Gauging the Media Discourse and the Roots of Islamophobia Awareness in Spain
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
It is an interesting paper that looks into the media coverage of Islamophobia in Spain. The author(s) longitudinally have investigated 4 mainstream Spanish newspapers to understand how these newspapers cover the term. I found the literature review especially the overview of global events and their influence on Spanish media very insightful. Next, the use of Google Trends data added depth and validity to their arguments. However, I would like to suggest some points to further strengthen the arguments presented in the manuscript:
On page 4 you put Islamophobia next to delinquency, fundamentalism, radicalisation, and terrorism as domestic affairs; later, you mention Islamophobia and jihadist terrorism as international issues that receive media attention. Although I understand how Islamophobia can be both domestic and international affairs at the same time, I think a better justification for this binary is needed.
Regarding the RQs, I am not sure about RQ1: “Is the concept of Islamophobia equally recurrent in the four newspapers?” You have already argued in the theory part that conservative and liberal newspapers have different approaches towards covering news related to Islam and Muslims. Since one of your newspapers is left-leaning, is it not already answering your RQ1? Also, later in the section “5.1. Media attention to Islamophobia” you state that El País has published many articles on Islamophobia. I wonder why this newspaper is prolific about Islam(ophobia) in comparison with the other three newspapers. Relatedly, in conclusion, you argue that because 52.2% of the total number of mentions of Islamophobia happens in El País and because it is a left-wing newspaper, it “could imply that the left-wing press is more interested in multiculturalism and the integration of minorities than the right-wing press.” I am not convinced about this statement. Simply because this newspaper has a higher frequency of terms, it would not imply that it is pro-multiculturalism. Would you argue similarly for a conservative newspaper? If there are lower mentions of the term ‘Islamophobia’, then are they not interested in Islam and Muslims or are they against multiculturalism? I would suggest rephrasing this statement.
Naturalisation instead of nationalisation (P1, L31)
“we want to answer” instead of “we want answered” (P10, L420)
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
We are writing in response to your valuable feedback on our article. We appreciate your thorough evaluation and constructive criticism, particularly regarding the positioning of Islamophobia alongside terms such as delinquency, fundamentalism, radicalisation, and terrorism as domestic affairs, followed by its mention alongside jihadist terrorism as an international issue receiving media attention.
Upon careful consideration of your remarks, and to address your concern, we revised the relevant section in our article by clearly articulating the interconnections between domestic and international factors influencing Islamophobia in Spain, emphasizing the complex dynamics at play, and underscoring the significance of examining Islamophobia within the broader framework of societal attitudes, political discourse, media representation, and global influences. We also provided a more explicit and detailed explanation of the interconnectedness between domestic and international dimensions of Islamophobia. By emphasizing that these spheres are interdependent, we aim to convey how societal attitudes and perceptions can transcend national borders and shape both domestic policies and international interactions. Therefore, we have introduced a commentary on why Islamophobia is an equally domestic and international issue.
On the other hand, we acknowledge the validity of your point that an increased number of articles on Islamophobia does not necessarily indicate a pro-multiculturalism stance by the news outlet. We apologize if our initial argument inadvertently suggested a direct correlation between the two. To provide a more accurate representation, we revised these statements of the conclusions accordingly. Instead, we focused on the prominence of the topic within the publication and its potential implications for broader societal discourses.
In addition, we have kept RQ1 because we are interested in confirming whether the ideas reached in works that present a similar object of study are fulfilled. Moreover, in this RQ we are not so much concerned with approaches as with the depth of the coverage.
Finally, we have changed the two sentences you suggested.
We hope you find this new version pleasing. Thank you very much for your time.
Yours sincerely,
The authors
Reviewer 2 Report
This is very good article and requires only minor revisions. The comments in the attached file are offered as suggestions to bring the article to publication. Best wishes to the authors in finalizing this work.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
We are delighted with your feedback, but unfortunately, we are unable to know your comments due to a mistake in the file upload.
Thank you very much for your time.
Yours sincerely,
The authors
Reviewer 3 Report
This is an interesting and well-written article that makes a significant contribution to the understanding of Islamophobia in Spain. However, I believe there is room for substantial improvement in conceptual aspects.
In my opinion, the main weakness of the article is the lack of clear differentiation between the phenomenon of Islamophobia and the use of the term "Islamophobia," thereby establishing a parallel between 1) the media's use of the term, 2) the development of the phenomenon, and 3) awareness of it in Spain.
I. Regarding the phenomenon, it is characterized too superficially, seeming to be resolved with the vague idea that it is a debated phenomenon (lines 112-113).
The authors should more clearly position Islamophobia within the framework of racism, with updated references such as Massoumi, Mills & Miller (2016), Hajjat & Mohammed (2016), Runnymede Trust (2017), or Brun & Cosquer (2022), among others. It is also surprising that the authors do not reference the concept of "racialization," which is central to the construction of Islamophobia, although they mention Meer & Modood 2019.
