Our survey says....

[Sweep2k]

A "torrent" of negative stories has been revealed by a study of the portrayal of Muslims and Islam in the media, according to a report published yesterday.

Research into one week's news coverage showed that 91% of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative. The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, who commissioned the study, said the findings were a "damning indictment" of the media and urged editors and programme makers to review the way they portray Muslims.

"The overall picture presented by the media is that Islam is profoundly different from and a threat to the west," he said. "There is a scale of imbalance which no fair-minded person would think is right." Only 4% of the 352 articles studied were positive, he said.

Livingstone said the findings showed a "hostile and scaremongering attitude" towards Islam and likened the coverage to the way the left was attacked by national newspapers in the early 1980s. "The charge is that there are virtually no positive or balanced images of Islam being portrayed," he said. "I think there is a demonisation of Islam going on which damages community relations and creates alarm among Muslims."

Among examples in the study was a report which claimed that Christmas was being banned in one area because it offended Muslims, which researchers said was "inaccurate and alarmist". The report said that Muslims in Britain were sometimes depicted as a threat to traditional British values, and the coverage weakened government attempts to reduce extremism.

[sp1814]

Raggy Roman

Your statement that a significant number of Muslims are a threat is wrong, unless you are currently living just outside Basra.

To say that Muslims in this country are a significant threat is a lie.

How many people do you know who have been blown up by Muslim extremists?

10? 20? 50?

Bet it's less than 10.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's probably less than 1.

[Dassie]

Err trigger....can't you read...I gave you one example where Islam and British Culture clash.

Are you so blinkered you can't see any difference between the cultures or must I spell it out? Ok so here's another one, do you like having a Mosque blasting out a call to prayer? Is that a British value.?? Women as second class citizens in the Muslim world ??

[whiffey]

I am not at all disturbed or worried by it, quite pleased actually.

I regard Islam as the greatest single threat to Western values and way of life. They will ' win ' in Britain over many years of course, the nidus of infection is here and the growing blindness shown by many people on this thread will assure complete victory. (They will then become victims of this so-so tolerant ha ha religion/culture, but I don't give a stuff about that).

[Sweep2k]

Dassie, still a bit unclear I'm afraid.

Here are some things that aren't traditionally considered British:

vegetarianism
skiing
BBQs
nipple-piercing
rap music
salsa dancing
WWE wrestling

Do you have a problem with these as well?

Isn't there room for new things and variety and each-to-their-own-ness in your British values?

[sp1814]

Loosehad

'Day to day'?

Millions of Muslims worry about their gas bill 'day to day'.

Millions of Muslims forget to tape Eastenders 'day to day'.

Millions of Muslims wonder whether they've got fat day to day.

Millions of Muslims laugh a bad jokes day to day.

Millions of Muslims laugh at bad jokes day to day.

They are, by and large, the same as you, your parents and your children.

You focus on the tiny minority who are not representative of the whole...why is that?

[jake-the-peg]

It isn't the religion that's a problem but the cultutres that are currently around many moslem countries.

Turkey for example is a firecely secular moslem country.

Trouble is Saudi Arabia isn't.

It seems a lot of people areusing moslem as a shorthand for a (mainly arab) culture that is repressive and often violent.

And some people are blindly assuming that all moslems (especially those in this country)are like that.

It's as daft as thinking that all Scotsmen go around in kilts

[Loosehead]

SP, I do not believe they are a tiny minority simple! Sure a tiny minority actually carry out the atrocities but I believe that even the so called moderates tacitly agree with the overall plan. Mostly they do not do much about it but they equaly do not do much to persuade us that they are not privately hoping for the extremists to deliver them the "paradise" on earth they desire. I think our own appeasement and complacency will have the same effect as it did on Hitler. It'll take a lot longer of course, I'm so grateful I am old enough to not have to endure sharia law when it is imposed on Britainistan!

[Dassie]

sweep and trigger...... you keep talking about day to day "things" as you put it...skiing, gravy etc. Please let's be a bit more sensible.....I am talking about Islam as a religion and their followers ( fanatical or otherwise ) clashing with the British scene.

As I said Mosques wailing away, veils hiding women with whom you possibly want to talk, radical ideas that now cause big queues at airports.

[sp1814]

There are also a tiny minority of straight men who murder gay men.

There is a larger number of straight men who go around gay-bashing (still happens I'm afraid).

I don't recall many protests by the straight community condemming this.

Should I take this as tacit approval?

No.

[sp1814]

Raggy

If I threw myself into a crowded tube platform I could be pretty sure of the following:

1. I will not hit a terrorist.

2. I will not hit a terrorist sympathiser.

3. I will not hit a paedophile.

4. I will not hit a wife beater.

5. I will not hit someone who has been anally probed by aliens.

[sp1814]

Loosehead

Hand on heart....do you think that Sharia Law will ever be the dominate legislative force in this country.

Seriously.

[Loosehead]

The problem is SP, it's the old paradoxcal thinking thing again. WW2 could have been stopped in the early 30's but appeasers and pacifists didn't act and prevented the ever fickle politicians acting. Finally when it gets to the stage when even the pacifist sees the need to fight, the fight is much much bigger than it otherwise would be. Paradoxically pacifists are one cause of conflict. In the same way, how far must we progress towards Sharia law before people like yourself wake up and realise what's happenning? So to answer your question, no I don't think Sharia law will ever be a reality in Britain, I was being flippant, but I do think we'll get near it and it will take a gargantuan effort to reverse. I just want to nip it in the bud like we should have done in the early 1930's. Remember Fiji?

[brionon]

When I see Muslims out on the street protesting against violence such as the london bombings I'll be happy.
Ain't gonna happen though is it. And,before you ask-I did see English people demonstrate against the Iraq war.

[Raleigh]

Was one of these 'negative' stories about Hizb ut Tahir, the radical Islamist organisation? They held massively attended events around the world recently where they outlined their vision of how the world should be - Islamist. One event in London was allegedly attended by thousands of followers. Probably not the ones running your local corner shop. But who knows?