Page - 126 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/02

126 | Sakina Loukili www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/2, 107–131 portant to consider the relation and interaction between mainstream and social media to fully understand how DENK and NIDA operate, in particular how they resist the dominant narrative on Islam in Dutch politics and public debates. The examples discussed in this article demonstrate that the rela- tion between DENK and NIDA and mainstream media is fraught, which is reflected in the “Muslim party” label used by mainstream news outlets and the critical attitude DENK and NIDA have towards mainstream media. Con- sequently, I suggest not only that as “third spaces” social media offer the opportunity for these parties to talk back and resist from a “safe” distance, but that social media might also function as the space where party mem- bers break free from the dominant discourse on Islam and Muslims and are able to discuss issues without having to adhere to expectations of Dutch mainstream media and politics regarding the voicing of a Muslim opinion or perspective.88 Consequently, I suggest that DENK’s and NIDA’s discussions on social me- dia of issues such as Islamic burial and freedom of speech might tell us something about the ways Dutch Muslims are claiming their rightful and equal place in society: not by adhering to the dominant narrative on inte- gration, but by making spaces where they can create their own narratives. More research is needed to confirm whether these party members are in this regard representative of a larger group of Dutch Muslims with a migra- tion background. Additionally, to present a more nuanced picture, it would be beneficial to study whether these groups and individuals have had nega- tive experiences with social media. Bibliography Awan, Imran, 2016, Islamophobia in Cyberspace. Hate Crimes Go Viral, New York: Rout- ledge. Bhabha, Homi, 1996, Cultures in Between, in: Hall, Stuart / Du Gay, Paul (eds.), Ques- tions of Cultural Identity, London, Sage Publications, 53–60. Blankvoort, Medy, 2019, Ethnic Outbidding and the Emergence of DENK in the Nether lands, Master’s thesis, University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Boellstorff, Tom / Nardi, Bonnie / Pearce, Celia / Taylor, T. L., 2012, Ethnography and Virtual Worlds. A Handbook of Method, Princeton: Princeton University Press. Broekhuizen, Diederik, 2016, Zo staan de politieke partijen ervoor op social media, Adfor- matie, https://www.adformatie.nl/programmatic/zo-staan-de-politieke-partijen- ervoor-op-social-media [accessed 28 June 2021]. 88 For example, being expected to speak out against violence in the name of Islam, as if Mus- lims are a monolith; see Van Es 2018, 146.