Friday 11th December

Metro

Article 1
Headline: Young Briton jailed for life for airline bomb plot
Section: News
Written by: Aiden Radnedge
Page: 13

Outline: This article in Friday's Metro reports on the same story carried by the London Evening Standard on Thursday 10th December, which was reviewed here.

Like the Standard, this article also starts with the words "...A YOUNG British Muslim was jailed..." and uses the same mugshot of the 3 accused men.

I'm not going to go into detail about why this article is going to be marked negative because it will end up being a repeat of the analysis of the Standard article. The only thing to point out is that there is no reason to single out the accused man's religious background.

Article Verdict: Negative

Thursday 10th December

London Evening Standard

Article 1
Headline: Terror cell 'foot soldier' faces life for Heathrow liquid bomb plot
Section: News
Written by: Felix Allen
Page: 21
Link: Click here

Outline: This story is featured in both the print and online editions of the London Evening Standard. The analysis below is based just on the print version.

The story relates to the trial of the men accused of plotting to blow up airliners as part of what is commonly referred to as 'the liquid bomb plot'.

The story relates to the trial of the men accused of plotting to blow up airliners as part of what is commonly referred to as 'the liquid bomb plot'.

The article starts off with the words "A BRITISH Muslim...", which is obviously designed to leave readers in no doubt about the religious identity of the person. the rest of the opening paragraph doesn't read particularly well either e.g. "...faces life behind bars...in a plot to murder thousands of...passengers..."

The key words in the paragraph for me are "Muslim....murder...thousands...", it doesn't really take a genius to work out what kind of footprint that leaves in readers minds.

There isn't any need to identify the religious background of the person with the opening words of the article unless of course the intention is to create a link between the faith and the intended act.

In a later paragraph one of the accused is described as "...willing to sacrifice himself to inflict mass casualties...provided support after being drawn to radical Islam..." More linkages being created by Allen between Islam and Violence.

After a few paragraphs detailing police activities leading to the arrest the focus is turned to the other suspects, one of whom is described as "...Nabeel Hussain...from Chingford, who once studied Islam in Saudi Arabia..."

Once again this bit of detail has nothing to do with the intended act of violence but it is placed into the article on purpose to create the association between these men who are clearly depicted as dengerous & intent on murdering thousands and the religion of Islam.

This is one of the more blatant examples of an article with the foul stench of Islamophobia running through it. Considering that it's from the London Evening Standard that really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

Article Verdict: Negative

Article 2
Headline: Egypt builds giant wall to block Gaza's smuggling tunnels
Section: International
Written by: Ed Harris
Page: 31
Link: Click here

Outline: This story is also featured in both print and online editions of the Standard.

This article is about Egypt's plan to build a steel wall along its border with Gaza.

The article provides factual details about the tunnel such as its statistics and also that the construction hasn't been confirmed by the Egyptian authorities. It also states that the Egyptians are receiving American assistance in building the wall. It describes the objective behind the tunnel as the Egyptians wanting "...to block Palestinian smuggling tunnels into the (Gaza) strip..."

One of the later paragraphs mentions that "...Palestinians smuggle the everyday items they are denied by the blockade. But the Israelis say that the tunnels are also used to smuggle people, weapons, and components to make the rockets that are fired into southern Israel..."

There are a total of 37 words used of which 11 are used to touch upon the blockade. There is no mention of who is imposing the blockade and the fact that it is against International Law. The majority of the words are used to plug the Israeli side of the story and provides details of items being smuggled, which is designed to make readers feel sympathetic to the Israeli viewpoint particularly when weapons are mentioned.

There is however absolutely no mention of Palestinian suffering even though Israeli suffering is alluded to in this paragraph, this prevents a grossly distorted view of the situation on the ground.

The final paragraph is the most misleading part of the whole article, it states that "Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and its border with the coastal enclave is tightly controlled by the military. Egypt controls the southern border of the strip in a security arrangement with Israel"

This is the most inaccurate piece of the whole article. Whilst it is true that Israel withdrew from Gaza, Ed Harris fails to mention that this withdrawal was after Israel had illegally occupied and settled its citizens in Gaza for several decades.

It states the the border is "...tightly controlled by the military..." but fails to mention exactly who that military is even though it mentions that Egypt is in control of the southern border?

The ambiguity and the heavily watered down wording by Ed Harris is a deliberate attempt to protect Israel. The factual way of reporting this is to state that Israel maintains a complete air, land and sea bloackade of Gaza in contravention of International Law. This is deemed as collective punishment against Gaza's people and Israel denies basic necessities to Gaza as part of this blockade, which necessitates the smuggling tunnels.

All in all this is a heavily biased article which may have well have been written by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, it misrepresents the facts and omits key facts, which deny the readers the full story....literally.

This is malicious (Anti-Palestinian), shoddy and irresponsible journalism.

Article Verdict: Negative

Wednesday 2nd December

Yahoo

Article 1
Headline: The best savings account you've never heard of
Section: Yahoo Finance
Written by: John Fitrzsimmons
Link: Click here

Outline: This online piece on Yahoo Finance talks about a savings product from the Islamic Bank of Britain, which is described as "...one of the best accounts around..."

One of the key things about the article is that it immediately dispels the myth that the acocunt is only available to Muslims by stating "...don't despair if you aren't a muslim - these accounts are available to everybody..."

This is important because there is a lot of ignorance about Islamic Finance amongst non Muslims and the name often mistakenly creates the impression that the accounts are only designed for Muslims.

The article then goes onto describe the workings of the account, namely that the return won't be paid as interest but profit in order for the account to be Shariah compliant. This is another useful part of the article as it provides wider readers with a basic understanding of how Shariah compliant finance works. It also point out that the funds will be used by the Islamic Bank of Britain to invest in "...ethical trading activities...the money won't be put into gambling or tobacco..."

