Prejudice against Muslims institutionalized in UK media: study
Regional-UK, Politics, 1/27/2007

Prejudice against Muslims is not only institutionalized in the British media but is also structural and so embedded that the press and broadcasters do not need to be maliciously motivated or intentional, according to a new research.

The study, carried out by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), found that crude and exaggerated stereotypes of Muslims in the British media are fueling the rise of Islamophobia in the UK.

A survey conducted as part of research, entitled The British media and Muslim representation, showed a perception of 'unashamed bias' in the media against Muslims.

Nearly 62 percent of Muslims, including secularists, describe the media as Islamophobia, 16 percent said it was racist and only four percent considered its representation as fair.

The survey revealed that Muslims in Britain felt negative images of their faith on the big and small screen had consequences in their daily lives.

Those interviewed 'found a direct correlation between media portrayal and their social experiences of exclusion, hatred, discrimination and violence'.

Some went as far as suggesting that the film industry is used as a tool of foreign policy in western countries to demonize Muslims and galvanize public distrust.

The media was also found to be the chief instrument of Islamophobia, particularly through the frequent linking of 'Islam' and 'Muslim' with words such as extremism, terrorism and bombing.

The study, being published Friday in full, is the sixth by IHRC in a series on British Muslim expectations of the government.

It explores the relationship between perceptions by and of Muslims and the role of domination and demonization in the cultural language of the media.

According to the respondents, the media employ the same demeaning views in reporting issues that describe Muslims in Britain and Muslim in other countries.

A few even suggested the media is more ruthless in portraying the Muslims who live in Islamic countries.

But despite the distress caused, most were found to show no interest in complaining about the negative images, highlighting their alienation from British society.

The report made several recommendation to tackle institutional Islamophobia, including ensuring more effective forms of recourse and redress and in changing the attitudes of British politicians.

It proposed creating effective watchdogs and structures to make the media, ministers and politicians accountable by ways of code of conduct.

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