The Representation of Islam in Hausa Newspaper Discourse: A Critical Analysis of Selected Publications

Hausa-language newspapers serve as important channels through which Islamic values, practices, and public issues are communicated to Hausa-reading audiences across northern Nigeria. This study critically analyses how Islam is represented in the discourse of selected Hausa newspapers, examining editorial choices, framing strategies, and the normative assumptions embedded in religious reporting. A critical discourse analysis approach was applied to a corpus of 120 newspaper articles drawn from three Hausa-language publications over a six-month period in 2023. Articles were selected from the domains of religious news, opinion, social commentary, and community affairs. Analysis focused on lexical choices, quotation patterns, sources cited, and the construction of Islamic identity in news narratives. Secondary literature on media representations of Islam in Africa and Hausa print media history was reviewed. Findings indicate that Hausa newspaper discourse consistently foregrounds orthodox Sunni Islamic values while marginalising sectarian diversity, that female voices in religious commentary are significantly underrepresented, and that recent global Islamic discourse trends are incorporated in ways that occasionally differ from local scholarly interpretations. Political dimensions of religious reporting are also identified, with editorial framing of certain Islamic issues reflecting state and federal political alignments. The study recommends that Hausa newspaper editors develop explicit ethical guidelines for religious reporting and that journalism training in northern Nigerian universities include modules on balanced religious representation in Hausa media. Keywords: Islam, Hausa newspapers, Critical discourse analysis, Media representation, Religion.