Somalian Descent

[YearsSinceISawYou]

AIBU to wonder why the papers are referring to the man arrested for killing David Amess as a British Muslim of Somalian descent.

Surely, if he is British-that's all we need to know. Why do we need to know about his line of descent?

[Theythinkitsalloveritisnow]

@MakingM2 at least theoretically the media don't have rules set for them by government about withholding facts when they are considered to be uncomfortable/ inappropriate for us plebs to hear. I am perfectly well aware they often self censor ( about different things depending on their particular biases)

[Bananarice]

It is an efficient way of saying he is both black and Muslim, just like pp said.

[Newrumpus]

Totally unreasonable to focus on this. Why on Earth should it not be reported? That this line of thinking has emerged is worrying.

[Missgemini]

Lots of people demanding that the press be free to report everything etc etc.

2 years ago, I was on holiday in the US. The media over there was reporting big news that Prince William had cheated on Kate.
Called my husband in the UK to say: "omg, have you heard the news..." He hadn't heard!
Most people in the UK haven't heard as the media chose not to or where silenced!
As a PP has said, they just wanted to make it clear that he's black and Muslim. The end!

[GCAcademic]

@Missgemini

Lots of people demanding that the press be free to report everything etc etc.

2 years ago, I was on holiday in the US. The media over there was reporting big news that Prince William had cheated on Kate.
Called my husband in the UK to say: "omg, have you heard the news..." He hadn't heard!
Most people in the UK haven't heard as the media chose not to or where silenced!
As a PP has said, they just wanted to make it clear that he's black and Muslim. The end!

The media in the US (and Australia) make up all kinds of crazy stories about the British royal family. Some of the headlines you see are hilarious ("Kate at War with the Queen! Packs up and Leaves!"). Just because it's published there, doesn't make it true.

[Warsawa31]

Shying away from truth doesn't help anyone.

The Pedophile grooming gangs were mostly people of south Asian descent - does that mean it applies to everyone ? No. But was it important to know so that patterns could be looked into ? Yes.

[Missgemini]

@GCAcademic oh, believe me, I was not saying that it was true or not true!
The Daily Mail has a whole gossip section that I'm pretty sure does not vet every bit of gossip published there.
The point is that not even a single magazine mentioned the Prince William gossip, whereas well known newspapers in the US published it at the time. I don't expect the BBC news to have a headline on it, but come on.. even OK magazine didn't feel the need to mention it?

[Seeingadistance]

The man who murdered Jo Cox was born in Scotland, and that was reported early on, when his identity was known.

[worriedatthemoment]

@Fyngal123 well they do as they often refer to mo farah's heritage

[fanjosaysi]

Exactly- his ideology was reported, but not his appearance, heritage or religion. Which is what I was saying.

Standing with Britain first is a pretty good indicator he's white though. I'm sure at least some news outlets would have reported on his race anyway just to clarify.

But it's not like it was hidden, like just 'man, age'. We knew what side he was on and therefore his ethnicity.

[PearlclutchersInc]

Positively, they are descriptors which give the reader an instant mental picture.

Negatively (and depending on the paper) they're goady gits.

[Guetzlibache]

It gives the right wing press some racist fodder.

[Buggritbuggrit]

I would like to point out that they only ever do this with POC. Nobody ever gets described as ‘of French descent’ because their grandparents were from Provence.

[znaika]

That's bullshit. It would definitely be pointed out if he was E European.

[Balonzette]

What??

By that logic, did we need to know he was male? Or British?

Of course it's relevant!

[maddening]

Because a "Muslim man", however wrong it is, brings a person of Asian origin to mind, therefore if he is white Muslim or in this case of Somalian origin, it helps to provide that detail.

[maddening]

Buggritbuggrit - a British man of French origin is probably just a bog standard (in this country) white British man, his grandparents origin does not really add anything- unless he had attacked some French institution or French figure perhaps as then it may be an aggravating factor.

[Bellyups]

I doubt whether they would have described a white Christian man as ‘a white british Christian man’. So personally I don’t see why they are stating race and religion

[NiceGerbil]

Earlier on BBC I read it as info re Somalian had not come from police but people there.

I wondered how anyone would know specifically Somalian.

The thing that makes me really.. pissed off actually. Is that this murder is being treated as terrorism.

I looked back to Jo Cox murder and terrorism was not used in what I saw. Political motivation. Really far right etc. Why the difference.

This happens a fair bit I've noticed.

[DameMaureen]

[quote YearsSinceISawYou]@Tal45

Just wondering why it's important. I could understand if they were looking for him, as it would form part of the description.[/quote]
Of course it is important as his Somalian roots may have given him some reasons /beliefs that prompted this murder . There I've said it.

[NiceGerbil]

And the man that killed Jo Cox?

Is white British a good indicator of the beliefs that he killed for?

[Twillow]

@mygenericusername

Because the Met have confirmed it was a terrorist attack. There is a need for vigilance.

It has been heavily reported that it was a man of African heritage. It was immediately assumed he was an illegal immigrant.

Would you rather tell the truth about his heritage or would you prefer every innocent black and Asian person to be looked at with suspicion?

Will you now look at every Somalian with suspicion?
It is a terrorist attack because of links with Islam, just as an attack by a far-right sympathiser would also be terrorist. But I suspect it will transpire that it is a sad individual with a grudge about society abusing the name of religion.

[Cocomumma]

The press print what they like to whip up a racist frenzy!
There is never a need to report someones full description, where their heritage is from or anything else unless they are looking for that person, however this man was caught at the scene all that was needing to be said was, " terrorist caught and charged with murder"
It really irks me that I see comments from people about "usual suspects" or " them again" "send them home" whenever it is a black person or someone on the face of it doesn't look British.

If I committed murder tomorrow and was arrested I would be described as British of Caribbean decent, yet myself and both my parents were born here but I would still be told to go back to where I came from as I don't fit the perfect description for the real British person.

Britan is racist even if a lot of you see to think it isn't and what the press write is tace baiting, not all black people smoke weed, sell drugs and go around stabbing people, not all muslims bomb people or rape little white girls they are actually a minority not the majority.

[HappyDays40]

^^Well they need to narrow it down after the initial description of "African looking". Otherwise the EDL might target the wrong community

@Porcupineintherough why should tge EDL target any community?

[NiceGerbil]

Edl don't exist any more do they?