. ed., 1st Vintage Books ed.). New York: Vintage Books.

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