Reddit mentions of Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World

> Is calling people 'biased white Americans brainwashed by their government' going to help that?

What inclusivity are you speaking of that automatically demonstrates a bias towards anything associated with Iran or the Islamic world in general and then dismisses everything else said based on this bias? You hold some bizarre ideas about inclusivity. Do you have a problem with the fact that white Anglo-North Americans are automatically conditioned by decades of relentless media and institutional propaganda to hold such bias? Because that is the truth of the matter and there is plenty of social science literature and analysis saying exactly this very thing. Start with Edward Sa'id's Covering Islam https://www.amazon.com/Covering-Islam-Media-Experts-Determine/dp/0679758909
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covering_Islam

You say you support Iran and claim that you believe Baha'ism is a lie and false religion. Whether you actually do, well, the jury is out on that https://www.reddit.com/r/iranian/comments/aqvmvm/has_anybody_else_grown_to_like_ahmadinejad/egnh4dl/?st=juzmvf8d&sh=5d3f4656

I can suggest some books that are really helpful in filling in the blanks.

For a basic overview of Islam's history and the reality of Islamic countries in the modern world I'd recommend "Introducing Islam."

For a seriously compelling look at the Sunni/Shia split and the conflict between the two sects I highly recommend "After the Prophet". Not only is this good history, it's a very well written.

And for a really excellent look at the misconceptions westerners have about Islam, and the ways in which those misconceptions are transmitted and perpetuated, you can't beat the works of Edward Said. He wrote three books on the subject that he considered a trilogy. They are:

Orientalism

The Question of Palestine

and

Covering Islam

Also, here's a documentary that is largely an interview with Said on the topic of Orientalism.

And a documentary called "Reel Bad Arabs" that examines the way the middle east is portrayed by western media.

http://www.amazon.com/Covering-Islam-Media-Experts-Determine/dp/0679758909

It's important to look at modern Muslim-majority nations within the context of post-colonialism, and it's also important to note the biases of western media, authors, and audiences when discussing. The fact that you think that Muslims cannot objectively comment on on narrate their own histories or politics is a really problematic point of view. Do you think western perspectives on Islamic societies are unbiased towards and unaffected by western colonialist and imperialist involvement in said societies? Do you seek out Muslim, Chinese, Russian, or African narrations of western history and society too? Deeming non-western narratives of and contributions to historical or political discourse, among many other subjects, as being deficient is frankly a hallmark of western exceptionalism.

As for the first topic, the subject is really broad, and each Muslim-majority country has its own post-colonial narrative, but The Oxford History of Islam has three chapters specifically dealing with what you're trying to learn about - Ch 13 European Colonialism and the Emergence of Modern Muslim States, Ch 14 The Globalization of Islam, & Ch 15 Contemporary Islam: Challenges and Opportunities. Keep in mind though that this book just scratches the surface in terms of covering the historical development of modern-day Muslim states and the discussion doesn't really delve into the details of each individual country.

Secondly, I think you should maybe read some work by Edward Said. Specifically, you should look at Orientalism and Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World. Orientalism is a critique of western perspectives on and representations of eastern societies. Covering Islam is a bit more specific obviously, and it analyzes objectivity of western narratives on modern-day Islam and Muslim-majority society.