This last statement also serves as a useful bit of positive PR for Shariah compliant finance as ethical friendly products and services tend to be preferred by consumers in this day and age.

The article then seeks to re-assure readers about the safety of the funds invested in the Bank by informing them that "...while the fact that it is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme should also provide a bit more reassurance..."

The following paragraph sums up the verdict on the savings account from the Islamic Bank of Britain

"...if you are hell bent on getting a great return on your money then it's a cracking option. Islamic finance options may be out of the mainstream, but they certainly merit serious consideration..."

The final part of the article is used to plug another product by the Islamic Bank of Britain, their mortgage, which is compared to others in the market and described favourably.

Overall this article fulfills one important task, which is to show a different side of Sharia law. Unfortunately most non-Muslim peoples' view of Sharia law is coloured by the incorrect interpretations presented to them by people who are outright Islamophobic i.e. Melanie Phillips, or Douglas Murray.

This article helps to show the positive side of Sharia law and how in this case it can help people financially irrespective of their faith.

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Article Verdict: Positive

Thursday November 19th - Part 2

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: Family's fury as terror cops quiz preacher
Sub Headline 1: Mosque petition calls for 'immediate release'
Sub Headline2: Community rocked by 'respected' man's arrest
Section: News
Written by: Dan Thompson
Page: 16

Outline: This story is about the detention of a man described as a "...spiritual leader...", the opening paragraph features comments from his family denouncing his arrest.

The 2nd paragraph provides his name, Shaykh Asif Farooqui, as well as details of the allegation against him which is described as "...recruting young British Muslims for terror training camps in Afghanistan..."

Within the first 2 paragraphs Shaykh Farooqui's religious background is not mentioned although details of the allegation does make it clear to the reader that he is Muslim.

The next 6 paragraphs describe how the arrest has shocked the community and features comments backing Shaykh Farooqui and re-inforcing his past work in the community including the Police.

Whilst the article will probably leave readers thinking about Muslims negatively, Dan Thompson's article does devote a lot of column inches to comments from Shaykh Farooqui's family and describes his respected status in the community. It doesn't start off by describing him as a Muslim Preacher and importantly his religious identity isn't revealed in the headline.

This is a tough one to rate because, whilst readers will think negatively about Muslims after reading the report this is more to do with the general prejudice that has been created by the wider media when reporting such cases as opposed to Dan Thompson's coverage which is actually balanced and refrains from using tabloid tactics such as hysteria and sensationalism.

For that reason this particular piece by Dan Thompson is given a Neutral rating.

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Article Verdict: Neutral

Thursday November 19th - Part 1

Metro

Article 1
Headline: Back off, Israel tells 'bully' US
Section: News
Written by: Fred Attewill
Page: 25

Outline: This article is a bit of a mix of some accurate reporting of facts but the overriding theme is one of bias towards Israel.

It reports on the Israeli Government's decision to build an extra 900 housing units on Illegally Occupied Palestinian land.

Firstly the headline is interesting, the use of the word bully (even if taken from a Israeli Govt quote) convey Israel as the victim, which immediately sets a sympathetic tone for the article towards Israel.

However at the end of the 1st paragraph Attewill does mention that the contruction of the settlements will be on "...occupied Palestinian territory...",which is an accurate description for the West Bank.

However in the subsequent paragraph Attewill mentions that the Israeli are voicing their protest against the US over what he described as plans for building "...another 900 homes for Israelis built in the West Bank..."

This is a use of Unspeak e.g. the word 'home' is used when describing a dwelling for a family, it's a very personal description and as such it has personal dimension in the readers minds by making them immediately think about people linked to these 'homes'. It makes them question why anyone would oppose the construction of 900 homes for these people, this is another subtle tactic to generate sympathy for the Israeli position.

The following paragraph talks about the expansion of this particular settlement which is described as being "...built on Palestinian land conquered in the 1967 war..."

There's a good and bad with statement, the good part is the acknowledgmentof the fact that this is 'Palestinian land', the bad part is that it's described as being 'conquered', the factually correct terminology should have been "illegally occupied"

In the 2nd to last paragraph Attewill writes that "...More than 30 Palestinians were left homeless this week after Israeli authorities demolished two family homes in east Jerusalem. Officals said the homes were built without Israeli permission..."

This is another example of a good and bad paragraph. The good part is the mention of at least some Palestinian suffering, even if it is buried towards the end of the article, and the personalisation of the plight through the use of the words "family homes". The bad part however is the omission of any statement which clarifies for the reader the fact that East Jerusalem is also considered illegally occupied under International Law. This would have made it clear that the Israelis have no jurisdiction and therefore have no moral or legal authority to grant or deny permission to Palestinians to build homes.

The final paragraph mentions the Geneva convention by stating "...While the fourth Geneva convention outlaws population transfer into occupied territory, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem - under military occupation for more than 40 years - among 2.7 million Palestinians..."

Once again this is a mixed bag of an article. It correctly highlights that Israel's actions are in violation of the fourth Geneva convention even if Attewill shies away from using the words "contravene" or "violation". The blatantly inaccurate statement is to claim that the 500,000 Israelis in the West Bank live under Military Occupation. This statement could not be further from the truth.

The fact on the ground is that it is the Palestinians not Israelis that live under Israeli Military Occupation. The 500,000 Israeli Settlers live in gated communities in mansions with manicured lawns and swimming pools where no non-jewish person is allowed to live whilst the Palestinians live under a system that restricts their every movement and have little access to clean drinking water.

Whilst there are a very few number of accurate words used here and there this is an overwhelmingly biased piece in favour of Israel right from the Headline through to the final few words of the last paragraph. For this reason Attewill's article is given a negative rating.

