When you conjure up the image of the Arab religious individual, a mental image comes to mind of a stern-faced man looking at you suspiciously, with a long beard, often wearing a short dress (thobe), and donning a black turban. This stereotypical image has been reinforced by the media whenever it presented a program or held a discussion about terrorism, framing Islamic religion in its media agenda; it is the literal translation of terrorism.
Just as Western and Eastern cinema (Hollywood, Bollywood, etc.) have succeeded in cultivating awareness among Arab and Western viewers, shaping a specific mental image and characteristics regarding the outward identity of the devout Muslim individual.
Likewise, Arab cinema produced films that neutralized the moral values that could represent a Muslim's character and deliberately linked anything terrorist-related with Muslims, as long as they were religious.
Some of the prominent Arab films that have contributed to establishing this image include 'Terrorism and Kebab,' 'Birds of Darkness,' and 'The Terrorist.' These films deliberately presented a visual portrayal of the religious individual as someone with a beard, wearing a short thobe, and carrying a weapon.
Moreover, the Arab and Western media machinery played a fundamental role in disseminating this image, directing their narratives towards establishing a stereotypical mental image of the Arab religious individual exclusively. This media emphasis portrayed Arab religious individuals alone as terrorists, whereas religious Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists were not portrayed as terrorists but rather as victims of Muslims, and considered serving as the ideal model for expressing religious tolerance among different faiths.
Actually, it was inconceivable that there would come a day when this stereotypical image, solidified by the media for decades, would change. It was not expected that this image would completely reverse, especially in the Western perception.
“The phrase "Khaled, you have changed the world" may seem like an ordinary expression said in a personal context. However, when we juxtapose this statement against the media discourse promoting the Israeli narrative and in light of the crumbling of the distorted media halo around the image of the religious Muslim, which has remained dominant over Western and Arab audiences for decades, we realize the emergence of a new consciousness taking shape.”
The transformation started from Gaza, resulting inevitably from major media institutions and agencies in Western countries adopting Israel's narrative as the absolute truth. Anything contrary to this narrative is labeled as terrorism. These institutions and agencies relied on the public's diminished awareness and their ignorance of events outside their biased perceptions, positioning themselves as the exclusive source of information.
These institutions did not take into account open sources of information and their impact on youth. Through social media platforms, particularly (X) and (TikTok), images and videos depicting the genocide taking place in Gaza were shared. Additionally, citizen journalism has emerged alongside channels that have covered and continue to report professionally on the images and facts of what is happening in Gaza.
The Israeli narrative, which was heavily promoted, could not withstand the live images and videos directly broadcasted from Gaza. As a result, the Israeli narrative is no longer trusted by Western viewers and is deemed not credible.
The release of videos, images, and testimonials from inside Gaza has caused a cultural shockwave, shaking the stereotypical image of the Arab Muslim perpetuated by the controlling system in Western media and cultural discourse. A new image has emerged, not aligning with the one upon which the Western ego identity has based its relations with others; the culturally diverse Arab Muslim, let's say religiously as well, to ensure full authenticity.
The veil has been removed on what lies behind the beard, traditional dress (thobe), and turban, and the characteristics and traits previously associated with Muslims as the 'other' have faded away. The marketing of the stereotypical portrayal of Muslims as synonymous with terrorism is no longer effective or influential in both Arab and Western media discourse.
It is no longer possible to persuade the domestic and international public opinion that Israel's war with Gaza is a war that Israel is waging on behalf of the world against terrorism.
Sheikh Khaled Al-Nabhan, the grieving Palestinian grandfather as he bid farewell to his granddaughter Reem, calling her the famous phrase ‘the soul of my soul.’ Reem, who killed by an Israeli airstrike.
The scenes emanating from Gaza, which have circulated and spread widely on social media, have drawn a different path to understanding who the true Muslim is. This desire for knowledge and understanding has proved challenging and elusive for major media agencies both in the Western world and within the Arab region to contain. They have not been able to avoid or mitigate the impact of these images and videos on their societies, which previously depicted the Muslim as a terrorist, murderer, anti-Semitic, and hostile towards others with different beliefs.
The video depicting grandfather Khalid Al-Nabhani bidding farewell to his granddaughter Reem, saying "Oh, the soul of my soul’ Reem," has garnered a widespread attention on social media, sparking reactions and comments from activists and influencers worldwide.
The journalist and American activist Sean King described the impact of the video showing Khalid Al-Nabhani bidding farewell to his granddaughter, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, by stating: "Millions of people worldwide have become obsessed with the Palestinian grandfather known as Khalid, and with his famous phrase "Oh, Reem, soul of my soul."
"My seventy-year-old white mother also inquires about Khalid's well-being. Khalid stands as a response to all the falsehoods spread about Palestinian men. He is not only a symbol of peace but also possesses a presence and a halo that have stopped people in their tracks.
