Older People Strategy

86 The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media A report commissioned by the Mayor of London 87 88 The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media 89 Copyright Greater London Authority November 2007 Published by Greater London Authority City Hall The Queen’s Walk More London London SE1 2AA Enquiries 020 7983 4100 Minicom 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov.uk ISBN: 978 1 84781 054 0 The views expressed in this report are not necessarily those of the Mayor of London or the Greater London Authority. While every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this report is correct, no responsibility for errors or omissions can be accepted. Whilst the Greater London Authority has taken all reasonable steps to avoid the infringement of third party copyright and to seek necessary consent where applicable, the Greater London Authority would like to apologise in advance for any unintentional and/or accidental infringements that may occur. Affected parties are requested to contact the Greater London Authority as soon as possible upon suspicion of infringement in order that remedial steps can be put in place. The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media v 90 Contents List of tables and boxes vii Acknowledgements ix Foreword by Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London xi Executive summary xiii Introduction 1 Common ground? – issues, concerns and opinions 1 Studies and stories 2 A normal week? – threats and crises in Britain and the world 17 3 ‘Britishness is being destroyed’ – worries in a changing world 33 4 Being a journalist, being a Muslim – voices from the newsroom 53 5 ‘Full and fair debate’ – who speaks for British Muslims? 75 Discussion 6 Histories, stories and Islamophobia – the content and form of narratives 99 Conclusion 7 Responsible journalism – principles and action points 115 Appendices A Dominant and alternative narratives 137 B Bibliography 143 Endnotes 151 vi The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media 91 The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media vii 92 List of tables and boxes Tables Chapter 1 1.1 Relations between Muslims and Westerners, international comparisons 2006 1.2 Islam and the West, comparative levels of optimism in different countries, February 2007 1.3 Views of culture and politics, international comparisons, February 2007 1.4 Perceptions of causality underlying current tensions, February 2007 Chapter 2 Note: Tables 2.1 to 2.10 refer to a single week in May 2006 2.1 Articles in one week referring to Islam or Muslims, by paper, day and total 2.2 Images in one week referring to Islam or Muslims, by paper, day and total 2.3 Focus of articles in each newspaper: Britain, international or generic 2.4 Focus of articles by type of newspaper 2.5 Positive, neutral or negative associations of articles, by paper 2.6 Positive, neutral or negative associations of articles, by type of paper 2.7 Positive, neutral or negative associations of images 2.8 Positive, neutral or negative associations of images, by type of paper 2.9 News content by story 2.10 News content by broad theme Chapter 6 6.1 Contrasts between basic assumptions in different narratives Boxes 1.1 ‘Sick to the back teeth’ – messages on a newspaper’s website, February 2007 1.2 ‘Analysed, defended, covered, uncovered’ – views about the veil 2.1 Summary of findings from a quantitative study 3.1 Making us trim our national culture 3.2 HOGWASH 3.3 CHRISTMAS IS BANNED: IT OFFENDS MUSLIMS 3.4 NOW CHRIST IS BANNED 3.5 CPS ‘IS CRAZY’ TO TAKE PLAYTIME INSULTS TO COURT 4.1 The experiences of Muslim journalists: an interview schedule 4.2 One day I just snapped 4.3 Ludicrous projects 4.4 The next day I was appalled 4.5 I’m a professional journalist, not a professional Paki – voices from the newsroom 5.1 Who speaks for British Muslims? – pre-publicity for a TV documentary 5.2 Glorifying terrorism? – extracts from a TV interview viii The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media 93 5.3 War on terror, war on Islam – points from a discussion 6.1 What’s the problem? – six views of the West and Islam 6.2 What’s the problem? – a seventh view 6.3 Muslims in Europe: components of the dominant narrative 6.4 Muslims in Europe: components of alternative narratives 7.1 Seven sources of anxiety 7.2 Critical literacy 7.3 Principles for a professional code of ethics 7.4 Public service journalism – the BBC’s commitments The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media ix 94 Acknowledgements This report arises from a project commissioned by the Greater London Authority. The project was co-ordinated by the Insted consultancy and was undertaken by the team below. Christopher Allen Author of a doctoral thesis in Islamic Studies, University of Birmingham 2006, and joint author of Islamophobia in the European Union after 11 September 2001, published