A standard element of many news stories that mention Islam is the 'expert.' An expert contributes what is presented as objective knowledge about Islam to a news story. Through ostensibly objective statements, an expert plays a significant role in the representation of Islam. / In this thesis I theorize the concept of an 'expert on Islam' in news media and I confirm my theoretical positions through a content analysis of two Canadian newspapers' use of the expert on Islam; these two newspapers are The Globe and Mail and The National Post. / The thesis develops two arguments based on the results of the content analysis: first, the representation of Islam and expertise on Islam in news media has more to do with the preoccupations of Western culture than with Islam itself; second, there are distinct patterns in these representations that can contribute to an understanding of the role of the 'expert' in relations of power.

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