Edward W. Said

Edward W. Said contends in the subsequent viewpoint that the threat of “Islamic terrorism” is little more than a smear campaign against the Islamic world—the new “official enemy” of the United States. As a result of the pernicious campaign waged by the U.S. and Israeli media, writes Said, Islam is unfairly associated with terrorism. Said, a professor at Columbia University, is the author of a number of books on Islam and the Middle East, including Covering Islam: How the Media and Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World, After the Last Sky: Palestinian Lives, and Out of Place: A Memoir.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is the background of the U.S. campaign against Islam, in Said’s view"

2. What is...