by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, Vienna, 2002. Mohammed Abdul Aziz Founding chief executive of the Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism and the British Muslim Research Centre, and presently director of FaithWise and commissioner at the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission. Inayat Bunglawala Responsible for media relations at the Muslim Council of Britain. Author of numerous articles on Islam and Islamophobia in the national press and frequent broadcaster and speaker. Angela Gluck Co-director of the Insted consultancy, London, and author of publications on multifaith issues and education. Author of What Do We Tell the Children? – confusion, conflict and complexity, 2007, and co-author of The Achievement of British Pakistani Learners, 2004. Tariq Hameed Solicitor specialising in Islamic finance. Co-drafted Know Your Rights and Responsibilities, 2003, Electing to Deliver, 2005, and Guide to Journalists on Islam and British Muslims (in press), all for the Muslim Council of Britain. Hugh Muir Journalist at the Guardian and frequent author of articles and comment on issues of race, racism and Islamophobia. Responsible with Laura Smith for interviews and research underlying Islamophobia: issues, challenges and action, 2004. Julian Petley Professor of Film and Television in the School of Arts at Brunel University, and joint chair of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom. Contributor to Muslims and the Media, 2006, and joint author of Culture Wars: the media and the British left, 2005. x The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media 95 Robin Richardson Co-director of the Insted consultancy, London. Editor of Islamophobia: a challenge for us all, 1997, and Islamophobia: challenges, issues and action, 2004, and co-author of The Achievement of British Pakistani Learners, 2004. Laura Smith Journalist formerly of the Evening Standard and the Guardian who writes for a range of publications on race, identity and criminal justice. Responsible with Hugh Muir for interviews and research underlying Islamophobia: issues, challenges and action, 2004. Acknowledgement is due also to the six journalists who gave freely of their time for chapter 4 and to officers at the Greater London Authority who provided assistance and support throughout the project’s duration. Views expressed or implied in this report are the responsibility of the Insted consultancy. They do not necessarily represent the views of all the individuals who worked with Insted for this project, nor the views of the Greater London Authority. The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media xi 96 Foreword by Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London London’s prosperity and social cohesion depend on its role in the global economy and its ability to integrate diverse communities, reflecting its global economic position. Anything that sows division among London’s diverse communities harms London. The rise of Islamophobia in Europe and the negative portrayal of Muslims and Islam in the media harm community relations in London. I commissioned this study to examine the role of the media in promoting or harming good community relations with London’s Muslim communities. One of the most startling findings of this report is that in one typical © Liane Harris week in 2006, over 90 per cent of the media articles that referred to Islam and Muslims were negative. The overall picture presented by the media was that Islam is profoundly different from and a threat to the west. The research undertaken for this report highlights examples of good practice and makes recommendations to news organisations as to how they can play a role in more fairly portraying Muslims and Islam through self-regulation and the development of codes of professional conduct. Increasing Muslim representation in the media is essential to overcome the elementary ignorance upon which so much Islamophobia – as with other forms of prejudice and bigotry – feeds. In light of rising intolerance to differences of religious faith – today directed primarily, but not exclusively, against Muslims – I recently took part in launching a coalition to defend the freedom of religious and cultural expression. The coalition will work to defend the right of every individual to freely pursue their beliefs, as long as they do not interfere in the rights of others to do likewise. I hope this study will stimulate further debate and the development of policies to help foster and encourage responsible journalism. Ken Livingstone Mayor of London xii The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media 97 The search for common ground Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media xiii 98 Executive summary In 2006 the Greater London Authority (GLA) commissioned a study of media coverage of Islam and Muslims in the UK media.

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