Muslims and Islam in Indian English Press: Exploring the Islamophobic Discourse

Abstract

This research study attempted to explore the representation of Muslim/Islam in a hostile manner, which can be categorized as Islamophobia in the Indian English press. For this purpose, three Indian English newspapers including The Times of India, The Hindu and The Indian Express were purposively selected because of their wide circulation in India. The time period selected for discourse analysis comprised three months from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017. In this study, discourse analysis investigated the most prominent themes of stereotyping and prejudices, anxieties and racialization. The stories were also analysed in the context of positive, negative and neutral tone. The findings suggest that major instances were found in The Times of India and The Hindu , where the newspaper is constantly trying to present its insecurities of Muslims and Islam, unlike The Indian Express .