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Article Verdict: Negative

Friday 6th November

BBC News Online

Article 1
Headline: US Gunman faced Afghan Posting
Section: News - Americas and also front page major news story
URL: Link

Outline: This news story received extensive coverage across most of the British electronic media.

The first of today's featired stories about fatal shooting incident at Fort Hood, Texas is taken from the BBC site.

The 2nd paragraph actually opens with the name of the gunman Major Nidal Malik Hasan, followed by his age and then by his religious background, he is described as "...a US-born Muslim..."

This is interesting because, unfortunately, a shooting of this nature i.e. no apparent motive with victims gunned down at random is tragically common across the United States and includes many high profile instances most notably the Columbine Massacre. The religious or ethnic background of the attackers in such cases is rarely highlighted. Therefore one questions the motive behind highlighting Maj Hasan's religious background unless of course it's to plant a seed in the mind of the reader?

In paragraph 5 the commander of the Fort Hood base is quoted as telling a US news network that "...eyewitnesses..." reported Maj Hasan shouting "...Allahu Akbar!..." which is described as an "...Arabic phrase...before opening fire..."

Towards the end of the article, 21st paragraph to be precise, there is reference to a message posted on the Washington Post website by the family of Maj Hassan which sends a message of condolence to the victims families.

However subsequent paragraphs also reveal some important details which help to shed some light on possible motives e.g. the 23rd paragraph states the cousin of Maj Hasan as saying that "...Major Hasan has been battling racial harassment because of his Middle Eastern ethnicity...". The previous paragraph states that Maj Hasan described an imminent deployment oversease as "...his worst nightmare..."

These 2 details are significant considering the tragedy that unfolded at Fort Hood. It highlights that Maj Hasan faced racial discrimination in an establishment as large as the US Army and despite him holding the grade of a Major. It also highlights that Maj Hasan could easily have been described as a Conscientious Objector i.e. opposing deployment to a conflict zone on moral, ethical or religious grounds.

The 24th paragraph mentions that CCTV footage from early on in the day showed Maj Hasan wearing "...religious attire..." There are 2 problems with this, firstly one needs to question why the item of clothing is significant? The answer is that is isn't. Secondly the clothing referred to as religious is actually a cultural dress traditionally worn by people from the Middle East irrespective of their religious background i.e. one could come across a Christian, Jewish or Muslim person from the Middle East wearing the same attire or indeed someone from another part of the World may choose to wear it based on personal taste.

This is a further attempt to plant more seeds into the minds of readers which along with earlier references to Maj Hasan's Muslim faith, the arabic phrase and allegedly "religious" attire should leave the reader in no doubt as to the motivation behind this tragedy.

Towards the end of the article there's 1 paragraph wihch features a comment from a soldier at Fort Hood with regards to the pressure likely to be placed on Muslim Soldiers in the US Army "...It kind of puts a negative light on them and makes people distrust them because everybody is going to look at them [and think]: 'Well, you're probably going to pull something like this...and it's a sad fact that that will happen..."

The penultimate paragraph refers to a New York Times report according to which the FBI are investigating a link between web postings by a man sharing Major Hasan's name that backs suicide bombings but it states that there is no clear link between the 2. If that is the case then surely it must be premature to include this bit of information in the story, that is unless the intention is to make readers think that there is a link......specualtive journalism at its best!

Considering that this article is from the day of the shooting the BBC published a lot of information that was purely speculative in nature and assigned a motive to the actions of Major Hassan even before the truth is known. In addition to this many important bits of information like the alleged racial discrimination and Major Hasan's objections to deployment are not given the attention they deserve.

This is not a balanced article and prematurely assigns this tragic shooting a religious motive, albeit subliminally, whilst having read the details it could well be that there were psychological problems involved. Therefore it's no suprise that this article from the BBC is given a negative rating.

Article Verdict: Negative

Channel 4 News Online

Article 1
Headline: Army major held for US gun attack
Section: World - Americas
URL: Link

Outline: This article is in stark contrast to the BBC article above. It states the gunman's name in the 2nd paragraph but doesn't mention his ethnic or religious background.

The next few paragraphs focus more on the events of the day and feature comments from the base commander.

The 14th paragraph (out of 16 in total) mentions the cousin of Major Hasan who is quoted as saying that Major Hasan was a "...US-born Muslim who had joined the military from High School...". This is the first and only reference to Major Hasan's religious background but also mentions his profession as a pshychiatrist in the US Army.

It also repeats the concerns stated in the BBC article about Major Hasan's deployment abroad.

The article ends with some facts about Fort Hood as a military base.

Unlike the BBC News article there are no loaded messages in this article nor are there any premature assumptions planted into the readers minds about what the possible motives could have been behind Major Hasan's actions.

This is a well balanced article and presents it from an objective viewpoint thus it's given a neutral rating.

Article Verdict: Neutral

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Tuesday 3rd November

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: Mum of six: I will turn my kids into suicide bombers
Secondary Headline: Fanatic kept terror manual hidden inside her burkha
Section: News
Written by: Chris Osuh
Page: Front page and page 2
URL: Link

Outline: This extensive spanning the front 2 pages of the M.E.N as well as Channel M news relates to a Dutch Woman called Houria Chahed Chentouf who was convicted of posessing documents for terrorist purposes.

There are several key words used in the article and the video clip, namely "violent jihad" and "burkha".

In the video clip both words are used in the first 11 sentences of the clip whereas in the print edition her intention to "...kill and maim in the name of Islam..." and the evidence of this intent being attached to her "...burkha..." are mentioned in the 1st two paragraphs.

As we've included a video clip this time round I won't go into depth about the content of the article as it is summed concisely in the video.

The main question to ask is what is the rationale for telling people that the memory stick containing the evidence against her was attached to her burkha? It would have been sufficient to state that it was attached to her clothing but my guess is that by specifying that it was a burkha the intention is to smuggle in the wider debate about burkhas into this story. And by doing so to add weight to the argument for banning this item of clothing.

