From Real to Surreal: The Role of Western Media in Representation of the Islamic Awakening in the Middle East

The popular revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa are in fact peaceful and comprehensive revolutions and a result of long repression of the people and Islamic movements by the oppressive regimes. The vast presence of people and youth as the frontrunners of these revolutions, and their emphasis in the Islamic identity of the revolutions shows that these revolutions happened in order to establish popular governments free from Arab Nationalism and pan Arabism, also far from western secularism or Salafid radicalism. In the deepest layers of the people's demands there exists an Islamic awakening. However the way that the media reflected and covered these events was very much different from the reality on the ground. Using different techniques and tactics the western media tried to distort the reality and draw a surreal image different from the reality itself. This article is an attempt to investigate the true nature and roots of these popular revolutions and then to analyze the tactics and techniques by which western media tried to represent and reflect it.