Today’s Daily Express, once again, gives the misleading impression all Muslims are extremists.
Today’s Daily Express front page about Islam4UK’s plans to hold a rally with “up to 5,000 extremists” marching down Whitehall is wildly off the mark – fewer than 200 are expected to attend.
The article, as well as overstating the importance of the fringe group, gives them and their allies unwarranted publicity. The report is yet another attempt by the paper to portray all Muslims as extremists hell-bent on Sharia Law, demanding stoning for adulterers and “40 lashes in public” for drunkenness.
A previous example of the Express’s anti-Muslim bias can be found here.
A spokesman for Quilliam, the counter-extremism think tank, told Left Foot Forward:
“This is just another publicity stunt from a tiny group of extremists who are entirely unrepresentative of British Muslims.
“They should be treated like the marginal group they are, not given attention.”
Islam4Uk are a successor organisation to Al Muhajiroun, which disbanded in 2004 under threat of proscription. Their launch in May attracted only 100 people, ending in chaos at attempts by the group to force segregate men and women.
Left Foot Forward understands that they have next to no support among the Muslim community, and have been thrown out of all mosques in the country, only able to secure bookings by lying about their identity.
Their aim is to create a global Islamic empire or caliphate governed by Shariah, with their website bemoaning “the opression of democracy”, stating they “have had enough of freedom, and enough of liberalism”. Supporters include former Al Muhajiroun firebrand Anjem Choudary and extremist cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad.
Given the low numbers predicted for the October 31st march, it is worth asking of the Express why they have failed to devote similar coverage to Right-wing splinter groups like the English Defence League or London Patriot, whom Left Foot Forward have investigated in the past month.
The Express has, however, reported the British National Party’s court battle with the Equality and Human Rights Commission over the far-Right party’s membership rules.
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8 Responses to “Express exaggerate extremism”
Shamik Das
Ben, on your other point, as I’ve said in my report, this splinter-group of a fringe extremist group has very, very little support. They only got 100 people along to their launch, I really cannot see them bringing along 5,000 for a march.
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