'Muslims' in the headline but not today (From Asian Image)

'Muslims' in the headline but not today

4:38pm Wednesday 25th January 2012 in News By Asian Image reporter

It is strange that despite hours and hours of coverage of the Leveson enquiry the past day has seen much of the media turn a blind eye to the goings on at the hearing.

It might have something to do with the enquiry has hearing about the effects of anti-Muslim stories.

Newspapers have been guilty over the years of simply publishing stories because there was a link somewhere, however dubious, with Islam and Muslims.

Some publications have been more guilty than others. It was sad to hear the Daily Star editor Dawn Neesom stating ‘to have a balanced agenda’ when asked to explain headlines about Muslims the newspaper had carried.

Oh yes, there was the one positive she claimed. The story about the three Asians who died in the Birmingham riots who were described as ‘heroes’.

Yet nowhere in the story did it state the three were ‘Muslims’. Something other nonsensical stories always seemed to have included.

There was also a call for a more robust system of self-regulation. Something that is long overdue.

Despite this though it seems most of these requests may well fall on deaf ears as using ‘Muslim’ has become almost second nature in some circles.

Only today this headline ‘Muslim raped women for being out late’ is on the Evening Standard website when describing the act of a despicable criminal.

Not entirely sure how ‘Jew raped women for being out late’ or ‘Christian raped women for being out late’ would bode with any reader.