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Author
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Haneen Shafeeq Ghabra
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Year
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2025
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Publisher
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Southern Communication Journal
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Abstract
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This study addresses how, under the guise of “The War on Terror,” the United States uses media discourse to frame Muslim women in tautological narratives and images of key figures such as Bibi Aisha and Sharbat Gula. By “saving” Aisha and Gula, the media representations of Muslim women start to be used as a rhetorical weapon, leaving a wide-open playing ground to biopolitically manage narratives, create more violence, and engender more extremism in the Muslim region. By addressing how those committed to the interests of the United States have used such discursive rhetoric to deploy Orientalist discourse, I demonstrate how the United States frames Muslim women for its own political gain, raising ethical concerns about media responsibility and representation.