Islamophobia becoming normalised in the media

[nomas]

Genuinely shocked by this headline on MSN.com today (UK site).

The title is

"Muslim convert explains why UK is 'best' as she boasts 'everything is free'"

No one seems to blink an eye at this blatant Islamophobia anymore.

Substitute Muslim for any other minority and people would be shocked for example:

• "Jewish convert explains why UK is 'best' as she boasts 'everything is free'"
• "Black person explains why UK is 'best' as she boasts 'everything is free'"
• "Christian convert explains why UK is 'best' as she boasts 'everything is free'"

Muslim convert explains why UK is 'best' as she boasts 'everything is free'

Sadly, @nomas,the thread just kind of proves your point. Islamophobia has become so normalised for many people that they can't even see what's Islamophobic about that article.

IMO there are two issues here.

Th
Clearly that article is just rage bate, the headline says it all and most people who comment probably won’t even bother to read it.

Having said that, we need to move away from this suggestion that taking issue with anything Islam is Islamophobia or that it’s wrong in any way.

We need to draw a distinction between abusing individuals because of the religion they represent, while in the same breath being able to acknowledge that the religion itself represents hate, and harm, and to question why anyone, especially a woman, would feel the need to convert to it.

Any religion which upholds the segrigation of women, oppression of women, laws requiring them to cover up, so-called honour killings, and the list goes on, has no place in a civilised society.

Yes it can be argued that in a western country those laws do not have any grounding, but the reality is that there are plenty of people who practice Islam who still believe in those laws even though they know that they can’t uphold certain aspects of that belief over here and in other westernised countries.

People can believe whatever they want to believe, but IMO religion has no place in modern society and should be reserved for the place intended for it. Mosqs for Muslims, Churches for Christians etc. Nobody should be “identifying” as anything, believe what you like in the comfort of your home and church, and beyond that nobody needs to know.

I think it’s probably a general thing about how people move to the UK without contributing and then are able to tap into pretty significant resources.

I actually think it’s more unfair to pick on her because she’s elderly tbh. I completely understand her enthusiasm given if you are sick and elderly in a lot of places you will have great difficulty accessing meaningful support without being wealthy.

I guess whether you think it’s a good or bad thing is going to be based on your opinion on our immigration system and whether it’s currently run in the correct way.

I do think people should discuss these things in a facts based way rather than anecdotal stories. Not sure it’s islamaphobia though but it does seem quite cruel to an elderly lady imo.

For anyone arguing about benefits.

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/benefits/state-support/latest/

Yep.

No, I haven’t. Can you link to an example?

You would need to backtrack through all the similar threads where the thread gets a bit of whataboutery applied
It's particularly apparent when the derailment/faux naivety is pertaining to the calculation of per capita.

So something happens enough times but you have zero examples? Thought not.

I know there aren’t any because it’s not my style.

There is a thread on the NHS right now and how Jewish people feel apprehensive about asking for a kosher meal. It just would not occur to me to post about the fact that black women are 2.3 times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth in the NHS than white women on that thread. I can start my own thread for that.

You're denying that you use whataboutery on race threads? OK. I disagree.

No, I don’t. And in the absence of any examples from you, I can only deduce that you know I don’t.

👍

50yrs, love your optimism 😁

As a person who is brown, ive always faced this kind of hate. In school in the early 2000's my classmates asked if I was related to Bin Laden.. in my 20's I was repeatedly asked "where I was from" I was born in England but that wasn't good enough, people would then ask where my parents were from. In my 40's im alot more vocal but I still get the question "where are you from" im from the south east and speak English. The other issue is if I committed a crime or my children who are white did, would we told to get on a boat? I work and have done since I was 16 but what differentiates me from a white person born abroad.

I’m sorry that happened to you.

I think it’s important to keep calling out Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate. There are factions that want to normalise it and they will push back on every attempt to call it out as unacceptable.

‘Becoming’? It’s been dreadful for pretty much 25 years! Before really, but certainly, after 9/11, it ramped up and seemed to move from something on the fringes to a mainstream thing. And has continued and worsened ever since. awful Bo-Jo and his letter box stuff and such.

I remember when Corbyn was Labour leader and there were accusations of antisemitism, and certain people (left wing and previously labour voters) were coming out and saying, ‘vote for ANYONE else other than Labour’. It was as if they had completely missed (or chose to ignore) the rampant racism in the other parties - particularly, at the time the conservatives (to whom Muslim bashing has be par for the course for years) and certainly which ever hastily put together party for hate Nigel Farage was fronting at the time. I was aghast. Now, obviously, antisemitism should not be tolerated, but to tell people that a vote for anyone else was better was crazy. This party is picking on me, vote for a party picking on others! I kept remembering that famous quote-
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

For years now the papers and social media and their billionaire owners have been pushing the message that difference is dangerous - colour, creed, geography, wealth, class, whatever. ‘Othering’ rarely helps, especially when it’s about fear. But it’s a great way for these vile, dangerous men (the billionaires, their oil men and their in the pocket politicians) to point the finger away from themselves.

I didn't raise the problem with whataboutery in the first place. You're wrong.

Why does this always have to be framed in terms of Islamophobia versus antisemitism? Why is it not decent people versus both?

You did though, Lucky. You accused me of whataboutery.

What’s good for the goose.

Why 'thankfully'? What is superior about being white British, particularly the white part, that makes you thankful its the majority demographic? And yes, I know its historically been the case, but what is undesirable to you about a country where citizens have varied ethnicities and skin colour?

Yes, whataboutery but not here.

Don't bring up per capita whatever you do!

Because it is MY demographic and MY cultural heritage and the country of my birth.
If I wanted to live in an Islamic country I'd make that choice and move there.

If we accept that people of other cultures and skin colours prefer to live with the same cultures/ethnicities ... why can that not be the same for English people without being called racist?