Watching the video clip also reveals one key detail which is not mentioned until almost the very end of the 2 minute clip, at 1:59 to be precise. That is the fact that Ms Chentouf has a history of mental illness.

This is significant because it can be considered more likely for someone who suffers from mental health issues to act irrationally and even dangerously.

This story should have been reported from the angle that a mental health patient has been convicted of the crime. In its current state the article and video clip only reinforce prejudices against Islam and Muslims, especially Muslim women because those who prefer to dress in Islamic clothing are likely to come under more scrutiny maybe under threat from some Islamophobic individuals.

Article Verdict: Negative

Friday 30th October

Metro

Article 1
Headline: Islam-obsessed girl disappears
Section: Home Digest
Written by: ?
Page: 4

Outline: This brief is just under 60 words long and features a photo of 14 year old Sarah Dunn. It describes that Ms Dunn "...vanished after becoming obsessed with Islam...". This statement is attributed to the Police, in an extended version of the story in the Metro's sister publication the Daily Mail, the Police are quoted as saying that Ms Dunn had "...gone missing after developing a 'keen interest' in Islam...". The Daily Mail version attributes the "...increasingly obsessed..." statement to friends (3rd paragraph).

There's a clear discrepancy here between the story appearing in the 2 papers both of which belong to Associated Newspapers.

The Metro brief mentions that Ms Dunn was last seen after an argument with her parents about studying the Koran, it states that "...she may have been brainwashed by hardline Muslims..."

Overall the news brief paints a very negative view of Islam and the use of language such as brainwashing almost portrays the religion as a cult.

In short this is a tragic story about a teenage girl with a freewill having a conflict of interest with those around her. It has nothing to do with Islam and to present the article with words such as "Islam-obsessed" or "brainwashed by hardline Muslims" only serves to fuel Islamophobia particularly amongst parents of teenagers.

Article Verdict: Negative

Article 2
Headline: Bibles are seized in Malaysia
Section: News
Written by: ?

Page: 20

Outline: This article is roughly 70 words long and reports on the confiscation of 15,000 "...inflammatory..." bibles in Malaysia by authorities this year because they "...referred to 'God' as 'Allah'...", this is described in the article as "...a banned translation in the Muslim-majority country..."

There is no description about who has decribed the Bibles as "inflammatory" which is the word used in the opening sentence. This may imply that the authorities have deemed them to be inflammatory or it may be the case that this is a word selected by the journalist writing this story.

If it's the latter then it injects a subjective and unfounded viewpoint into what is otherwise a factual story. It's inclusion may make readers think there is hostility towards Christians in Malaysia when it is in fact a prosperous & peaceful multi-ethnic/multi-religious society.

Considering that the source of the word "inflammatory" is not provided it can be assumed that its been inserted into the article by the journalist in which case this article has to be given a negative rating.

Article Verdict: Negative

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Tuesday 27th October

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: Islamic scholar jailed for trying to kill father-in-law
Section: News
Written by: Chris Osuh
Page/URL: Link
Accompanying Photos:

Outline: This article from the online edition of the M.E.N reports on the sentencing of a man who tried to murder his father-in-law.

As is evidently clear from the headline the readers are left in no doubt as to the religious background of the man as well as his profession, he is described as an "Islamic Scholar". By its definition the word "scholar" is used to denote someone with mastery in a particular field of study.

The 2nd paragraph of the article states that the man, Mohammed Saghir "...dedicated his life to studying the Koran and aspired to become an imam". If someone is aspiring to become something then clearly it would be premature to say the least to describe them as a "scholar" or master of a particular discipline.

The significance of using this word in the context of the article is that it wrongly gives readers the view that a person fully versed in Islamic law went on to try and kill one of his own family members. If the person was indeed a "scholar" of Islamic law then he would have found very clear and explicit rulings within Islamic law condemning murder.

However readers will no doubt think that if someone who's meant to uphold the values and act as a role model for the islamic faith can commit such an act what does that say about the faith?

The rest of the article describes how the man planned and carried out the attack and at one point it states that he felt remorse at his actions and asked his father-in-law to write a letter forgiving him.

In the second to last paragraph it states that the victim "...was urged to write a statement saying he forgave his son-in-law by family and religious elders who did not want to see the case go to court". This implies that "religious elders" wanted to cover up the crime when in fact if the elders were truly "religious" as Osuh states they would have pushed for the opposite i.e. for the case to go to court as Islam does not condone such acts.

The article along with a very unflattering photo of Mohammed Saghir does no favours to the image of Islam nor to that of Imaams and Muslim community leaders. Chris Osuh inaccurately describes Saghir as a "Scholar" when clearly by his own comments at the beginning of the article he is most definitely not. In summary this is another article that will further help to propogate a negative view of Islam and Muslims thanks to classic tabloid reporting by Osuh.

Article Verdict: Negative

Friday 9th October - Part 2

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: Keep out of city centre, rugby fans are warned
Section: North West Today
Written by: ?
Page: 2

Outline: This brief appears towards the top of page 2 and refers to the planned anti-Islam rally in Manchester City Centre by the extremist group the English Defence League (EDL) on Saturday 10th October.

The article reports that rugby fans travelling to Old Trafford have been warned to stay away from the city centre to avoid what's described as a "protest" by the EDL which it describes as a "...right wing group..."

The article goes on to describe how the EDL plans to hold a "...demonstration..." against "...Islamic Extremism..." and that there will be a counter protest by "...the Unite Against Fascism Group..."

The article ends with a reference to Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd and his message to people to stay away and also with a message in bold on the last line which reads ">> See Potsbag page 10".

