DefinePK

Abstract

This paper sets out to explore whether the editorial coverage of Islam and Muslims in the Australian newspapers reflects the securitization discourse from July 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017. Earlier research findings have substantiated that the media have portrayed Islam and Muslims as a security threat to the West. The researcher has employed lexicalization and ideological square strategies within the CDA paradigm proposed by van Dijk to examine editorials published on Islam and Muslims in two top circulating Australian newspapers. The findings show that The Australian portrayed Islam and Muslims as a security threat to Australia, Europe, and to the West more explicitly than The Age. This study confirms that there is a clear transformation in the Muslims’ construction in the Australian press from an exotic presence to the bearers of values, culture, and political inclination considered violent, radical, and threatening to the Australian values and life style