Moslima's in beeld

The sharpening of the Dutch debate on islam has far-reaching influence on the construction of identities of muslim women in de Dutch press. The last fifteen years shows a development of strong and almost exclusive focus on the religious identity. The complex processes of framing in the Dutch press are also chanced. In the beginning of the nineties the use of the so called emancipationframe dominated the news, where as the last few years the use of the conflictframe is dominant. Through quantitative and qualitative research, the study shows how the construction of identities of muslim women and processes of framing are changed in the period 1992 – 2007. More important is the question why the constructions and frames are changed. The changes are influenced by a dramatical shift of the dominant perspective within the discourse. In the nineties multiculturalism was the most important trend in the Dutch media. With the rise of politicians like Frits Bolkestein, Pim Fortuyn and Geert Wilders a more polarized view, called new realism, set the tone. The new realists criticized the Islamic values and placed muslim women in the centre of the discourse.