There is one big glaring error in this news brief, the planned rally by the EDL is incorrectly described as a protest against Islamic Extremism. Now usually journalists are the inquisitive type and one would normally expect them to do their job properly and investigate exactly what type of group the EDL is? Of course the EDL's self professed aim is to 'protest against Islamic Extremism" but the truth is more sinister as their real aim is to protest against Islam and the presence of Muslims in the UK.

This is not the first rally planned by the EDL, they have staged similar marches in Birmingham which have been violent and high profile. For journalists this fact should not be difficult to find out.

At no point in the brief does it describe that the EDL have staged a similar rally and that it descended into violence, it doesn't describe that the group is largely made of up football hooligans out to cause trouble, it doesn't describe that at previous rallies their members have brandished hate messages on placards like "No More Mosques" and chanted slogans like "Muslims Out!".

These messages show that this group isn't interested in protesting against extremism but rather it is a fascist group targeting a group of people based solely on their faith. That, Ladies and Gentlemen is what is commonly known as an Extremist group. However all these facts are 'hidden' from the reader in this news brief so as to deprive them of the facts.

It also seeks to malign the image of the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) Group which has decided to stand up for Muslims. The news brief has successfully painted the picture of the EDL as protesting against "Islamic Extremism" and Unite Against Fascism are presented as planning to stage a "counter-protest" i.e. a protest against the EDL's stance in other words the readers will think why is this group trying to stop a group protesting against extremism? Does the paper want people to think that UAF supports extremism?

This is yet another example of clever 'Unspeak' i.e. smuggling in a hidden argument to influence readers.

It's not hard to forget the high profile that the media decided to give to the small number of members belonging to the Al Ghuraaba group when they protested by brandishing violent placards in response to the Danish Cartoons. We were reminded over & over again about the messages and made to think that maybe Muslims at large supported this tiny fringe group.

Unfortunately this time round the EDL is getting nowhere near as much exposure to highlight their extremist intent.

This news brief actualy supports their attempts to deceive the wider public into thinking that they're stance is just and noble when this couldn't be further from the truth.

For this reason this news brief is given a "Negative" rating.

Article Verdict: Negative


Article 2
Headline: Racist League
Section: Postbag
Written by: John Leech, MP, Manchester Withington
Page: 10

Outline: This isn't really an article but a letter sent into the M.E.N by the MP for Manchester Withington the Rt Hon John Leech.

In complete contrast to the news brief above John Leech's letter is an attempt to tell readers about the true intent of the EDL which he accurately describes in the opening words of his letter as "A RACIST group..." and how they are planning to hold an "...anti-Muslim rally aimed at inciting hatred and stirring up fear on our streets"

He speaks favourable about a petition organised by the Unite Against Fascism Group and encourages all readers to sign it by even providing the web address which is www.manchesteruaf.org

Unlike the M.E.N news brief above Mr Leech does refer to the previous rallies held by the EDL and how these have displayed the groups' "...Xenophobia and racially motivated thuggery..."

He also explains his very reasoned argument for banning the protest which he explains is "...not about gagging a legitimate group - it's about standing up for what is right and not letting our tolerance and free speech be hijacked by fascists who...would do away with this freedom in an instant.

Having read the letter by Mr Leech my first question was 'why did the M.E.N not use extracts from the letter in its earlier news brief, expecially considering that it did refer to another Manchester based MP and conveyed his message?' How did Mr Lloyd make the cut but not Mr Leech?

Mr Leech's letter could well have been used as a press release by the paper and used to bring a bit of balance to the M.E.N's atrocious news brief which all but stops short of publicly endorsing the EDL through its shameful mis-reporting.

A reference at the bottom of the News Brief telling people to go to the Postbag isn't enough, Mr Leech's comments should have been used in the main body of the M.E.N article. Perhaps the decision was taken not to use his comments because they contrasted very starkly with the M.E.N's take on the EDL protest i.e. the M.E.N blindly believed what the EDL said it would be protesting about rather than doing their job properly and actually investigating what the EDL were all about.

It could be argued that the M.E.N published Mr Leech's letter and there is a reference at the end of the news brief thus the readers would have got to see his comments. However by publshing his letter in the Postbag quite clearly shows that these are Mr Leech's opinions and thus personal to him, this could influence how receptive people are to Mr Leech's message.

Whilst Mr Leech's letter is positive my rating will be based on the M.E.N's conduct instead which deserves a "Negative" rating.

Article Verdict: Negative

Friday 9th October - Part 1

Metro

Article 1
Headline: Quarter of the World is Muslim
Section: News
Written by: Jo Steele
Page: 27

Outline: This article focuses on a study conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life report and its findings that 1 in 4 people in the World are Muslim.

The article features quite prominently on page 27 and is accompanied by a colour map which highlights some of the key countries and their Muslim populations as a proportion of the total.

On the whole the article is presented in a very factual manner and details some of the statistics and ‘interesting’ facts i.e. that Muslims in countries where Islam is not the majority religion outnumber Muslims in some mainly Islamic countries.

In fact the article would have been a very strong candidate for a “Neutral” rating had it not been for Jo Steele injecting her own opinionated views into the story which firmly pushes this into “Negative” territory.

In the fourth paragraph she writes that “Indonesia, which traditionally practices a more tolerant Islam has the World’s largest Muslim population”.

The question here is, what is meant by “…a more tolerant Islam…”?? The implication quite clearly is that as the Indonesians practice a “more tolerant” version of Islam then the real version must be less tolerant in other words intolerant.

This is yet another classic example of ‘Unspeak’.

Through a careful selection of words Steele has smuggled in a personal opinion and made what should have been an objective article into a biased article portraying a negative image of Islam i.e. a religion that is intolerant.

No surprises therefore that Steele’s article gets a “Negative” rating for using manipulative language to influence the readers opinions about Islam.


