1. Learning About THE ARAB WORLD
PART 2
Stereotypes and IslamOphobia

2. Examples of discussion guidelines
We will:
Respect each other’s opinions
Invite all the group to contribute Examples of sentence stems to challenge viewpoints
I hear what you’re saying but have you thought about…
You mentioned… but what about …
Notes for teachers: Explain to students that they will be working in small groups and discussing some controversial issues. In order to achieve productive discussions and deeper thinking, remind them of the discussion guidelines they previously agreed on in part 1 and suggest some sentence stems they could use to politely challenge different viewpoints if they disagree with them.

3. STEREOTYPES
What are the words or phrases most commonly associated with young people ?
Notes for teachers: Ask students in small groups to come up with a list of words and phrases that are often used to describe people of their age.
Explore the validity of these stereotypes and discuss the following questions:
Do you think these views show positive and negative aspects of young people?
How accurate are they?
Do these images represent you and your friends?
Where do stereotypes come from? Do they matter? If so why?

4. ARAB STEREOTYPES
What are the words or images most commonly associated with Arabs and the Arab world?
Notes for teachers:
Ask students to write down the most common words they think are associated with Arabs and the Arab world. Collate these and discuss how many are positive and how many are negative?
Discuss where do you think these views may come from?

5. ARAB STEREOTYPES
What are the Most Commonly Associated Words with “Arabs”?
In a survey by Caabu/ YouGov in 2017 Britons associated the Arab world with:
50% strict gender roles
46% Islam
31% wealth
25% extremism
14% violence
6% poverty
Notes for teachers:
Compare class suggestions with statistics from a Caabu /You Gov poll in Explore similarities and differences. Where do they think these associations come from?

6. The Arab world is very diverse with no single story…
You may find:
Beauty and devastation
Rich and poor
War and peace
Notes for teachers: Explain that the Arab world is very diverse and there is not one Arab story. Life in parts of Morocco may be very different to that in Saudi Arabia.
You will find beauty and amazing culture. The ancient world was famous for wonders such as Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq and the Lighthouse of Alexandria Egypt, along with amazing modern architecture such as the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, but you might also see devastation in some parts of the Arab world.
Rich and Poor: The Arab world has some of the richest countries in the world - 60% of the earth’s oil reserves are at or near the Arabian Peninsula. However, a report by UNICEF in 2017 found that in11 surveyed Arab countries, a quarter of children live in poverty. (UNICEF, 2017) Statistics from War and Peace: 2014 Global Peace Index show that it also contains some of the most war torn countries in the world including Syria and Yemen.
Source:
Poverty Line: 5

7. Increase in migration Notes for teachers:
The number of displaced people worldwide has increased dramatically in recent years. This moving population has had a major impact on many countries. Many of these come from Arab countries. These statistics come from UNHCR report.
UNHCR REPORT - 6

8. Increase in migration
UNHCR REPORT-
According to figures from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) the conflict in Syria has forced millions of people to leave their homes and seek refuge in other countries. The majority of these are women and children who are living in neighbouring countries with little prospect of returning to their homeland in the near future. 7

9. THE ARAB WORLD A complicated story A multifaceted story
An area of media attention
Has an impact on many countries
Many preconceptions held about it
Notes for teachers:
Emphasise that the Arab world is complicated and diverse and there is no single story.
Discuss where preconceptions might come from? 8

10. REPRESENTATION OF ARABS IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS
Research of 1000 films from to 2018 included Arab characters or references:
12 gave positive depictions
52 neutral
900 negative depictions
Notes for teachers:
Do they think films and media representations might have an effect on how others might view people from the Arab world?
The report Reel Bad Arabs by Jack Shaheen revealed that in a survey of 1000 films from 1896 to 2018, the films showed 900 negative depictions of Arab characters and only 12 positive portrayals. What effects do they they think this might have on the audiences?
Negative stereotypes are particularly harmful when positive images of that group are absent.
Can they think of any films with Arab characters? Are they portrayed in a positive or negative light? 9

11. Newspaper headlines Notes for teachers:
This slide show evidence of rising Islamophobia in the UK in recent years and attacks on migrant families from the Arab world.
In Part 1 of Learning About the Arab World we discussed the fact that the Arab World contains people from different faiths, countries and cultures. However, those from the Muslim faith and refugee backgrounds have faced increasing attacks in recent years. 10

12. Media INFLUENCE
A report from Cardiff School on Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies in 2008 found 5 adjectives most commonly used in relation to Muslims in newspapers: 1. Radical 2. Fanatical 3. Fundamentalist 4. Extremist 5. Militant 34% of headlines linked Muslims to terrorism 26% suggested Islam was backward and dangerous
Notes for teachers:
A You Gov poll quoted in this study found that in 2002, 74% of the British public claimed that ‘they knew’ nothing or next to nothing about Islam. Of those that do, 64% claimed that what they know is ‘acquired through the media.’
The following slides could be used to discuss the influence that print and social media may have in providing accurate or inaccurate views of different groups from the Arab world.
A review of UK newspapers by found that the 5 adjectives most commonly used in relation to Muslims in newspapers were:
1. Radical
2. Fanatical
3. Fundamentalist
4. Extremist
5. Militant
34% of headlines linked Muslims to terrorism, 26% suggested Islam was backward and dangerous
Source: :  11

13. NEWSPAPER HEADLINES Notes for teachers:
These headlines are from the front pages of British newspapers. What impressions do headlines like these give? How might you feel if you were from a migrant family reading these headlines? 12

14. Why do you think they chose this image?
Notes for teachers:
This poster was used in the UK EU referendum campaign. Look carefully at the image.
What can you see?
What does it infer?
Why do you think they chose this image? 13

15. ACTIVITY
Nominate one person to read your article out loud to your group
Place your newspaper article in the middle of the desk so everyone can annotate round it
What is the article about? Explain your ideas to the group
Write down some key words around the article that summarises your ideas
As a group, summarise your article in ONE sentence. Write this down next to the article
Nominate one person in your group to read out your summary to the class
Notes for teachers:
This slide links to activity on the written sheet.

16. THINK ABOUT AND DISCUSS
What do you think should happen when press and social media sites publish stories that are incorrect or provoke extremists? For example should they be fined large sums of money or publish apologies to the groups concerned?
Do we hear enough good new stories about people from Muslim and Arab backgrounds?
Notes for teachers:
This slide links to activity on the written sheet. 15

17. Amal Clooney – Human Rights lawyer Mo Salah – Professional footballer
Do we hear enough good new stories of people from Muslim and Arab backgrounds in the press?
Portrayed here:
Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Prize laureate and activist for female education
Amal Clooney – Human Rights lawyer
Mo Salah – Professional footballer
Mo Farah – Olympic athlete 16

18. Why is it important to be aware of the influence stereotypes can have on people?
What can we do about rising Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment?
Notes for teachers:
This slide links to an activity on the written sheet. ? 17