Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables and figures
- List of abbreviations
- Glossary
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Dedication
- Introduction: my research observations
- 1 The identity debate
- 2 Muslims in Britain: an overview
- 3 The religious and cultural dilemma
- 4 To be or not to be British
- 5 Is the media biased against Muslims?
- 6 The niqab debate
- 7 Indignation about the proposal to include shariah law in Britain
- Conclusion: a humanitarian way forward
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Is the media biased against Muslims?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables and figures
- List of abbreviations
- Glossary
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Dedication
- Introduction: my research observations
- 1 The identity debate
- 2 Muslims in Britain: an overview
- 3 The religious and cultural dilemma
- 4 To be or not to be British
- 5 Is the media biased against Muslims?
- 6 The niqab debate
- 7 Indignation about the proposal to include shariah law in Britain
- Conclusion: a humanitarian way forward
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Yeah, a long time before 7/7 people shouted ‘Paki’ at us. But after 7/7 that has changed. The only thing is that now – the media, the demonisation, well obviously if you see every day in newspapers, hundreds of articles, on the news every day something bad saying, Muslims they do this and Muslims they do that. They blame Muslims, they are killing everyone. Somewhere in their [wider society's] mind, someone is going to say, I don't like these [Muslim] people because I am afraid of them.
(Interview, London, 15 April 2008)The interviewee, Shujauddin (male, aged 18), identified himself as ‘mixed race’ and British because he was born in Britain. Shujauddin's parents were from Pakistani and English backgrounds. He noted that since the 7/7 London bombings, the word ‘Paki’ has been replaced by ‘Muslim’ and the British media have been responsible for this change in the wider society's perception. Another interviewee, the British-born student of Palestinian background Sadaat (male, aged 18), thought that after the 7/7 incident the British media have become more influenced by the right-wing ideology of the British National Party. Sadaat was overseas for a few years but when he returned to London after the 7/7 London bombings, he noticed a sudden change in people's perception: Muslim equates with terrorists. Saadat believed:
The BNP, they feed off those kinds of things. Obviously the media, I mean in my opinion the media blatantly is as biased as you can be against Muslims and obviously they feed off that kind of thing. I mean when the government feeds off it. They [media] use it as an excuse to sort of spread their hate against the Muslim community …
If you ask me the real victims of 7/7 were not the 52 people who died, it was actually the 1.6 million Muslims in Britain who are feeling the consequences of it.
(Interview, London, 16 April 2008)- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Young British MuslimsIdentity, Culture, Politics and the Media, pp. 112 - 142Publisher: Edinburgh University PressPrint publication year: 2010