Representations of Sharia in three global cities: Sydney, New York and Geneva 2008–2013

Drawing on methodologies used to analyse the negative portrayals of new religious movements in the press, this article analyses the way Sharia has been reported in key newspapers in Sydney, New York and Geneva from 2008 to 2013. It differentiates between perceptions of Islamic law as practised in these global cities, as well as in other countries, and examines the different levels of perception. The article also investigates portrayals and perceptions of ‘good’ Sharia (as in Islamic banking) as opposed to ‘bad’ Sharia (as in family and criminal law). It discovers that Sydney’s newspapers are more sympathetic than those in New York and Geneva towards Sharia-compliant finances. It then argues that the move towards a more Muslim consumer market in the media is not a homogenous process among Western global cities.