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'

Well that's a lie for a start.

• white British families were the most likely to receive state support

State support - GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures

The thread is about Islamophobia.

exactly

you don’t get to dictate how people discuss a subject you’ve raised and draw the obvious comparisons with antisemitism.

British people are most likely to get benefits in Britain. How shocking.

white british families are the majority population, so
obviously this is going to be the case. She’s talking in terms of net population and a disproportionately high number from some groups. As you likely know.

Perhaps part of the problem is people who identify as a religion before anything else. It's so unhealthy. I want to live in a secular society where my views about religion have no relevance because all religions are faith not truth. So probably a bit of islamophobia but kind of inevitable in a non islamic state.

If someone derailed a thread about anti-semitism or racism against black people, would you find that acceptable?

Well we keep hearing antisemitism isn't a thing, so who knows.

So what your stats?

And how does this make it ok to make generalised comments implying Muslims wanting everything for free?

I want everything for free as well, i'm white. 😂

I don’t police free speech and never will.

Targeting a minority should never 'be kind of inevitable'.

This woman hasn't approached the press so why blame her for how she identifies?

Why?

Yep, everyone hallucinated the attacks in Manchester, on London Bridge and the tube attacks in 2005. All 70 million of us.

You're trying, presumably, to be funny. You're not.

I’m assuming this is satire, but nothing surprises me anymore

Why have Mumsnet not banned Debbie yet?

it’s a good question!

I believe that the use of the word "boast" in that context is definitely racist.

This is not a new journalistic meme- it has been trotted out for pretty much every immigrant group, and asylum seekers. It's very unlikely this is a real immigrant, or a real comment- if it were true, as an immigrant you would have to be very stupid indeed to draw attention to it- don't you think?

I am still waiting for my free house I was supposed to get on arrival apparently as an EE arriving pre 2010 😕

This is mostly immigration bigotry with the Islam angle made to make it look worse because, yes, the media is very Islamophobic.

Literally if you read the full quote from her, this is absolutely typical of this kind of manipulation: '"It's the best because I have my heart problem, I have my diabetes and everything is free"

The headline implies she's boasting about benefits, and what's actually the case is she is grateful to be getting free treatment - and I'm delighted she can get it

They frame it as though the woman is gloating at the UK for being suckers, and you see this trick a lot. Think of all those stories about single mums 'whinging her benefits aren't enough' and 'boasting how her kids get McDonald's treats' when actually the benefits will barely cover living costs and what she said about McDonald's was 'The only treat I can afford to get my kids is McDonald's now and then'.

You can guarantee the paper hasn't gone to get saying 'Please let us paint you as a greedy, whinger who stuffs her kids with junk food'. They'll come all sympathetic and go 'Oh we're doing a story about single mums, please tell us about how hard your life is'

Ditto with this woman, they will have led her to say things they can misquote or mis-contextualise to paint her as greedy and gloating when she likely is just very happy and grateful to be getting help.