Tuesday's All Things Considered on NPR touted how many Muslims in the United Kingdom are blaming British media outlets for the incident on Monday where a Welsh man drove his van into a crowd outside a mosque in London. In their view, "the way the media covers Muslims has fueled hatred of their community," as host Kelly McEvers put it. Correspondent Frank Langfitt let two of his talking heads hype the apparent anti-Muslim coverage. A third expert underlined that the vehicle attack might "set a really worrying precedent."
McEvers introduced Langfitt's report by spotlighting how the "attack yesterday on Muslims has left many people frustrated; and among the targets of that frustration is the British news media." She continued with her "fueled hatred" statement about the supposed anti-Muslim coverage by these media outlets.
The journalist for publicly-funded network led by underlining that "when reporters arrived on the scene, where a white man drove a van into Muslim worshippers, they were met by anger and distrust." He included a soundbite from a man who would only identify himself as "Muhammad," who pointed the finger at the media: "It's 'cause of the media! Yeah! Of course! The government and the media has done this."
Langfitt quickly followed with a clip from Miqdaad Versi of the Muslim Council of Britain, who played up that "we have had people within even mainstream news organizations giving platforms to people who have spread hate about Muslims." The correspondent cited how Versi "pointed to a tweet by Katie Hopkins, a columnist with the Mail Online. It followed last month's bombing in Manchester — quote, '22 dead, number rising,' Hopkins wrote. 'We need a final solution.' Hopkins lost her talk radio show for that Tweet, which referred to the Holocaust, but not her column...Versi says extreme rhetoric like this has helped poison public opinion against Muslims."
For good measure, the Muslim Council of Britain representative also referenced a study from the University of Cambridge, that found that "more than fifty percent of the richest population think Islam is a threat to Western civilization. More than thirty percent of young children between the ages of ten and fourteen think that Muslims are taking over England." Versi then contended, "Where does this hate come from? It comes from — this atmosphere of hostility against Muslims — comes from media organizations."
The correspondent emphasized his first talking head's point by highlighting newspaper coverage, and hinted that such reporting helps Islamist groups: "Consider the headlines of these British tabloids - 'Christianity Under Attack,' 'Millions Are Eating Halal Food Without Knowing It.' Charlie Winter says headlines like these and terror attacks, like the one at Finsbury Park, encourage online supporters of groups like ISIS."
Winter, a "senior fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College, London," noted in the immediate aftermath of the attack outside the mosque, "a lot of people...[online] are not quite celebrating the attack, but they are talking about it as confirmation of what they've believed to be the case for a long time." He explained that "according to the Islamic State's worldview, there is a international conspiracy against Sunni Islam; and Muslims in the West are doomed to face this inevitable war. And there's nothing that can be done to stop that inevitable conflict, apart from respond to it with violence."
Later in the segment, the NPR journalist turned to Raffaello Pantucci of the Royal United Services Institute, who outlined that "we had this, sort of, chain of terrorist incidents [in England] that, in part, no doubt, were spurred on by each other. The fact that we're now having a reaction does set a really worrying precedent."
The full transcript of Frank Langfitt's report from the June 20, 2017 edition of NPR's All Things Considered:
KELLY MCEVERS: Now, we're going to talk about London, where an attack yesterday on Muslims has left many people frustrated; and among the targets of that frustration is the British news media. People who live in Finsbury Park, where the terror attack happened, say the way the media covers Muslims has fueled hatred of their community.
NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from London.
FRANK LANGFITT: When reporters arrived on the scene, where a white man drove a van into Muslim worshippers, they were met by anger and distrust.
MUHAMMAD: It's 'cause of the media! Yeah! Of course! The government and the media has done this.
LANGFITT: The speaker, a 30-year-old resident in a New York Yankees cap, would only give his first name — Muhammad — because he said he had no confidence in reporters or officials.
Miqdaad Versi understands why.
MIQDAAD VERSI, MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN: We have had people within even mainstream news organizations giving platforms to people who have spread hate about Muslims.
LANGFITT: Versi is assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain. He pointed to a Tweet by Katie Hopkins, a columnist with the MailOnline. It followed last month's bombing in Manchester — quote, '22 dead, number rising,' Hopkins wrote. 'We need a final solution.' Hopkins lost her talk radio show for that Tweet, which referred to the Holocaust, but not her column. Miqdaad Versi says extreme rhetoric like this has helped poison public opinion against Muslims. He cites figures from a University of Cambridge study.
VERSI: More than fifty percent of the richest population think Islam is a threat to Western civilization. More than thirty percent of young children between the ages of ten and fourteen think that Muslims are taking over England. Where does this hate come from? It comes from — this atmosphere of hostility against Muslims — comes from media organizations.
LANGFITT: Consider the headlines of these British tabloids - 'Christianity Under Attack,' 'Millions Are Eating Halal Food Without Knowing It.' Charlie Winter says headlines like these and terror attacks, like the one at Finsbury Park, encourage online supporters of groups like ISIS. Winter is a senior fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College, London.
CHARLIE WINTER, KING'S COLLEGE: In the last 24 hours after the attack, I've seen a lot of people who are not quite celebrating the attack, but they are talking about it as — as confirmation of what they've believed to be the case for a long time.
LANGFITT: That the West is out to get Muslims, and they can never feel at home here.
WINTER: According to the Islamic State's worldview, there is a international conspiracy against Sunni Islam; and Muslims in the West are doomed to face this inevitable war. And there's nothing that can be done to stop that inevitable conflict, apart from respond to it with violence.
RAFFAELLO PANTUCCI, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: All of this points to a really quite menacing threat picture which - it wouldn't be surprising if it was to lead to further violence.
LANGFITT: That's Raffaello Pantucci. He researches counterterrorism at the Royal United Services Institute. Pantucci suspects the driver — a middle-aged man from Wales — was retaliating in some way for three earlier attacks by Islamist extremists. Witnesses quoted the man as saying he wanted to kill Muslims.
PANTUCCI: I mean, it's a, sort of, incredibly difficult moment now in the United Kingdom — because, I mean, we had this, sort of, chain of terrorist incidents that, in part, no doubt, were spurred on by each other. The fact that we're now having a reaction does set a really worrying precedent.
LANGFITT: Pantucci says the nation's security forces will have to work even harder to prevent more attacks; and politicians will have to reassure communities and bring people together to prevent a cycle of violence. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, London.
