Islamophobia in the UK: The role of British newspapers in shaping attitudes towards Islam and Muslims Fleur Allen 28001668 Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………... 1 1 Introduction …………………………………………………… 3 2 Literature Review ……………………………………………. 8 2.1 Introduction …………………………………………………….. 8 2.2 Islamaphobia – Its meaning and origins ……………………. 9 2.3 The relationship between Islam and the West …………….. 11 2.4 Islamaphobia and the press …………………………………. 12 2.5 The portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the press ………….. 15 2.6 Challenges for the press ……………………………………... 26 2.7 Conclusions ……………………………………………………. 28 3 Methodology …………………………………………………. 30 3.1 Introduction …………..…………..…………..…………..……. 30 3.2 Research strategy …………..…………..…………..………… 30 3.3 Data collection and interpretation …………..…………..…… 32 4 Findings and discussion …………..…………..…………… 36 4.1 Reporting prior to 9/11 …………..…………..…………..……. 36 4.2 Analysis of the reporting of 9/11 and its aftermath ………… 43 4.3 Analysis of the reporting of 7/7 and its aftermath ………….. 54 4.4 Analysis of reporting since 7/7 …………..…………..………. 65 5 Conclusions and Recommendations …………..………… 82 References …………..…………..…………..…………..……. 90 Appendices …………..…………..…………..…………..…… 109 1 Metropolitan police figures on Islamophobic crimes, ................. 2011 - 2013 …..…………..………..…………..………..……... 109 i 2.1 National hate crime figures, 2011 – 2012 …………..………. 110 2.2 National hate crime figures, 2002 – 2013 …………..………. 113 3 Political alignment of British national newspapers …………. 114 4 Circulation figures for British national newspapers ………… 117 Bibliography …………..…………..…………..…………..….. 118 ii Abstract The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how Islam and Muslims are portrayed in British mainstream newspapers, whether the image presented is distorted and misleading and what impact this has on public opinion. Events over the past two decades have led to the religion becoming hyper-visible. This increased interest and the recent Leveson Inquiry into press ethics makes the need for this research timely. Research was based on a review of relevant literature and an extensive study of articles from the tabloids and broadsheets. This involved articles prior to 9/11, in the wake of 9/11, in the wake of 7/7 and post 7/7. The findings highlight that there is a disproportionate amount of coverage connected to Islam and Muslims. Evidence has been uncovered that suggests that some newspapers, especially the tabloids, have tended to present Muslims and Islam in a negative light, resorting to stereotypical images that present the religion as monolithic and barbaric. The religion and its followers are often presented through a series of ‘snap-shots’ that serve only to highlight differences and portray Islam as a threat. The analysis has also indicated that some newspapers have invented Muslim stories; a serious charge. Whilst the research has demonstrated that there is no quick fix to these issues, steps need to be taken to ensure that reporting moves away from age old stereotypes. At the heart of this lies a solution based on better educating editors and journalists about the Islamic faith. The question about whether 1 there needs to be a new regulator that all newspapers ascribe to also needs to be addressed. At the very least the role of the Press Complaints Commission should be reviewed and it should be recommended that serving editors do not sit on its board, as this is a conflict of interest. 2 Chapter 1 – Introduction “Islamophobia seems to be the last respectable prejudice available in modern Britain.”1 This was the claim made by Peter Oborne and James Jones, authors of Muslims Under Siege, which examined whether the London bombings on 7 July 2005 (7/7) and the fear of terrorism had helped fuel the rise in violence, intolerance and hatred against British Muslims. The attacks, which shocked the nation, had seen four British Islamist terrorists detonate bombs during morning rush hour. Three bombs were detonated on underground trains and the fourth on a bus. Fifty-six people were killed, including the bombers, and over seven hundred were injured2,3,4,5. Oborne and Jones’ research indicated that certain quarters of the press regularly presented Islam and Muslims in a negative light. Over a decade earlier Akbar Ahmed had claimed that nothing in history had threatened Muslims like the media6. More recently in 2011, Baroness Warsi, the then co-chairman of the Conservative Party, echoed their sentiments claiming that the media gave only a superficial discussion of Islam and that prejudice against Muslims had “passed the dinner table test”7. They are not alone, numerous reports and academic studies have also suggested that the press has played a key role in shaping public opinion, a number of these will be discussed in Chapter 2. Public opinion surveys also indicate a link between what is presented in the media and how the public perceives Islam and Muslims. A 2002 YouGov Poll indicated that over 60% of people acquired what they knew about Islam from the media8 and the 2011 3 ComRes survey suggested that British people were most likely to blame the