We saw a man with a full beard and a turban, which is the same image that has been used to demonize Muslims and Arabs in every action movie ever produced. For the past thirty years, we've seen a man resembling the antagonist in every mainstream action movie. However, instead of that, he exuded peace and tranquility. It was clear that Khalid, alone, was more powerful than the Israeli propaganda machinery.
On his birthday congratulations on December 23, which also marks the birthday of his granddaughter Reem, whose death Khaled mourned, social media witnessed a global interaction. People from all over the world congratulated Khaled Al-Nabhan on his birthday and the birthday of his granddaughter Reem, after Al-Nabhan stated that he would not celebrate his birthday after Reem's martyrdom.
One of the most notable comments directed to Khaled was, "Happy birthday, Khalid, and Reem. We love and support you. May Insha'Allah Reem be in paradise, proud and happy of you. Khalid, you have changed the world."
The phrase "Khaled, you have changed the world" may seem like an ordinary expression said in a personal context. However, when we juxtapose this statement against the media discourse promoting the Israeli narrative and in light of the crumbling of the distorted media halo around the image of the religious Muslim, which has remained dominant over Western and Arab audiences for decades, we realize the emergence of the new consciousness taking shape. This consciousness draws on social media, citizen journalism, and the Quran as authentic sources for understanding the "Other" Muslim.
The deception that accompanied all the stereotypical images perpetuated by colonial powers to reinforce their presence in Arab countries and their entitlement to victory over Muslim ego according to human rights principles, all of these have fallen apart in the Gaza war.
“In Yemen, the image of the religiously devout individual continues to be present, albeit in a perplexing and ambiguous manner, due to being a victim of the conflict and the political and media discourse that tends to demonize religion and manipulate it according to agendas influenced by external interests.”
All of this has collapsed, making it impossible to neutralize the internal consciousness of Western citizens regarding the shallowness of their countries' policies and their dictatorial treatment, forcing them to adopt agendas that contradict the universal human values they refuse to comply with. This has been particularly evident in recent years with issues like " homosexuality," which is being marketed under the pretext of the right of others to differ. Additionally, Western citizens face pressures due to conditional healthcare insurance, and imposition of taxes on them, in exchange for providing free medical treatment to Israel and supporting it. All of this internal turmoil erupted after the genocide in Gaza, when institutions concerned with culture, science, and human rights failed to guide public opinion to adopt their narratives biased towards the Israeli enemy.
This newfound awareness, resistant to manipulation, has become more capable of discerning the claims used by their countries to justify their wars against Arab and Islamic peoples under the guise of combating terrorism. As a result, these governments have become objects of ridicule and scorn by their citizens.
In the Arab world, prominent Arab media institutions followed the Israeli narrative and supported its account of the Gaza war. It can be said that their media discourse is closer to soft normalization. With the exception of Al Jazeera channels, which garnered the attention of Arab and Western viewers to understand what was happening in Gaza, the pro-Zionist discourse of Arab channels did not have a significant impact. It was used as a tool to gauge public opinion and to make negative comparisons with channels that maintain credibility in their coverage of the genocide in Gaza.
The famous Palestinian grandfather known for the phrase "Soul of My Soul" during the Israeli war on Gaza.
In their denial of the fake image circulated by social media activists regarding Khalid Al-Nabhan being awarded the Person of the Year title by Time magazine for the year 2023, Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels attached a picture of Khalid Al-Nabhan, followed by refuting the news. On the picture, an "X" mark was drawn. In fact, this cannot be interpreted logically as a denial of the news since the person the news is being denied about has not officially stated so. Therefore, it would have been possible to deny the news with a picture of Khalid Al-Nabhan without the need to put an "X" on his picture. This letter or symbol carries different implications; such as prohibited, false, etc.
In Yemen, the image of the religiously devout individual continues to be present, albeit in a perplexing and ambiguous manner, due to being a victim of the conflict and the political and media discourse that tends to demonize religion and manipulate it according to agendas influenced by external interests.
Throughout the past three decades of the war in Yemen, the image of the religiously devout individual, characterized by a beard and a long shirt (thobe), has been impactful and widely present in Yemeni society. However, this appearance has been transformed by certain political factions into the sole representation of terrorism, particularly with the increasing attacks by Al-Qaeda in Yemen.
After the 2015 war, a significant number of religious scholars and mosque imams were assassinated in Yemen. This was seen as a contradiction, portraying the devout as terrorists while they were actually victims of organized terrorism. This sparked intense debates among the warring factions in Yemen regarding the identity of the killer and who truly constitutes a terrorist. Surely, it does not resemble the bearded sheikh from Gaza, yet he skillfully played his assigned role with precision.
