Workshop Participants

Workshop Daily Schedule

Organizing Idea

To address the need for increased collaboration between academics and journalists in their communication about Islam and Muslim communities to the wider public by enhancing the link between the research work of academics teaching on Islam and Muslim communities and the real-world information demands of journalists and the general public.

Goal of the Workshop

To develop a series of learning discussions whereby academics and Muslim community members become more aware of the context of working journalists reporting on Islam and Muslim communities, journalists become more aware of the resources available in the academy and in local Muslim communities, and new ideas are developed for increasing functional partnerships between all three groups in the future.

Method of the Workshop -- Case Studies

To analyze a series of six case studies in collaborative groups of academics, journalists and members of Muslim communities, on the topic of how Islam and Muslim communities have been portrayed in the media.

Learning from the Workshop Discussions

• Reporting on Islam and Muslim communities is part of the larger study of religion (journalists, academics and Muslim community members need more training in this), including the idea of religious literacy

• Journalists reporting on “religion” (or “homogenous” Islam) as a stand alone subject that is disconnected from cultural, political, economic or other localized realities needs to be challenged

• There are real limits to the potential collaboration between journalists and academics due to journalistic ethics, of which non-journalists need to be aware

• There is a need for a greater number of approachable, vetted, prepared resources and story ideas from academics and Muslim community members for journalists

Focused Products

Based on the learning gained from the workshop discussions, the following focused products were created to meet the need expressed in the workshop for improved communication between academics, journalists and Muslim community members.

Exploring Muslim Understandings of Islam--This essay by Prof. Ali Asani is an exploration of multiple "Islams,” the diversity of lived experiences of Islam. Countering the effects of cultural and religious illiteracy that fuels "the clash of ignorances," Prof. Asani presents a cultural/contextual approach to studying Islam.

Feature Stories for Journalists Utilizing Harvard Faculty and Student Resources-- Three feature story ideas on subjects pertaining to Islam and Muslim communities compiled by Master of Theological Studies candidate Shenila Khoja-Moolji. These feature stories engage Harvard faculty, research programs, students, and research centers, as well as community member sources, as resource points for use by journalists.

Individual Feature Story Ideas:

*Islam and Women--The Other Side of the Story

*Islamic Ethos in Practice: The Ismailis in the North East, USA

*Teaching About Religion in Public Schools.

Glossary of Terms Related to Islam and Muslim Communities In Inter-Regional Settings -- This set of definitions is an attempt to create a contextualized list of important terms relating to Muslims and Islamic societies, assembled by people associated with the Presenting Islam and Muslim Communities in Context workshop.

Overcoming Challenges to Reporting on Islam and Muslim Communities in Context: Tips and Resources for Journalists -- Journalists are increasingly being asked to report on Islam and Muslim communities in diverse contexts. This article is designed to assist them, and the general public, by focusing on a series of proven best practices that aide the process of reporting and understanding Muslim communities in context. This resource is developed by Diane Moore, Professor of the Practice in Religious Studies and Education and Director of the Program in Religious Studies and Education, Harvard Divinity School and author of Overcoming Religious Illiteracy, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Faculty Resources at Harvard on Islam and Muslim Communities--This CMES webpage displays the variety of faculty, staff, student and research efforts on-going at Harvard on Islam and Muslim communities.

"Windows on Iraq: Images & Context," by freelance photojournalist Kael Alford – A Nieman Foundation fellow at Harvard University, Alford’s “unembedded” photography provides an example of “contextualized” reporting on a Muslim community in the global spotlight. Alford portrays Najaf, Iraq beyond the US cordon and Mahdi Army lines during the siege of August, 2004.