The coverage of Islam in Malaysian newspapers is an intricate matter. This paper discusses the concept of Islam and other religions as reflected in the nation’s Malay-language broadsheets. Coverage of Islam in its various manifestations and about Muslims is a daily phenomenon in the Malay press. Owing to Islam being the official religion of the country, coverage of other religions and their adherents are mainly subdued. There do not seem to be any dialogue. The portrayal of Islam as a monolithic way of life in Malaysia somehow denies the existence of other faiths, making dialogue almost impossible. While not positioning Islam as equivalent to other religions, this paper calls for public space in the discussion of religions and the consciousness of God. There has to be a re-understanding of the idea of religion and spirituality. One of the significant values in modern newspaper journalism is that news be based on the contingent. Timeliness is the essence and that has contributed much to the distortion about Islam and Muslims. It is time that the journalistic profession in non- Western societies initiate reforms principally at re-conceptualizing news values.
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