Article Verdict: Negative

Thursday 8th October

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: United front on wrecked graves
Section: News
Written by: ?
Page: 14

Outline: This article appears on page 14 towards the bottom of the page, it occupies a very low profile position and it could be argued it's almost 'hidden'.

It reports on the Islamophobic attack on 20 Muslim graves in Manchester's Southern Cemetry.

It describes the attack as a "race hate attack" and refers to the perpetrators as "thugs". It features comments by a spokesman from the Muslim Jewish Forum of Manchester who is quoted as describing the attack as "Islamophobic" and "Incomprehensible".

The article ends with numbers for crimestoppers (0800 555 111) and the Police (0161 856 6151) that people can contact if they have further information.

The article is well written and makes an important point in using the term Islamophobia, which will help educate readers about this type of hate crime which remains grossly under-reported in the mainstream media.

In terms of its shortcomings the article could have been placed in a more prominent position rather than being buried at the bottom of page 14.

From a big picture point of view the article gets a positive rating as it presents the story in a sympathetic manner.

Article Verdict: Positive

Article 2
Headline: Shariah expert on hand to help George Davies clients
Section: Business
Written by: ?
Page: 5

Outline: This article appears in the business section and profiles a woman called Tasnim Khalid who works for a law firm and specialises in Shariah (Islamic) law.

The article describes how Ms Khalid's skills "...will allow her to offer a service of special interest to her Muslim clients." It goes into some brief detail to describe her areas of specialism. One of the paragraphs features comments from Ms Khalid where she describes how her knowledge of both the British Legal system and Shariah Law will help "...ensure there is no conflict between the law of the land and religious law".

The article features a photo of Ms Khalid as well.

In summary it is a well written and factual article with none of the sensationalism that is usually associated with any sort of reference to Shariah law. It seeks to show how in this particular case Shariah law will help meet the needs of the clients of what is described as a law firm with the "...second largest private client department in Manchester".

Article Verdict: Positive

Back after another Snooze!

I won't make any excuses....trying to run a blog like Manchetser Evening Snooze, which requires much analyses & scrutiny, as a 1 man show is more than I can handle at times especially when I have a regular day job to hold down. However I will try and post on a best endeavours basis....I promise!

Also, taking some time off has allowed me to have a rethink about the scope and purpose of Manchester Evening Snooze. Specifically is it sensible to limit scrutiny about coverage of Islam & Muslims to just 2 newspapers?

I feel that it isn't.

During the course of any given day, week or month, I see numerous sources....far too many to list here which either report of Muslims & Islam or refer to them.

It's for that purpose I have decided that from now on I will report on any newspaper/website/tv programme etc that mentions or covers Islam and Muslims and report back with some analyses on this site.

Stay tuned, Manchester Evening Snooze will be posting again very soon!

Salaam (Peace)

Wednesday 1st July

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: Life - from both sides of the veil
Section: Features
Written by: Shelina Begum
Page: 9

Outline: This feature takes up three quarters of page 9 and is dedicated to the "debate" about the Burka or the all ecompassing veil that some Muslim Women choose to wear. The headline paragraph makes reference to the North West MEP Chris Davies' comments regarding the Burka and also to French President Sarkozy who started this "debate". It sets out the premise for the feature which aims to speak to "....four Muslim women from Greater Manchester to find out their views".

The feature is split into 2 sections with the headings "Choosing to cover up" and "And those who don't".

Two Photos are featured, one of them is of 2 women who choose to wear the Burka and a smaller photo is of Councillor Maryam Khan who doesn't wear the Burka or a headscarf, it also features a caption from her which reads

"There is so much misconception about women who wear the veil. I don't know anybody who is being oppressed"

The section focusing on the women who choose to wear the Burka details some of the problems they face as a result of their choice, for example one woman named as Nasima Sheikh comments on anti Burka sentiment and states that "It's bad enough I face abuse from people on the streets for my choice of clothing. Young white lads regularly call me 'ninja' and now this criticism will give them even more ammunition to point their finger at me".

There are comments from another woman named as Nazma Khatun who describes her reasons for wearing the Burka and quotes her as saying "..The burka makes me feel comfortable and has never stopped me from studying, getting a job and fitting in". Ms Khatun also comments that whilst she feels Greater Manchester is tolerant her sister has had to remove her Burka in Blackpool because of "...daily threats..." being received by her family.

The second section starts with a woman called Saira Younas who comments that whilst other members of her family wear the hijab (headscarf) she doesn't and hasn't been forced to. She is quoted as describing the Burka as "...a step too far. The Koran does not state that you have to cover your face....But if a woman chooses to do this then it is their choice, like it is mine not to cover my hair or my face".

The feature finishes with comments by Maryam Khan whose photo is also featured in the article. She is described as "...Manchester's youngest councillor..."

A comment from her is provided in the article which states that "Islam gives women a choice about whether they want to wear the hijab or burka and I have chosen not to...However I really do admire the women who do. It shows great courage in a climate where there is so much hostility. I know I don't have the courage to do the same...There is much misunderstanding about women who wear the veil. There may be a small minority forced to wear it but don't personally know of anybody who is oppressed"

The closing statement by Councillor Maryam Khan is in my opinion the most powerful statement of the article

"It comes down to choice and women should have the right to wear what they want"

I know that I have recreated large chunks of the feature as part of this analysis but I felt that all were necessary to include as they show why this feature is so positive.

Shelina Begum deserves credit for telling the untold story with regards to the Hijab and Burka i.e. the women who wear it and those Muslim women who don't. As is often the case with "debates" regarding Islamic matters we are consistently bombarded with the view of the Politician or Fringe Muslims or Neo Con think tanks each banging on about their particular angle on the story and more often than not this viewpoint leaves the audience with a negative outlook on Islam and Muslims.

