Opening Mosques for Non-Muslims: Muslim Religious Scholars Counter Negative Media Representation of Terrorism in Kenya

This study investigated measures taken by Muslim religious scholars to counter media representation of terrorism in Kenya. As country with diverse religious groups and unique terrorism experience, Kenya presents a unique context for the study. Muslim scholars in Kenya, therefore, play a critical role within Muslim communities as they look after their congregation. The phenomenological theory was used as a framework for the study. The study used qualitative approach and phenomenology method. The study involved 10 participants drawn from the community of Muslim religious scholars operating in mosques and religious centers in Nairobi. The scholars were purposively sampled. The data was generated through in-depth interviews, analyzed thematically and presented in narrative form. The study found that Muslim religious scholars had taken measures like opening the mosques for the public and reaching out to non-Muslim religious leaders as a measure to counter what they perceived as a negative media representation of terrorism as a result of directly linking Islam with terrorism. The study concluded that there is need for guidelines and policies on terrorism coverage that recognize the place and the sensitivities of the Muslim population in Kenya, to improve media representation of terrorism, and as well as differentiate between Islam and terrorism, as part of the guidelines, and training journalists on their implementation.