Does the media encourage Islamphobia?
Research:
- Tory DNA is in essence white, male, Anglo Saxon and Protestant to its core.
- PM's controversial speec on multiculturalism and British Isla at the Munich Security Conference in February 2011, Cameron called on Muslims to embrace British values.
- Throughout her political tenure she has been key to helping the party formulate its policy on terrorism and extremism
- In one of the very few interventions she made on behalf of the Muslim community - when she gave a speech condemning Islamophobia and declared that prejudice against Muslims had "passed the dinner table test - her party seemed to turn on her.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01n8zwn/Week_In_Week_Out_Undercover_Islamic_Extremists/
Research:
http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781851688128
^^ Pointing the Finger By Julian Petley BOOK
- Since 9/11, Islam has rarely left the headlines in the UK, With one leading newspaper describing the Muslim community as a "troublesome minority"
since-911-christopherallen.pdf#
^^ Christopher Allen, September 2001, article
Christopher Allen: Islamophobia in the Media since 9/11
- According to Christopher Allan, “the media’s portrayal and representation of islam” has “been one of the most prevalent, virulent and socially significant sources of Islamophobia in this country.”
- “it is fair to state that it is the most accessible and indiscriminate disseminator of suchideas in our global environment.”
- “Through indiscriminately saddling stories about Muslims in Afghanistan and Palestine with similar stories of Muslims in Britain, both the press and the wider media have deliberately overlooked the diversity that exists in both the British and global Islamic community.”
- “For the majority of the British media, this has been stated and subsequently reiterated in a way that stresses that this is probable of ALL Muslims.”
- This repetitious use of Abu Hamsa's face and his subsequent words have
brought about a situation where those reading this and who are ignorant of theMuslim community, must begin to believe that he is a significant and largelyrepresentative voice.
- He has become the press's mythical, personified construct that incorporates all the
Islamophobic stereotypes that have become the pretext for much contemporaryreporting. He is the Islamophobe's perfect caricature.
- the media is seeking out those with the loudest voices who fit their own agenda rather than fitting the agenda around the more significant voices, deliberately suggesting a cynicism where all Muslims have synonymous views.
- The press have cleverly intertwined many other xenophobically charged issues into their coverage.
- Islamophobia is dangerous because it does not respect the individual. It is an indiscriminate prejudice that tarnishes every Muslim irrespective of social, ethnic or cultural orientation.
- that it has its effects on the motives and attitudes of millions of individuals, that in turn determines their behaviour to and beliefs about Muslims.
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2011/07/22/media-blamed-for-islamophobia-in-britain
- Brits are most likely to blame the media for Islamophobia in the UK, according to a new survey.
- Asked "which one of the following groups do you think is most to blame for Islamophobia in the UK", 29% of people blamed the media.
- 'Muslims abroad' came second, with 14% of the vote, followed by far-right political groups such as the BNP, with 13%.
- Eleven per cent blamed Muslims in the UK while ten per cent blamed politicians and government.
- Only one per cent of respondents questioned whether there was Islamophobia in the UK.
- The ComRes survey found that young people were more likely to blame the media for fear of Muslims while older people were more likely to blame Muslims in the UK.
- Just 18% of the 65+ age group blamed the media, compared to 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds.
- When asked whether Muslims in the UK were to blame, only eight per cent of 18-24s agreed, compared to 15% of 55 to 63-year olds.
- Muhammad Abdul Bari, the secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, fears that continued negative attitudes towards people of his faith could provoke a vast and angry backlash.
- "There are a few bad apples in the Muslim community who are doing terrible acts and we want to root them out," Dr Bari told The Sunday Telegraph.
- "But some police officers and sections of the media are demonising Muslims, treating them as if they're all terrorists — and that encourages other people to do the same
- "If that demonisation continues, then Britain will have to deal with two million Muslim terrorists — 700,000 of them in London," he said. "If you attack a whole community, it becomes despondent and aggressive."
- He did not understand why "the whole of our diverse community" was being targeted. "When the IRA was blowing people up, the entire Catholic population of Britain was not demonised, so why is it happening to the Muslim community?"
- He said it was "ridiculous" that moderate Muslims had been accused of not speaking out. "When we speak we are ignored by the media, but when Abu Hamza or Omar Bakri Mohammed say something they are all over the papers."
- Islamophobia was also making it hard for Muslims to rise to senior jobs, and unemployment among Muslims was far higher than the national average.
- He called for more Muslim representation in the police force, Parliament and other areas of public life. "Young Muslims need role models to show them they can play a part in British society."
- His comments come days after Peter Clarke, the head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch, said "thousands" of British Muslims were being watched by police and MI5 over suspected terrorist links.
- While Muslims are major victims of racial hatred and terror in the British society, now as the world’s most significant sports event takes place, once again these victims are considered as suspects and accusing fingers have been pointed at them.
- According to a TELL MAMA project, the main victims of Islamophobic attacks in Britain are Muslim women and of those, the most likely to be subjected to anti-Muslim incidents are those wearing hijab.
- The research also found that the main perpetrators of the anti-Muslim attacks in the UK are white males between the ages of 20 and 50, with one third of them having a link to the far-right English Defence League (EDL) or the British National Party (BNP).
- Former Prime Minister Tony Blair tells Channel 4 News that plans to burn copies of the Koran do not represent the west, as President Obama warns it could be used as an al-Qaeda recruitment tool
- Obama urged Pastor Terry Jones to reconsider his decision, saying it could endanger US troops.
- "This is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda
- "You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in American cities or European cities," he said.
- Former prime minister Tony Blair who set up a Faith Foundation told Channel 4 News "This will undoubtedly be used by people who want to exploit these issues to say 'this shows what the west thinks of Islam; what Christians think of Muslims', and of course it's completely wrong, but this is why it's such a stupid and disgraceful and disrespectful thing to do
- There has been a huge increase in the rise of Islamophobia both in Europe and the US. The recent examples of banning minarets in Switzerland and the banning of veils in France clearly shows that the entire Muslim community has been demonised.
- "The most recent example of the German chancellor awarding a national honour to the cartoonist who caused a huge disturbance of public peace was as an irresponsible act which promotes people to incite religious and racial hatred," he said.
Peter Gottschalk: Islamophobia, Making Muslims the Enemy
- The words that come to mind when brainstorming Islam or Muslim most americans had given were accoiciated with violence : Osama Bin laden, 9/11, Suicide bombers, jihad, veiling, islamic laws, saudi arabia, iraq, iran and muhammed ali.
Media Capital and the Representation of South Asian Muslims in the British Press: An Ideological Analysis Journal
- As a result of racism and discrimination in the labour market, far less of the Muslim community is managerial or professional in socio-economic status.
- Muslims have been characterised as barbaric, ignorant, closed-minded semi-citizens, maddened terrorists or as intolerant religious zealots.
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