Shelina Begum's feature presents a much needed human face to the "debate" about Burka and allows readers to get the view from the inside track. It is enlightening as contrary to what people may think they get to see the strong and confident voices of the women who wear the Burka who debunk the myth that they are somehow oppressed. It actually highlights that the one form of oppression they do face is racism not subservience to their menfolk.

Also with regards to the non-Burka wearing Muslim Women it doesn't present them as opposed to the choice made by their "sisters" but rather re-affirms the true democratic principle of choice.

The decision to end with Maryam Khan's quote is the best part of the article as it probably sums up the feelings of Muslim women across Britain who choose to wear a Burka. We often go on about the right/freedom to choose, this feature is re-affirming that democratic message that let women choose to wear the Burka go about their business free from scrutiny or ridicule.

Excellent feature by Shelina Begum and I guess the M.E.N does deserve a cursory knod of approval for placing the feature prominently towards the front of the paper.

Article Verdict: Positive

Monday 29th June

Metro

Article 1
Headline: Radical cleric attacked for converting boy of 11
Section: News
Written by: Miles Erwin
Page: 9

Outline: This article takes up most of page 11 and is about the conversion of a boy aged 11 to Islam by Anjem Choudary who is described as a "radical cleric". The article features a photo of the conversion ceremony taking place with the boy's face blurred out.

In the 2nd paragraph of the article the words "The bewildered looking boy....was filmed repeating Arabic chants and swearing allegiance to Allah...."

The words "Arabic chants" are a poor choice by Erwin who should know that the correct terminology to use would be Arabic Prayers.

The article features a photo of Omar Bakri and it mentioned in the article that Anjem Choudary has links to Bakri who is described as a "Muslim hate preacher". Erwin also mentions that Choudary's group wants Britain to "...become an Islamic state ruled by strict Sharia law."

The closing paragraph of the article mentions that Bakri "...is famous for praising the 9/11 hijackers as the magnificent 19".

The article also contains comments by Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra of the Muslim Council of Britain and the Christian Muslim Forum who criticises Choudary's actions, "I believe that a choice pf Islam is only to be done when you can fully understand the complex, mature and life-changing decision that you are making"

Whilst the inclusion of Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra's comments is a good step to show that conversion of young Children isn't endorsed by all Muslims the overall view of the article is that it's unnecessarilly scaremongering the readers.

The image presented is that "bewildered" young children will be coerced into converting by men who endorse terrorism and want to establish a strict Islamic State in Britain.

It is fairly safe to assume that this is an isolated incident carried out by a Group that has few backers amongst the vast majority of British Muslims. To give this much coverage to a story like this is merely going to feed the fear that some people hold towards Muslims and in that respect is an example of irresponsible journalism by Miles Erwin.

Article Verdict: Negative

Friday 26th June

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: I was thrown off flight to the US because my name's Muhammed
Section: News
Written by: Pete Bainbridge
Page: 24

Outline: This news story is about Mr Muhammed Vakaas Khan who was denied permission to fly to the US and escorted off his flight by security guards in front of other passengers.

The article starts with the text "A MUSLIM man claims US officials..."

Given the context of the story it is appropriate to mention Mr Khan's religious background because he alleges that he was denied entry on grounds of his religion and that his name, Muhammed may have been linked by US officials to terrorism. It may sound far fetched but unfortunately Muslim even British Muslim travellers regularly face harassment by US immigration officials who present awkward questions to them and Mr Khan's case is one more example of this.

The article is given prominence on page 24 and is the only news story on that page, with the remainder being taken up by adverts. The article mentioned Mr Khan's background, martial arts, and that he was travelling to the US to train with his sporting hero.

It also mentions that Mr Khan's cousin had to face similar visa problems when he wanted to work in the US. The article presents Mr Khan's story in a sympathetic light and also features a photo of him. It brings to light this important issue which is faced all too frequently by many British Muslim travellers to the US, in that respect this article is given a 'Positive' rating.

Article Verdict: Positive

Metro

Article 1
Headline: Tension over gay party in holy city
Section: World Digest
Written by: ?
Page: 22

Outline: This news brief talks about 2 events, a gay pride parade and opening of a municipal car park on the Jewish Sabbath which are described as "causing tension in Jerusalem.."

It mentions that the parade "...has touched off anti-gay protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews...in the past.." and that the planned opening of a car park stirred tensions because "Jewish religous law bans travel on the Sabbath".

This article has been included in the round up to present a point of comparison i.e. how does reporting by the Metro and M.E.N about other religious groups compare to reporting about Muslims?

In this particular instance people are likely to get a negative view of Ultra-Orthodox Jews because the brief mentions that they carried out "anti-gay protests", in this respect it presents them in a negative light.

Article Verdict: Negative

Metro

Article 2
Headline: School racist for barring 'non-Jew'
Section: News
Written by: Miles Erwin
Page: 32

Outline: This article is about a boy who was denied entry into a Jewish school because it not recognise his mother's conversion to Judaism.

The article opens with the words "A POPULAR Jewish school has been ruled racist..." The story then goes on to explain that the school is state-run and that it was deemed "Unlawfully racist" by the Court of Appeal.

The article explains the entry requirements for the school and that to qualify the prospective pupil's mother must be Jewish by descent or conversion, Erwin goes on to write that this requirement "contravened the Race Relations Act (according to) Lord Justice Sedley"

The closing paragraphs mention that the boy will now be admitted and that the Governors had refused entry because they didn't recognise his mother's conversion from Catholicism.

The article ends with the words "...no faith school is immune from race laws, Lord Justice Sedley said"

Overall this article presents the governors of the school in a negative light as it states that they were found to be acting in a racist manner.

