# Media too pro-muslim? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 27, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303 "2016-02-27T16:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/41 "2016-02-29T00:24:20Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Can you link to the WaPo story you quoted? News reporting doesn’t usually ask questions like that. Opinion pages, sure. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/16/random-act-or-islamist-terrorism-questions-linger-as-ohio-restaurant-reopens-after-machete-attack/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/16/random-act-or-islamist-terrorism-questions-linger-as-ohio-restaurant-reopens-after-machete-attack/) ETA: I don’t see the article downplaying Radical Islam in the attack. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/42 "2016-02-29T01:19:11Z")
> [@Civilrighte](#): > > Muslims in Europe tend to come from countries like Pakistan or Africa, and they refuse to integrate like East Asians or Hindus. You do know that while Pakistan is a country, Africa is not, right? Even beyond that, your claim is in error. Great Britain has had a problem with a certain segment of Pakistani immigrants, but Europe is the destination of a lot of Muslims from a wide range of nations and they tend to assimilate very well. The current exodus from the violence of Syria and Libya and a few surrounding, war torn regions has brought in a lot of people who will have a problem assimilating, but up until the last year or two, Muslims from all over the M.E.N.A. region and a few other places were immigrating and assimilating at about the same rates as Europeans have assimilated in North and South America and Australia. Claiming otherwise is simply supporting the propaganda of the “Eurabia” zealots who invent lies to stir up hatred. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/43 "2016-02-29T01:41:25Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Can you link to the WaPo story you quoted? News reporting doesn’t usually ask questions like that. See [link](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/16/random-act-or-islamist-terrorism-questions-linger-as-ohio-restaurant-reopens-after-machete-attack/) (thanks to **Larry Borgia** ). It’s OK, they were Just Asking Questions. That attack hit a little too close to home. I know one of the hospitalized victims. And I eat in restaurants along that corridor. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/44 "2016-02-29T02:03:12Z")
Silly me, I thought American media was pro-Hindu. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/45 "2016-02-29T02:11:53Z")
> [@Civilrighte](#): > > I’m gay and athiest, but I come from a Hindu background. > > Islam is generally conservative and far-right. It’s strict, anti-feminism, homophobic, cruel, etc… And takes us back to the middle ages. > > Why on earth should it be unacceptable to be islamaphobic? > > I keep coming across posts and articles complaining about “Islamaphobia” as if it’s their right to have freedom of speech/religion but not anyone else’s! > > They have AlJazeera and the Middle East, why on earth do they need liberal support? > > Furthermore, I’m tired of people who scream Islamaphobia at anything vaguely anti-"person of muslim background ". > > Muslims in Europe tend to come from countries like Pakistan or Africa, and they refuse to integrate like East Asians or Hindus. They have large, uneducated families. They form a proportionately high percentage of the prison population, mainly live on poverty/welfare, heavily involved in crime and disorders/riots. They are similar to the worst side o Blacks or Latinos, and that’s nothing to do with Islam and it’s not Islamaphobia. > > I even get accused of being Islamaphobic when I say things like “second generation tend to find North Indians unattractive, and therefore Pakistanis would be considered undesirable”… I’m gay and I’m Hindu and my parents are from India. I have lived in the US since I was born, and I have lived here a long time. My school district desegregated the year before I started first grade. And I know full will what happens when people stir up Islamaphobia. I’m the one who gets caught in it. I’m the one who has to endure extra security measures. I’m the one who has my temples attacked. Because the people who get riled up about this stuff don’t have cultural anthropology degrees. They will happily target me as a substitute for their racist rage. When the Iran-hostage crisis happened, I used to get in fights every day in school. I had friends and relatives who were attacked and put in life-threatening situations, because people thought they were Iranian (or didn’t care to make any distinction). We were in a panic, because we didn’t know which of us would be the victims of the bigots’ misdirected rage. So, I know full well what these generic attacks on Islam are. I’m a Hindu and I’m of Indian descent, but these attacks on Islam are inevitably an attack on me and mine. And if anyone thinks I’m going to meekly put up with that, it’s not going to happen. I’m not a seven-year-old and I know how to take the bigots down now. As a general principle, pretending Islam is somehow unique is pretty dumb. People are terrible the world over, and they’ll always find some excuse to be terrible, whether it’s religion or politics or economics or something else. There’s nothing unique about Islam in this. But if you want a reason why you should combat Islamophobia, then you should just take the simplest route. Islamophobia puts you and your family in danger. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/46 "2016-02-29T03:27:06Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Are they doing so in the name of Christianity, though? I think that’s what would make the difference. The terrorists who attack abortion clinics & doctors in the US seem to be doing it on the basis of their Christian beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/47 "2016-02-29T03:37:04Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > From a prior thread, the OP finds Pakistanis to be ugly and is looking for reasons to justify keeping them out of the British fashion and music scenes. Ironic, I actually think the bulk of middle eastern / indian / persian people are incredibly striking and good looking. I want to see more examples on television and film. ---
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/48 "2016-02-29T03:42:06Z")
