More Than a 'Victim' or a 'Threat': Media Framings of Shamima Begum:

• In Event: Gendered framings and representations

Abstract

It has now been ten years since Shamima Begum disappeared to join the Islamic State in Syria. Since then, a lot has happened, but little has changed. After the so-called ‘Caliphate’ fell in early 2019, Shamima was found and interviewed by journalists in a northern Syrian camp. Her story immediately became global news, and she was frequently referred to in the UK media as a ‘poster girl.’

In the media, the dominant narrative for women who offend often revolves around a ‘good vs. evil’ dichotomy, frequently at the expense of the nuanced complexities inherent in individual actions. This was the case for Shamima.

In this research, I aimed to outline the underlying factors behind the different frames utilised by the media to construct Shamima Begum’s story over the years and to understand the role that the narratives surrounding her play in that portrayal. To that end, I conducted a media analysis of two British newspapers, The Times and The Guardian, to examine the frames they employed in her case.

Shamima has been -sometimes simultaneously- portrayed as a vulnerable girl lacking agency, a capricious teenager, and a potential threat to Britain. Throughout, she is frequently ‘othered’ by the press. Yet, her story is more intricate meets the eye. Is the way she is framed by the media a crucial factor in whether she is perceived as a villain or a victim? Could her portrayal in the press reflect broader issues of Islamophobia or Western patriarchal views of society?

Author

• Jeanne Alice, Suzanne Duley, University of Glasgow