In particular, two deficiencies stand out in this characterization of the phenomenon:
a. They seem to convey the idea that Islamophobia is a matter of feelings or attitudes, which are also expressed explicitly. Hence, the argument developed in lines 37-70 is based on discourse as the main indicator of the prevalence of Islamophobia in Spain. Although the research focuses on discourse, a greater integration with theories of racism would take into account that, like all forms of racism, Islamophobia is primarily a matter of institutionalized practices that do not always find explicit expression in discourse. In fact, they often don't.
b. In relation to the above, Islamophobia is intertwined with other forms of racism and social hierarchies, so the stigmatization and exclusion of Muslims often occur through mechanisms that do not appear to be related to religion and therefore may not be labeled as Islamophobia, even though they produce the same effect and are part of the same apparatus.
II. Regarding the term, I believe the authors should further address the discussion surrounding it and the lack of familiarity mentioned in 515-517. While the academic literature on Islamophobia has reached a certain consensus on its use, various oppositions can be found in political and media discourse. For example, sometimes its use is avoided because it is considered that Muslims are not discriminated against on religious grounds but rather due to xenophobia, aporophobia, or forms of racism unrelated to religion. Likewise, many opinions argue that the term "Islamophobia" is an invention used to silence legitimate criticism of Islam. The newspaper El País itself has columnists who defend this latter viewpoint.The authors briefly mention this (60-61; 354), but a more in-depth analysis of the criticism of the concept would be useful in understanding that the frequency of the term does not necessarily correlate with the prevalence of the phenomenon.
III. The authors do not clearly establish when the media's use of the term refers to the Spanish context and when it does not. The literature on racism and Islamophobia in Spain shows that, among the Spanish population, there is often a perception (fueled by the media and political discourse) that Spain is less racist compared to the European or American context. The authors themselves refer to this positive self-perception, for example, in lines 49 and 54. Therefore, attention to the phenomenon of Islamophobia in a non-Spanish context does not necessarily imply awareness of the phenomenon in Spain. It could even indicate the opposite: its invisibility.
IV. The claim that the phenomenon of Islamophobia in Spain is "unparalleled in the rest of the world" (132) should be qualified because there are many other places in the world that have a deep historical relationship with Islam (such as Portugal, southern Italy, Malta, and Eastern Europe, just to name a few in Europe) where contemporary Islamophobia can be mixed with local historical references.
V. Regarding Islamophobia awareness in relation to political positions in Spain, the authors may find Gil-Benumeya (2020, 2021) useful.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
We sincerely appreciate your insightful critique of our article on Islamophobia, and we are grateful for the opportunity to address your concerns regarding the differentiation and characterization of Islamophobia throughout our research. Your thoughtful observations have prompted us to reevaluate and enhance various aspects of our study. We have carefully reviewed your feedback, and we are committed to addressing the following areas of improvement:
I. Characterization of the Phenomenon of Islamophobia:
Integration with Racism Framework. We acknowledge the importance of positioning Islamophobia within the framework of racism and understanding the role of racialization in its construction. We appreciate the suggested references, including Massoumi, Mills & Miller (2016), Hajjat & Mohammed (2016), Runnymede Trust (2017), and Brun & Cosquer (2022), among others. We incorporated these updated references to strengthen our analysis and provide a more comprehensive examination of the intersectionality between Islamophobia and racism.
Emphasis on Institutional Practices. We understand the need to highlight that Islamophobia extends beyond attitudes or feelings and encompasses institutionalized practices. While our focus on discourse remains significant, we ensured a more nuanced approach that recognizes the systemic and structural nature of Islamophobia and its manifestation in various spheres of society.
II. Discussion on the Term “Islamophobia”:
Addressing Opposition and Criticism. The term ‘Islamophobia’ itself is subject to debate in both political and academic circles, resulting in its study being published under multiple headings, such as anti-Muslim sentiment and Islam discrimination. We acknowledge the importance of delving deeper into the discussion surrounding the term “Islamophobia” and the criticisms it faces in political and media discourse. We further explored the diverse viewpoints on its usage, including the arguments that Muslims face discrimination based on xenophobia, aporophobia, or forms of racism unrelated to religion. The experience of Islamophobia is influenced by the intersection of various identity markers such as race, gender, and visible indicators.
III. Clarification of Context:
Differentiating Spanish and Non-Spanish Contexts. We appreciate your insight regarding the need to clearly establish when the media’s use of the term “Islamophobia” refers to the Spanish context and when it does not. We understand the significance of acknowledging the unique perceptions, self-perception, and (in)visibility of Islamophobia within Spain. We highlight this idea as one of the limitations of our study.
IV. Qualification of Claims:
Refinement of Unparalleled Assertion. We acknowledge the need for qualification when discussing the uniqueness of Islamophobia in Spain compared to other parts of the world with deep historical relationships with Islam. We remove the idea as it is interpretative and does not provide valuable information for what follows.
V. Literature on Islamophobia:
We have read and introduced some of the references proposed (Gil-Benumeya, Brun and Cosquery, Hajjat and Mohammed, etc.) together with others suggested by the other reviewers (Sayyid, Hernández Aguilar, etc.). You can find them highlighted in the text and in the references list.
We hope you find this new version pleasing. Thank you very much for your time.
Yours sincerely,
The authors
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
In my opinion, the revisions made have significantly improved the strength of the article. I have my reservations regarding the introduction of the concept of "aporophobia," which is frequently used in Spain within the context of color-blind ideology, that is, denying or minimizing racism. However, this objection does not impact the quality of the article.
