Stanford Center for Internet and Society

The general climate that Muslims encounter in post-9/11 America is affected by several different types of actors, including the government, the media, and ordinary citizens. For example, government treatment of Muslims after 9/11 arguably legitimizes private violence, such as hate crimes, against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. See, Muneer Ahmad "A Rage Shared by Law: Post-September 11 Racial Violence as Crimes of Passion," 92 CAL. L. REV. 1259 (Oct. 2004). In this post, I'd like to briefly discuss the effect that the media may have on how Muslim-Americans are viewed in, and on the extent to which Muslim-Americans are regarded as fully belonging to, contemporary American society.

The cover story in the Arts & Leisure section of the Sunday New York Times is about the rising "tsunami of self-expression" that has flooded the web and left everyone wondering if the internet may yet fulfill its potential to democratize media and popular culture alike. Read it here.

This capacity for self-expression is exactly what we must protect through Fair Use and other principles that provide the breathing room it needs to flourish.