Express exaggerate extremism

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.

Scaremongering: Today’s Express front page implies all Muslims want Sharia to be implemented 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.

http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/4887366847 Shamik Das

Express exaggerate extremism: http://bit.ly/Vuuph
Rory

I do not read the Daily Express, but very much doubt that it is measured and balanced to say that it attempts to portray all Muslims as extremists.
http://eye-on-islam.blogspot.com Ben Wilson

First of all, I must ask: how do you know how many demonstrators are expected to attend the event? Are you attending? This is just something I would like to know, since I don’t think you provided any evidence for your claim that only 200 Muslims are going to attend. Please correct me, if I am wrong about this, however.

In any case, the claim that the threat of radical Islam in Britain is “exaggerated” fails to take into account numerous polling data that present a different picture. A poll a few years ago found that 40% of British Muslims want to replace the British legal system with sharia. See here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1510866/Poll-reveals-40pc-of-Muslims-want-sharia-law-in-UK.html

More recently, another poll found similar results among British Muslim students, as well as revealing the disturbing finding that up to one third of Muslim students believe that it is justified to kill someone in the name of religion. See here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4407115.ece

In 2007, the Times reported that almost half of British mosques are under the control of a hardline Islamic sect that teaches jihad and hatred of Britain. See here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2402973.ece

Finally, I need not remind you that during a Channel 4 TV investigation, preachers in mosques were caught on tape calling on Muslims to reject British law, as well as spreading hatred against Jews and Christians. DVDs of these kinds of sermons were being sold in major mosques, including the one in Regent’s Park. And I also happen to know that the Finsbury Park mosque hands out copies of the Qur’an to potential converts which contain commentary by Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi, a major Pakistani thinker who, in this same commentary, taught that non-Muslims have “no right” to rule over any part of the Earth, and if they do, Muslims are obliged to dislodge them by force and make them submit to Islamic sharia law.

There is no doubt that all of this still equals a minority of radicalised British Muslims, but it is a significant minority. And in any case, it must be remembered that a minority can still cause considerable discord in Britain’s streets, and if left unchecked can only grow.
Ronbo2571

The silence from the {moderate?} Muslim majority is deafening.
Didn’t see many marches post July 7th,’Not in my name’
I’m afraid we have amongst our midst a significant minority in this country who wish to live in a parallel universe.
Consider Pakistan and India,both started with a clean slate in 1947.Which will be a world power in 30 years time and which is the second most corrupt country in the world on a hotline to Allah?
Switzerland?Islam is a scerotic disturbing ideology and in their desire to submit to it,muslims who do so are relinquishing the freedom to be sentient beings.
http://www.shamik.co.uk Shamik Das

I think it’s pretty plain to see, the headline reads: “Now Muslims demand: GIVE US FULL SHARIA LAW” Muslims demand. Not extremists. Not a few, but their implication is all Muslims. They’ve done it many times before. Think back to their coverage of the July 7th bombings.
http://www.shamik.co.uk 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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