To answer the OP, yes the media downplays the horrors of Islam, after hearing this talk my already negative view of Islam got even Darker. I did not think that possible. incredibly engaging talk, especially the part about the % devoted to the Kafir, non believers, it’s a god damn majority of the content devoted not to how to be a muslim, but how to interact with the non believers. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/49 "2016-02-29T03:53:24Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > The terrorists who attack abortion clinics & doctors in the US seem to be doing it on the basis of their Christian beliefs. I don’t think anyone would deny that. However, this was a hypothetical about a [Christian version of ISIS](http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/9037.htm). It was directed at those who support the actions of ISIS. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/50 "2016-02-29T05:21:03Z")
FWIW, here’s a prime example of exactly this phenomenon. [http://leftfootforward.org/2015/08/a-response-to-the-guardians-piece-on-maajid-nawaz/](http://leftfootforward.org/2015/08/a-response-to-the-guardians-piece-on-maajid-nawaz/) The Guardian published an _extremely_ friendly interview with a hardline Islamist, then a very hostile and downright unjournalistic interview with a man who previously belonged to the same organization and condemned them for being, well, Islamists. I’m not aware of any concrete bias outside of a handful of outlying articles such as this one, and I don’t have too many examples of that, either, but it’s a case I personally found quite egregious. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/51 "2016-02-29T07:58:31Z")
If true, then it’s ersatz democracy. Everyone is supposedly free to do his or her own media blitz. ---
**Author:** ![Civilrighte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@Civilrighte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civilrighte)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/52 "2016-02-29T09:44:23Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > You do know that while Pakistan is a country, Africa is not, right? > > Even beyond that, your claim is in error. Great Britain has had a problem with a certain segment of Pakistani immigrants, but Europe is the destination of a lot of Muslims from a wide range of nations and they tend to assimilate very well. > The current exodus from the violence of Syria and Libya and a few surrounding, war torn regions has brought in a lot of people who will have a problem assimilating, but up until the last year or two, Muslims from all over the M.E.N.A. region and a few other places were immigrating and assimilating at about the same rates as Europeans have assimilated in North and South America and Australia. Claiming otherwise is simply supporting the propaganda of the “Eurabia” zealots who invent lies to stir up hatred. It’s not just British Pakistanis (it’s accepted that it is an ethnic problem BTW, like Blacks in USA). Most Muslims in Continental Europe are from Africa, many of them Black. They have the same stereotypes as Muslims in the UK and the less glamorous side of Blacks in the US. The stereotypes of Muslims is nothing to do with religion, in the same way stereotypes of Blacks in the US is nothing to do with black skin. > [@BrightNShiny](#): > > I’m gay and I’m Hindu and my parents are from India. I have lived in the US since I was born, and I have lived here a long time. My school district desegregated the year before I started first grade. > > And I know full will what happens when people stir up Islamaphobia. I’m the one who gets caught in it. I’m the one who has to endure extra security measures. I’m the one who has my temples attacked. Because the people who get riled up about this stuff don’t have cultural anthropology degrees. They will happily target me as a substitute for their racist rage. > > When the Iran-hostage crisis happened, I used to get in fights every day in school. I had friends and relatives who were attacked and put in life-threatening situations, because people thought they were Iranian (or didn’t care to make any distinction). We were in a panic, because we didn’t know which of us would be the victims of the bigots’ misdirected rage. > > So, I know full well what these generic attacks on Islam are. I’m a Hindu and I’m of Indian descent, but these attacks on Islam are inevitably an attack on me and mine. And if anyone thinks I’m going to meekly put up with that, it’s not going to happen. I’m not a seven-year-old and I know how to take the bigots down now. > > As a general principle, pretending Islam is somehow unique is pretty dumb. People are terrible the world over, and they’ll always find some excuse to be terrible, whether it’s religion or politics or economics or something else. There’s nothing unique about Islam in this. > > But if you want a reason why you should combat Islamophobia, then you should just take the simplest route. Islamophobia puts you and your family in danger. I am British. We don’t get bad racism in the UK (through I was brought up in a middle class environment) and it’s mainly a dislike for Muslims that I’ve been confronted with. Most places outside America (Canada, France, China, etc) have large populations of Muslims and most people are able to distinguish between “Muslims” (Arabs and Pakistanis) and Hindus. Furthermore, Muslims from Pakistanis and Africa get the most racism due to their race. My best friend during junior high school was a Persian-mix and we never had problems with Islamaphobia. > [@Salvor](#): > > Ironic, I actually think the bulk of middle eastern / indian / persian people are incredibly striking and good looking. I want to see more examples on television and film. I don’t find North Indians attractive whatsoever and it’s a second generation thing to find them unattractive. Some Middle Easterners are fairly attractive but there’s a lot more fish out there before I get to them. I barely identify with North Indians racially (most of the racial identity is cultural and about Hinduism), so Pakistanis are asking too much from me when they want to be Indian. Most of the time, I have a harder time distinguishing between Pakistanis and Middle Easterners, than between Pakistanis and Indians. > [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > FWIW, here’s a prime example of exactly this phenomenon. > > [http://leftfootforward.org/2015/08/a-response-to-the-guardians-piece-on-maajid-nawaz/](http://leftfootforward.org/2015/08/a-response-to-the-guardians-piece-on-maajid-nawaz/) > > The Guardian published an _extremely_ friendly interview with a hardline Islamist, then a very hostile and downright unjournalistic interview