media for Islamophobia9. The purpose of this dissertation will be to assess these claims. The last twenty years has seen a growing number of studies and publications related to how newspapers report stories connected to Islam. The work of Edward Said, whose Covering Islam10 has helped to inform many subsequent studies into the press’ portrayal of Islam, Elizabeth Poole who has written extensively on the subject11,12,13, John Richardson14,15 and Elzain Elgamri16 who have both examined how the broadsheets portray Islam and Muslims and Julian Petley and Robin Richardson’s publication “Pointing the Finger”17 will help to inform my examination. Their various studies, amongst others, have concluded that Muslims are often portrayed negatively. I will also draw on a number of influential reports that examine the role the media has played in shaping the public’s views of Islam. This will include the 1997 Runnymede Trust’s Islamophobia: A Challenge For Us All18 the findings of which laid the groundwork for subsequent studies. These will provide a wealth of information on the ways in which the press presents Islam and also offer suggestions for how reporting could be improved. The past two decades have seen an increase in newspaper articles on Islam and Muslims. This growth has been prompted, in part, by national and international developments. It has been claimed that these developments have led to the word ‘Islam’ evoking a range of negative images, from terrorists to mullah’s exhorting Muslims to shun the temptations of the 4 Western world19. Acts of terrorism such as 7/7 and 11 September 2001 (9/11)20,21,22, which saw the terrorist group al-Qaeda23,24 hijack four passenger airplanes and launch suicide attacks upon the United States, killing almost three thousand, have meant that Muslims have found themselves in the media spotlight in a way that they have never previously experienced25. This increased attention provides academics with an opportunity to examine how the discourses of social theory play out in the press. It also provides an opportunity to discover and evaluate how press outlets perform their role as information providers during times of crisis and unrest. Words are powerful and therefore how they are used matters greatly. Printed media continues to play an important role in shaping opinions as well as helping to set agendas regarding how important certain topics are26. Mistakes can mislead public opinion and journalists bear a great responsibility in ensuring that religions and communities are depicted fairly and accurately. Newspapers have to simplify an event whilst not trivialising it. This dissertation will explore how the press has presented major news stories over the past twenty years. Does the press report stories connected to Islam and Muslims accurately or is the image presented distorted and misleading? What challenges do journalists face when reporting about the religion and its followers? What factors are involved in influencing the patterns, trends and attitudes adopted in the press? How far can it be said that the press is helping to fuel Islamophobia? These are important questions as Islamophobia prevents Muslims from taking full part in society. The 2011 census demonstrated that there are 2.7 million Muslims living in England and 5 Wales27, making Islam the second largest religion. The United Kingdom has one of the most diverse Muslim communities in Europe28 and if community cohesion is really to work then it is essential that people understand one another. It is only through such an understanding that minority groups can participate fully in society. To answer these questions I will be exploring a number of newspaper articles to identify common themes. This will enable an examination of the ways in which Islam and Muslims are being presented. The methods that will be employed during my research and the rationale behind such methods will be discussed in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 will examine reporting prior to 2002, in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and 7/7 and post 7/7. My examination will contain a critical evaluation of a range of stories from both the tabloids and the broadsheets so to ascertain whether certain types of newspapers have common themes. I will evaluate how the press reported events during this period and analyse how these events could have helped to shape both the British press’ view and the public’s view. Despite the increased interest in this area there is still scope for further study, especially in light of the recent Leveson Inquiry29 into the ethics of the press. Few previous studies have undertaken an examination of tabloids and broadsheets over an extended period of time. Such a study will provide a much clearer idea of common themes and will also enable any changes in style and format of press reporting to be identified. Furthermore, it will allow for a discussion as to whether the press has taken on board any of the 6 suggestions that have been outlined in previous reports before pinpointing future courses of action. The conclusions and recommendations from my findings will be discussed in Chapter 5. 7