Religion

Beers Unveils "Dialog with Islam"

by Sheldon Rampton — November 19, 2001 - 1:00am

PR Week reports that U.S. undersecretary of state for public affairs and public diplomacy Charlotte Beers has unveiled her strategy for "telling America's story to overseas audiences, particularly in Muslim countries." Contrary to earlier reports, the campaign does not emphasize advertising.

Main Source: 
PR Week, November 19, 2001

What the Muslim World Is Watching

by Sheldon Rampton — November 18, 2001 - 1:00am

Apparently Muslims have learned a thing or two from America after all, according to Fouad Ajami, who complains that the Al Jazeera television network is guilty of "the Hollywoodization of news ... with an abandon that would make the Fox News Channel blush." Ajami notes that "Al Jazeera's reporters and editors have no qualms about challenging the wisdom of today's Arab rulers. Indeed, Al Jazeera has been rebuked by the governments of Libya and Tunisia for giving opposition leaders from those countries significant air time.

Main Source: 
New York Times Magazine, November 18, 2001

The Fight for Good PR in the Arab World

by Sheldon Rampton — October 15, 2001 - 11:00pm

"In the days since the United States launched its armed and diplomatic responses to the Sept. 11 atrocities, few phrases have passed the lips of American leaders as often as 'this is not a war against Islam.' But as civilian casualties from American airstrikes in Afghanistan begin to pile up, and as the timeline for military action threatens to stretch into months, growing anti-American riots in the Muslim world are underscoring the message's limited reach."

Main Source: 
ABC News, October 16, 2001

Chomsky Speaks

by Sheldon Rampton — October 2, 2001 - 12:00am

MIT Institute Professor Noam Chomsky, an outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy, discusses U.S.-Muslim relations and reasons for the tensions between the two.

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MSNBC, October 2, 2001

Looking Beyond the Religious Factor

by Sheldon Rampton — September 27, 2001 - 12:00am

An editorial in the Dawn, a Pakistan newspaper, notes with approval that U.S. "official utterances and media commentaries to depict the 'war against terrorism' as a clash between western values and Islam or the Muslim countries" have been replaced by "strenuous efforts to correct that impression." However, the United States still has a long way to go if it wants to avoid turning the campaign against terrorism into a wider, religious war.

Main Source: 
The Dawn, September 27, 2001

News Media's Islamic Blind Spot

by Laura Miller — September 25, 2001 - 12:00am

In the round-the-clock U.S. media coverage of the September 11 attacks, one might assume that all angles of the story are being reported. That, however, is not so according to Salon writer Eric Boehlert, who interviewed a number of Islamic and Middle East experts about the media. The good news is that initial coverage after the attacks is generally more informed about the Middle East and Islam than Gulf War coverage of 10 years ago.

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Salon.com, September 25, 2001

U.S. Sikhs Hire MWW

by Laura Miller — September 21, 2001 - 12:00am

A New Jersey Sikh group has hired MWW Group to launch a national PR campaign to educate Americans about the religion that was founded in India more than 500 years ago. There has been at least one hate-based killing of a Sikh and many other reported hate crimes against Sikhs in the aftermath of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. There are 400,000 Sikhs living in North America.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, September 21, 2001

America's Counterpart to the Taliban

by Sheldon Rampton — September 16, 2001 - 1:42pm

As might be expected, last week's terrorist bombings have energized some of the most extremist and intolerant segments of American society.

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http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/09/14/more_god/index.html

Christian Coalition Sponsors "Activist Schools"

by Laura Miller — June 18, 2001 - 12:00am

Amid debt and racial discrimination lawsuits, the Christian Coalition launches a new program that will teach "grassroots organizing skills to conservative Americans," according to PR Week. Beginning next month in Oregon, the schools will be held in 24 "key states" and will train "pro-life" and "pro-family" activists how to elect conservatives within their local communities as well as how to influence state and federal politics.

Main Source: 
PR Week, June 18, 2001

Lobbying Group Set Up To Back Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives Program

by Laura Miller — June 18, 2001 - 12:00am

Conservative financiers Capital City Partners have created a lobbying organization to back President Bush's faith-based initiatives program, according to PR Week. Americans for Community and Faith-Centered Enterprises (ACFE) plans to spend "millions of dollars" to push for "faith-based" policies and encourage more private sector support for such initiatives. ACFE will be based in Washington DC. A companion research and education group, the Foundation for Community and Faith-Centered Enterprises will be based in Phoenix, AZ.

Main Source: 
PR Week, June 18, 2001
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