Originally published under the title “Molenbeek Hit And Run: How The Mainstream Media Spread Another False ‘Islamophobia’ Story.”
The Daily Mail amended its false headline claiming the perpetrator of a hit-and-run attack in Brussels was a “far-right” activist. Other media outlets haven’t made corrections. |
The journalists and publications which implied the hit and run in Molenbeek borough of Brussels this weekend was a ‘far right’ anti Islam attack had no evidence to suggest that it was as they reported, but they knew what story they wanted to write.
That’s why most hesitantly wrote “during” a “far right demonstration” instead of bluntly labelling the driver a “far right activist” as did the Daily Mail, the first publication to report on the story.
Instead of acknowledging the categorical error, or clearly reporting the truth as it emerged, however, the Mail quietly edited their original article, burying the factual change three quarters of the way down the page, and failing to issue a correction or clarification.
Its headline shifted from “Muslim Women Is Mown Down by Grinning Far-Right Activist” to “by Grinning Driver” (see above) and the critical new details only appeared in the sixth paragraph:
Police later announced that they had arrested two men, believed to have been the car’s driver and passenger, who have been named as Redouane B. and Mohamed B – both of whom are thought to be residents of Molenbeek.
Journalists who bothered to check with sources in Brussels were able to ascertain the man was not “far right,” but a local Muslim teenager, a fact reported two days ago by those such as Channel 4’s Paraic O’Brien.
The ‘Islamophobia’ industry was quick to seize upon the Molenbeek attack.
The Times, a well respected paper known as the UK’s “paper of record,” was one of the only major publications to report the perpetrators names from the start. However, it only did so in the fifth paragraph, opening with the unnecessarily unclear passage, “A woman was seriously injured when she was struck by a speeding car during scuffles between Belgian police, far-right protesters and local youths.”
This reporting may have something to do with the fact that the “far right” was mostly well behaved in Molenbeek this weekend. The only significant disturbance came from “rioting” local migrant youths and bored, violent “anti-fascists.”
Predictably, the “Islamophobia” industry was quick to seize upon the fantastical story.
Britain’s ‘Tell MAMA’ organisation, which claims to fight anti-Muslim prejudice, tweeted about the Molenbeek attack 10 times. |
Britain’s Tell MAMA organisation, which was once backed by the government and says it “supports victims of anti-Muslim hate” and “measures and monitors anti-Muslim incidents” tweeted about the story no less that ten times (right).
As one Twitter user exclaimed: “Its amazing, these people are more outraged by fake tales of ‘Islamophobia’ in Brussels than the deadly terror attacks!”
Similarly, just last week, the murder of Asad Shah, a well loved Muslim from the persecuted Ahmadiyyah sect, rocked the British media.
However, the Guardian and others completely omitted the fact the killer was a Muslim, and the rest of the media lost interest when blame could not be pinned on “Islamophobia.”
The latest incidents highlight how the UK media is desperate to report false “Islamophobia” stories, often failing to correct its reporting when it becomes clear that the crimes in question have no link to “Islamophobia.”
The British media is prone to report false ‘Islamophobia’ stories.
In December last year the media was led to believe that a normal Muslim family was the victim of “Islamophobia” when it was simply trying to go to Disneyland. The story soon unravelled as it became clear that the family had connections with the same “army of darkness” mosque attended by the recent San Bernardino terrorist attackers. Breitbart London noted the discrepancies in their story almost immediately.
In September 2015, the BBC used a three-year-old video of a non-"Islamophobic” incident to highlight the “rise in Islamophobia.”
In June 2015, the BBC promoted a story about a man who couldn’t get a job because he had a Muslim name. But Breitbart London exposed the fact that not only did he change his name, he also removed all reference to an extremist, Islamist school from his curriculum vitae (resume).
At the point of publication, none of the media outlets involved in the false reporting have responded to Breitbart London for comment. But the Daily Beast‘s Dean Obeidallah did tell us to “f**k ourselves.”
Raheem Kassam is a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum and editor-in-chief of Breitbart London. Liam Deacon is a reporter at Breitbart London
