Yttrandefrihet eller attack mot muslimer? En studie om hur koranbränningarna har gestaltats i svenska och arabiskspråkiga medier

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge about how the Quran burnings that took place in Sweden 2023 have been framed in Swedish contra Arabic newspapers. The intention is to examine the frequency of different frames, actors and photographs in selected news articles published in July of 2023. July was chosen particularly due to being the month when the Quran burnings received the most extensive news coverage, both in Sweden and internationally. The study also aims to examine the framing of the Quran burnings in Swedish and Arabic newspapers. In order to achieve the study’s objective, framing theory and international news determinants theory have been used as a theoretical framework. Due to the recent emergence of the Quran burnings as a phenomenon, there is a lack of prior research in the field. As a result, some of the theoretical framework utilized concern other cases where the limitations of freedom of speech have been debated. To conduct the study, a quantitative content analysis has been used. The findings of the study indicates that the framing of the Quran burnings in Swedish and Arabic news media is relatively similar, but with some variations. The conflict frame is dominant in both Swedish and Arabic media, while the freedom of speech frame is comparatively limited. The choice of frames correspond largely with the theory of clash of civilizations, which shows that the conflict in values between the Western and the Muslim world is reflected in Swedish and Arabic news reporting.