Misconceptions of Islam and its Holy Book, the Qur’an, have provided the media with propaganda to use against Muslims worldwide. Many verses in the Qur’an have been misquoted by mass media, when in reality no such verses exist in the text itself. Süra (chapter) II of the Qur’an states, “Fight

Despite free press in the U.S., many media publications have continued to stereotype Muslims as fundamentalists and extremists. However no one has the right to distinguish who is a fanatic and who is not, especially when the terms are not widely explained to the public. ‘Fundamentalism’ is the term used for the most conservative wing of a religion, where people often fear that modernity will erode or even eradicate faith and morality (Ontario Consultants, 2002: http:// www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter9.htm). Webster's dictionary defines fundamentalism as: "A movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles" (Garman, 1996: http://www.sunnetworks.net/~ggarman/fundy.html). Strict, conservative Muslims follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed; promote regular attendance at mosques and the reading of the Qur’an (Ontario Consultants, 2002: http://www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter9.htm). Terrorists represent an extremist wing of fundamentalism where people believe that Islamic beliefs must be imposed on people, using violence if necessary (ibid). Most Middle Eastern terrorists are proud to admit they are fundamentalists such as Syed Qutb, who wrote many books outlining his extremist views of Islam (Schanzer, 2002: http://www.meforum.org/article/168). However this does not necessarily mean all fundamentalists are terrorists. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, world Islamic leaders were outraged at the extremist regime and spoke out against the acts that were staining Islam’s peaceful ideals. Yusus Muhammad, as US Department of State spokesperson stated immediately after the attacks: “Whoever carried out the attack did not have a right to do it in the name of the religion, namely Islam...Killing innocents to achieve a target has never been the heart of the religion.” (2001). It is evident, as many Muslim leaders have stated, that the Islamic extremist view is not accepted in the religion, however, the media’s failure to distinguish between fundamentalists and extremists encourages this false portrayal of Muslims in the public arena.

The fallacies and misinterpretations of Islam through the media have resulted in a prejudiced, even violent public response toward the Islamic community. Many well-known and respected Islamic organisations have been targets of overwhelming discrimination, particularly people associated with the extremist leaders. The Bin Laden family operate a successful construction company, however their son’s reputation from September 11, 2001 and the Al-Qaeda has led to widespread contempt from the community (Frank, 2001: 53). Many companies they have had close ties with have broken agreements in the wake of September 11, 2001; Cellular companies, Cadbury Schweppes and Unilever have severed business deals with the group, while claiming that the situation was purely co-incidental (Teather et al, 2001: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,426170,00.html). Harvard University also rejected the family’s two million dollar donation after the attacks (Frank, 2001: 53) and this is clearly evidence of their change of heart due to the attacks. These companies prove how the media’s opinions can be imposed on people whose attitudes towards Muslims are then easily influenced. In turn, this affects people who have caused no harm to society, punishing innocent people, merely by association with the stereotypes of fundamental Muslims. Even in Australia, thousands of miles from the terrorist targets, Muslims have become the victims of death threats and hate crimes. In the wake of September 11, 2001 a Brisbane mosque was burnt down and several sacred Islamic buildings in Sydney were attacked. Gold Coast Islamic leader Imam Syed Tariq also received death threats and the mosque in the area was a target of arson attempts and graffiti (Paddenburg, 2002). However, despite the anxiety caused by the threats, Tariq remained placid and forgiving: “All of us h

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