LONDON // A campaign is under way for a public inquiry led by a judge into the way some British media whip up Islamophobia by "distorting and even fabricating" stories about Muslims.
Politicians, academics, lawyers and Muslim community leaders were among 60 signatories of a letter to The Guardian this week demanding an inquiry similar to the one now being conducted by Lord (Brian) Leveson, a senior judge, into phone hacking and media standards.
Supporters of the inquiry said the media, particularly the tabloid press, concentrate on stories centred on violence and crime involving Muslims, so-called honour killings and the activities of extremists, while rarely showing the community or religion in a positive light.
Although she is not backing the call for an inquiry, Baroness (Sayeeda) Warsi, Britain's first Muslim woman cabinet minister and chairman of the Conservative Party, highlighted the problem last year when she said in a speech that prejudice against Muslims had "passed the dinner-table test" and become socially acceptable in the UK.
She blamed the media for creating an atmosphere where anti-Muslim prejudice was seen as normal among so many Britons.
The letter to The Guardian points to a survey conducted by the ComRes polling organisation last year that indicated that a third of Britons believed the media was responsible for "whipping up a climate of fear in Islam in the UK".
"The Leveson inquiry has so far failed to adequately address unfair media coverage as it relates to less- prominent cases, including those relating to Muslims and Islam, focusing as it does on the effect of phone hacking on celebrities and other high-profile individuals," said the letter.
"An alternative inquiry is necessary to investigate what many regard as widespread and systematic discriminatory practices in reporting on Muslims and Islam in the British media."
Signatories include the heads of two on the country's largest Muslim organisations - the Muslim Council of Britain and the Muslim Association of Britain - civil rights activists Bianca Jagger and Jemima Khan, Lord (Navnit) Dholakia, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, two rabbis, several journalists and leaders of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
The original call for the inquiry came from the Islam Channel, a satellite broadcaster based in London that itself has been censured by Ofcom, the UK's broadcasting watchdog, for failing to show impartiality in its coverage of Middle East affairs and for programmes that appeared to support marital rape and violence against women.
Alana Lentin, professor of sociology at the University of Sussex and one of the letter's signatories, said that reporting of Muslims had become so slanted that most people "simply believed it's natural for Muslims to be inclined towards violence or more inclined towards sexist actions".
She added: "I think [a public inquiry] would be a really good opportunity to look at the way the media has participated in creating a campaign against Muslims in this country and, indeed, globally."
Ahmad Thomson, a leading barrister and co-founder of the Association of Muslim lawyers, who is also supporting calls for an inquiry, said he believed that most members of the public were unaware of the "depth of the vilification of Muslims" in the media.
"I think the thing is that [an inquiry] will make people think and, if it gets on to the mainstream media, people will look at it more closely," he said.
"In the long term, the object of this exercise is to raise standards of reporting in whatever form of media, as well as heightening public awareness of this issue. Maybe they would look at their fellow human beings in a much more favourable light if only the media would let them."
The campaign has been launched as nine young British Muslims are due to stand trial in London on Monday over an alleged plot to blow up a number of buildings in the capital, including the US Embassy and the London Stock Exchange.
dsapsted@thenational.ae
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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A foster couple or family must:
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- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
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Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
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Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
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Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5