PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

As part of the multi-methodological and explorative project ‘Muslims in the European Mediascape’, we conducted focus group interviews with media users of Muslim background. The analysis shows that Muslims in Germany tend to mix media sources in order to get a balanced view on news and current affairs. A large share uses German mainstream media as well as specialized media that cater to the needs and interests of Muslims. The fear of a so-called ‘parallel media society’ of Muslims appears unjustified; however, focus group participants as well as journalists that were also interviewed during the project observed a radicalization of Muslims who were previously indifferent to their religion. Some Muslims seem to have developed a stronger sense of a Muslim identity and loyalty to Muslim communities because they were pushed and encouraged by the often prejudiced media coverage on Muslims and Islam. In this survey of Muslims and non-Muslims we show how the estimation of stereotyped and unbalanced coverage on Muslims and Islam differs among Muslim and non-Muslim media users.