Arabs in Ames, Iowa: identity construction as influenced by media coverage after 9/11

Abstract

<p>The terrorist attacks against the United States carried out by an extremist organization identified as Arab and Muslim have resonated in the news media coverage of Arabs and Muslims. Arabs living in the United Stated have had to deal with the negative sterotypes portrayed by the media on a daily basis. In dealing with an identity under fire Arabs in Ames, Iowa seem to resort to various strategies that allow them to cope with their perception of crisis. The Community's self-imposed isolation and the downplay of Arab ethnic markers seem to be related to the perception of the news media coverage of Arabs and Muslims after 9/11 as continuously negative and an awareness of its potential to trigger conflict.</p>