I'm challenging myself. And by challenging myself, I mean slightly setting myself up for a big tub of awkward failure. BUT YOLOSWAG, I'm gonna do it anyway.
I'm going to blog about current affairs. (NB. I am doing one blog on current affairs, but lets not be picky now).
As the winter months have welcomed freezing cold mornings teamed with a splattering of rain and icy wind, I have been rather naughty and taken a bus to work every morning - all 20 minutes walk of it. Sinful, I know. As part of my bus routine, I have been grabbing a copy of the Bristol Metro newspaper, a light read to wake me up in the morning before a full day of madness in the office.
Now, don't get me wrong, I do LOVE the metro. "Rush - Hour Crush" is my guilty-pleasure, and the "good dead feed" restores my faith in Humanity that little bit more. I couldn't help but notice however, that two days in a row, a double page spread in the centre of the newspaper was some how biased in its writing. I'm only going to focus on one to get my point across.
The first days' spread on pages 4 and 5, was filled with SIX short news articles surrounding stories linked with Islam:
1) The Green Party leader allegedly claimed to make it "OK to join IS"
2) A Ukip "Bigot" was "only joking" when making racist comments within a pub (defending said bigot)
3) "ISLAMISTS" offer a hostage swap (with regards to the IS Japanese hostages)
4) The "Jihadist" Boko Haram group attacks a nigerian city
5) A "Jihadist" wife has written a guide on how to live as a war widow
6) And finally, "Muslim" rebels kill 30 paramilitaries
Can we just take a moment to appreciate one small factor : the term "Jihadist" means an "internal spritual struggle" a. k .a a person who is PERSONALLY struggling to full-fill a muslim way of life. NOT pushing islam onto others in an aggressive manner.
This word, however, is now affiliated with acts of terrorism and violence. Instead of its intrinsic meaning, a personal struggle to better oneself and help build a "good muslim society", the media of today has twisted a peaceful definition into something associated with hatred and death. An insult to the Islamic community, in my opinion.
The second point to make is that Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green party (go green girl power woo!), DID NOT claim that they would make it OK to join IS. In fact, she actually said
 |
| Natalie Bennett enjoys all things Green, Ponds especially |
Pretty anti-terrorism if you ask me. And i'm terribly sorry, but whoever actually believed that she would say that is an idiot. Do your research, and don't trust everything the media says. Remember, at the end of the day, no media outlets are independent and thus unbiased (even though ironically "The Independent" is called "The Independent"). They are all owned ultimately by the same people, who have the same hidden- agenda; one that co-insides with our current government and the unfortunate repercussions on the ethnic community that that has.
Has anyone noticed, that in the last few years Islamaphobia has dramatically increased in daily media? No? Just me?
I think (hope) you're getting my jist. Titles such as "ISLAMISTS OFFER HOSTAGE SWAP" and "MUSLIM REBELS" are dangerous. It is not the actions of Islamists, it is the actions of a group of extreme radical terrorists who claim to be fighting in the name of Islam; slightly more extreme than 'rebels'. By no means are they following the teachings of Islam; if they were, they would be not doing such terrible acts. It is a point to say, that Islam teaches a life of peace and humanity - not terror,beheadings and world-domination. Has anyone stopped to think that the next hostage in the firing line is a Jordanian Muslim? If IS were so keen on protecting and spreading the Sharia law, why on earth are they targeting the very people that practice it peacefully? It is unfair and unwise to categorise IS militants under the same umbrella as practicing Muslims.
And it is from media outlets such as The Daily Mail (although, I do have to admit I love a good celeb-culture story from time to time) and The Metro, that Islamaphobia is hotly spreading; more-so into the younger generation that will carry this opinion through the decades.
Only last week was a comment made along the lines of, "...well it's all the fault of Muslims". Nope. No, it's not. But it is the fault of biased news outlets, not educating the general public into the difference between extremist militant groups, and the religions that they associate themselves with.
So, fine people of Britain, THINK about what you are reading. Don't believe everything you see, and don't judge a whole religious community based on naive news articles in silly old newspapers with retro points of views.
Do however, go watch gogglebox because it's well good.
