This article provides an analysis of the relationship between the media and Islam in Brazil, focusing especially on the journalistic production of stereotypes that instil a specific politics of interpretation of Muslims and their faith. Drawing on data collected during more wide-ranging research on the Muslim Sunni community in Rio de Janeiro, the article aims to present media discourse on Islam as a two-way process, with effects and consequences for the construction of identity in the Muslim community. Analyzing both the representation of Muslims produced by the media and the community's response makes it possible to reveal the dialogue between the creation of stigmas and the construction of positive ascriptions of identity.
Media; Islam; Brazil; Identity