A pattern has emerged in recent years. It is a dangerous road which is quickly becoming more and more common.

If you just happen to speak out about Muslim related issues and decide to stick your head out against the established news media then prepare to be discredited. You may well think it unfair but you have been warned.

From politicians to reporters, Muslims have certainly been in the firing line for the past decade. It is a far too common occurrence and one which will lead to more and more people deciding it is better not to say anything controversial because it will lead to botched pieces looking to discredit them.

The idea is that you are certainly not allowed to speak out against how and what is reported in the mainstream press or on contentious issues because to do so is to challenge the status quo.

What happens then is that we only hear the voices of those who happen to agree with the general consensus.

Opinions that in some way help to promote stereotypical views are clearly those that tend to find more their way to the pages of national newspapers.

To veer from these set defined notions is unacceptable.

Due to the ignorance by those in of any level of influence, our views are being curtailed and even those who wish to stand up for minorities in the UK soon find themselves at the wrong end of negative publicity.

It is the very reason we find ourselves in a situation where only opinions that hammer home the view that ‘Muslims and minorities are indeed a problem’ are able to garner more widespread press coverage than views looking to counter this.

As someone who watches and studies a lot of what the media spurts out I am concerned that the voices of those Muslims and I would say Asians as a whole are quickly becoming polarised.

We do not have any middle ground.

Our pages are filled with ‘mainstream heroes’ who happen to stick to the tried and tested opinions that Muslims and minorities do not fit in with the British way of life.

These opinions are rolled out like clockwork as soon as we have an incident that helps to perpetuate a particular theme about Muslims and immigrants.

I would go as far as to say that views hark back to a very Victorian attitude towards the Indian sub-continent, Arabs and foreigners. It is a very much a view that despite us English giving these people a chance they are just simply not able to assimilate. And we would rather they didn’t anyway.

It is probably the reason many Muslims are turning to alternative websites or simply refusing to engage with mainstream media organisations completely.

Sadly, there is no escaping this at the moment.

If you happen to be in the media spotlight you are either ‘with us or against us.’ This attitude will have major repercussions in the future as it makes those Muslims who want to help to create more understanding of their faith become too afraid to speak out when injustice is done.

You can guarantee that sooner or later anyone who raised a valid point will find themselves at the wrong end of a campaign to smear their name.

Deal with it.