Article Verdict: Negative

Monday 22nd June

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Nil Return

Metro

Nil Return

Thursday 18th June

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Nil Return

Metro

Article 1
Headline: "World - Protestors defy threats in Iran" & "Footballers show solidarity"
Section: Front page brief & News
Written by: Miles Erwin
Page: Front page and page 5

Outline: This article is about the protests in Iran over the outcome of the recent Presidential election where Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was declared the winner but this was disputed by his main rival Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The front page brief lists the number of protestors (500,000) and mentions that they did so "despite warning that dissdents faced being executed"

The follow on articles are on page 7 and almost occupy the full page except for a tiny sliver which is an advert. The articles feature 4 pictures, 3 from a Football World Cup qualifiying match between Iran and South Korea which show members of the Iranian football team with some wearing green wrist bands to show solidarity with the defeated candidate. The other 2 photos are of spectators, 1 shows a man holding an Iranian flag which carries the text "Free Iran" and the other shows groups of spectaors holding placards that read "where is my vote?". The football article focuses on the fact that 5 of the Iranian team were sporting the green armbands in solidarity with the protestors but they removed them because of what the article describes as "...speculation their coach ordered them to do so". The remainder of the article provides brief commentary on the spectators placards and mention of the match score.

The second article runs with a similar heading to that featured on the front page and focuses on the protests taking place in Iran. In this article.

Erwin prints the following statement by the Prosecutor General of Isfahan province;

"We warn the few, controlled by foreigners, who try to disrupt domestic security by inciting individuals to destroy and to commit arson that the Islamic penal code for such individuals waging war against God is execution"

Erwin then goes on to mention that 19 people have been killed and that foriegn news journalists can not report the violence.

Erwin fails to contextualise the comment made by the Prosecutor General particularly the part relating to "foreigners", this is in response to concerns raised by the Iranian authorities that the trouble and violence may be being stirred up by covert foreign operations in an effort to destabilise the country. Failing to contextualise the comments deprives readers of the full story and makes it seem as though foreigners are being pointlessly blamed for the violence.

The overall narrative presented in the story is one that presents a negative view of Iran and the Iranian Government through selective reporting which leaves out key facts for the reader thus these articles are given a 'Negative' rating.

Article Verdict: Negative

Monday 15th June

Manchester Evening News (City Edition)

Article 1
Headline: Israeli PM back a state for Palestine
Section: News
Written by: Peter Green
Page: 12

Outline: This article is so wrong it's hard to decide where to begin. Let's start with the headline, for those who know the detail of what Binyamin, referred to as "Benjamin" in this article, Netanyahu has said will know that his idea of a "State" doesn't actually equate to what a real State should be like.

The one thing that Green does get right is to refer to Netanyahu as "Israel's hard-line Prime Minister", although he is actually right wing and arguably an extreme one at that.

Green goes into some of the detail of Netanyahu's proposals i.e. that the proposed Palestinian state should not have an army nor should the refugees be allowed the right to return to their homes that they were driven out of when Israel was created. Although this crucial bit of information is not given by Green in the article.

Green then goes onto present Netanyahu in a positive light stating that Netanyahu "offered to talk to Palestinians immediately...with no preconditions", that he "wanted to live...as good neighbours" with the Palestinians and that he "...was willing to go to Damascus, Riyadh and Beirut in pursuit of a Middle East peace deal."

These statements inaccurately present Netanyahu as a reasonable figure out looking for peace, Green should have devoted valuable column inches to spelling out the finer detail of Netanyahu's proposal to show readers that what we was promising Palestinians was a so called State which would have no army and not have control of its airspace or land borders.

Green mentions that "Palestinians demand all the West Bank with East Jerusalemas capital. Israel captured both areas in 1967". The choice of words is significant by using "demand" and "all the West Bank..." it's almost like painting a picture that the Palestinians are perhaps being unreasonable i.e. almost saying to Israel 'Give me the West Bank!'. Whilst Green mentions that Israel captured both territories he fails to mention that this was in violation of International and UN law and that the Israeli occupation is considered illegal by every nation in the World except in Israel itself.

Green also remarkably fails to mention the very big problem of illegal settlements that Israel has contructed in the West Bank. These are conveniently left out.

The icing on the cake for this particular article is the closing paragraph where it is said of Netanyahu that "...he fears Palestinian militants will use the West Bank to stage attacks on Israel as Hamas militants have fired into Israel since it withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005". Green fails to mention the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza which has turned the territory into the World's largest prison and the fact that Israel launched a brutal war there just 6 months ago where 1,400 Palestinians were killed including at least 430 children. This closing paragraph from Green is almost presenting justification for Netanyahu's ridiculous proposal for a Palestinian state.

If Green ever loses his job at the M.E.N I'm sure he'll be snapped up as a spokesman for the Israeli Government. In the meantime this serves as one of the most blatant examples of Hasbara in action.

Article Verdict: Negative

Metro

Article 1
Headline: Israel call for peace rejected & Israel's olive branch?
Section: Front page brief & page 5
Written by: Miles Erwin
Page: Front page and page 5

Outline: The Metro does one better than the M.E.N by not only placing a spun version of Netanyahu's offer on the front page but by also making the Palestinians out to be antagonists by rejecting this so called "peace".

On page 5 Erwin continues by calling Netanyahu's action "historic" and using the same sort of spin tactics as Green though to a lesser extent and also allowing for quotes from the Palestinian Authority.

However in closing a statement from the US administration is given in where it states that the US welcomed the gesture made by Netanyahu.

Erwin failed to mention the specifics of the proposal put forward by Netanyahu i.e. no control over borders, right of refugees to return to their homes and of course the illegal settlements which Erwin also completely ignored.

It's snoteworthy to see 2 different competing papers reporting the same story allegedly from different ends of the Political sphere in terms of their bias yet singing from pretty much the same Hasbara hymn sheet.

Article Verdict: Negative