with a man who previously belonged to the same organization and condemned them for being, well, Islamists. > > I’m not aware of any concrete bias outside of a handful of outlying articles such as this one, and I don’t have too many examples of that, either, but it’s a case I personally found quite egregious. Thank-you. There’s other clues too. Like the number of Muslim journalists, or the number or articles defending Islam as a religion of progress. I’ve never felt Islamaphobia was anything more than part of the movement against religion. It’s well documented that there is bad classism/racism against Pakistanis and Blacks in the UK, and I think many in the west (especially USA) confuse that for Islamaphobia. ---
**Author:** ![Civilrighte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@Civilrighte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civilrighte)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/53 "2016-02-29T09:52:58Z")
I’m writing on a iPad, so I CBA to look for mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/54 "2016-02-29T13:30:04Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > You do know that while Pakistan is a country, Africa is not, right? > > Even beyond that, your claim is in error. Great Britain has had a problem with a certain segment of Pakistani immigrants, but Europe is the destination of a lot of Muslims from a wide range of nations and they tend to assimilate very well. You do know that while Great Britain is a country, Europe is not, right? Even beyond that, your claim is misleading. The problem (obviously) is the minority who refuse to assimilate. Claiming otherwise is simply supporting the proganda of the politically correct who invent lies to stir up hatred and to try to gain political advantage. Political correctness, which is what the OP referred to, does that. Play up “Christian” terrorism, and change the subject or deny Islamic terrorism, even if it is much worse and more common. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/55 "2016-02-29T13:38:23Z")
> [@Civilrighte](#): > > It’s not just British Pakistanis (it’s accepted that it is an ethnic problem BTW, like Blacks in USA). > > Most Muslims in Continental Europe are from Africa, many of them Black. They have the same stereotypes as Muslims in the UK and the less glamorous side of Blacks in the US. > > The stereotypes of Muslims is nothing to do with religion, in the same way stereotypes of Blacks in the US is nothing to do with black skin. Could you expand on what you mean by “an ethnic problem BTW, like Blacks in the USA”, and “the less glamorous side of Blacks in the US”, and “stereotypes of Blacks in the US is nothing to do with black skin”? ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/56 "2016-02-29T13:48:46Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > You do know that while Great Britain is a country, Europe is not, right? > > Even beyond that, your claim is misleading. The problem (obviously) is the minority who refuse to assimilate. Claiming otherwise is simply supporting the proganda of the politically correct who invent lies to stir up hatred and to try to gain political advantage. > > Political correctness, which is what the OP referred to, does that. Play up “Christian” terrorism, and change the subject or deny Islamic terrorism, even if it is much worse and more common. > > Regards, > Shodan Of course the problem is obvious. It’s just that admitting this would also mean admitting that all those that have been warning about this since the late 1980’s and that have been villified as neo-Nazis for just as long, were right all along. At least some of their fears were not just vague xenophobia and bigotry. The press and politics have been self censoring for so long, for fear of ‘playing into the hands of the far-right’, that it has become ingrained. They don’t know what else to do. Even now there is a hunt for the whistle blowers in the Cologne police force. It seems more important to find out who told the truth than to address the problem. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/57 "2016-02-29T15:16:09Z")
> [@Civilrighte](#): > > I’m gay and athiest, but I come from a Hindu background. > > Islam is generally conservative and far-right. It’s strict, anti-feminism, homophobic, cruel, etc… And takes us back to the middle ages. > > Why on earth should it be unacceptable to be islamaphobic? Of all people, you should understand why it’s wrong to judge an individual by his membership in a group. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/58 "2016-02-29T18:13:58Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Or that the American media tips its coverage in favor of things happening in America. International coverage by the American media is so massive that whatever “tip” there is in favor of US events is a trivial point to make. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/59 "2016-02-29T18:24:23Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Not so. Last night, my local news carried stories about the poor state of DC’s subway system. They systematically ignored the stories about corrupt selection process of a new FIFA president. > > It’s yet another example of the pro-soccer corruption bias of the American media. Speaking from experience all it would take would be to merely scan google news Top Stories daily headlines to be aware of the FIFA scandal, and to read all about it if you wish. You would not even have to go to the International News section. Have there been any important recent developments in that story that you think your local news has been short-changing you on? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/60 "2016-02-29T21:26:38Z")
> [@Nelson\_Pike](#): > > International coverage by the American media is so massive that whatever “tip” there is in favor of US events is a trivial point to make. There is (usually) substantial coverage of _large_ international stories. But a smaller domestic story gets more, often much more. As the comment I was answering, in fact, noted. > [@ITR\_champion](#): > > …one need only compare the massive freak-out about the possibility that a pizza place in Indiana might not cater gay wedding if asked (although it was never asked) to the seemingly small interest in the fact that gays are punished with death or imprisonment in almost all Muslim countries. This priority on domestic concerns is so natural, pervasive, and obvious, that the only point of my mentioning it in the first place was, in effect, “duh.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303.md?page=4)