Anti-Islam in the Media

Media Communiqué: Anti-Islam in the Media – 2002 Annual Report to be Released



The Canadian Islamic Congress, February 9, 2003



PRESS CONFERENCE:

Anti-Islam in the Media 2002 Annual Report to be Released



WHEN: Thursday, February 13, 2003



TIME: 10:30 a.m.



WHERE:

Toronto Colony Hotel

Lombard Room

89 Chestnut Street, Toronto

(416) 977-0707



WHO:

Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, National president, CIC

and

Mrs. Wahida Valiante, National vice-president, CIC



WHAT:

The Canadian Islamic Congress will release its fifth annual media-watch study of eight major Canadian newspapers. For the third year in a row, the National Post has been ranked as worst in its persistent use of anti-Islam terminology. The study also shows a continuing overall increase in anti-Islam tone and usage following the tragic events of September 11, 2001.



Additionally, a pilot research project examining televised anti-Islam over 60 days, ranked three Canadian evening TV news broadcasts -- CTV, Global, and CBC. CBC ranked worst for frequency and intensity of anti-Islam references, followed by CTV and Global. The television news study was co-sponsored by ISNA Canada -- the Islamic Society of North America, Canada -- the country's largest Islamic organization.



CONTACT:

Prof. Mohamed Elmasry

(519) 888-4567 Ext 3753 (O)

(519) 746-7928 (H)

(519) 577-2267 (Cell)



Mrs. Wahida Valiante

(905) 881-8024



Media Communiqué: Canadian Media are Fuelling Hatred of Islam, Says CIC.



The Canadian Islamic Congress, February 13, 2003



Professional Journalists Urged to Condemn Anti-Islam in All Media



Anti-Islam Media Research Finds National Post and CBC's National as Worst Offenders





The Canadian Islamic Congress today released its 2002 fifth annual media-watch study of eight major Canadian newspapers. For the third year in a row, the National Post was ranked as worst in its persistent use of anti-Islam terminology.



CIC's recent research reports have shown a modest average reduction of 17% in the use of anti-Islam language from 1998 onward (the year Anti-Islam in the Media was launched), until September 11, 2001. Following that date however, and continuing during 2002, there has been a substantial reversal of this trend, resulting in an overall negative increase of 380%.



The CIC's annual study offers a methodical and carefully documented assessment of the use of anti-Islam terminology by the Canadian media, particularly print journalism, with the mandate of drawing public attention to the use and misuse of terms such as "Islamic-inspired terrorist attacks," "murderous Islamic militant," "Islamic terrorist," "Muslim militant," etc.



The study covers news and views published by eight of Canada's top-circulation daily newspapers; specifically, the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Winnipeg Free Press (for 2002), and La Presse.



The National Post scored 100 points -- the maximum possible in the survey's ranking system -- for its recurrent use of anti-Islam language and terminology. It was the only paper in Canada to do so.



Additionally, a pilot research project examining televised anti-Islam over 60 days, ranked three Canadian evening TV news broadcasts -- CTV, Global, and CBC. CBC ranked worst for the frequency and intensity of anti-Islam references, followed by CTV and Global. This pilot research was co-sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America, Canada (ISNA, Canada).



The CIC's Anti-Islam in the Media research has been praised by university professors of journalism, race relations and religious studies at Ryerson, Concordia, Carleton, York and Waterloo.



The CIC's 2002 Anti-Islam In The Media research report is available at

www.canadianislamiccongress.com



CONTACT

Prof. Mohamed Elmasry

(519) 888-4567 Ext 3753 (O)

(519) 746-7928 (H)

(519) 577-2267 (Cell)



Mrs. Wahida Valiante

(905) 881-8024



What the Experts say About CIC's Media Research Project





“As a researcher in the area of media and diversity, and a professor at one of Canada’s leading journalism schools, .it’s safe to say that the CIC efforts over the past five years have had a real effect in getting many media outlets to 'think twice' about stigmatizing and stereotyping the Muslim community in words, images and story selection. While organizations representing many ethnic and religious groups have expressed concerns about media coverage, the CIC has done something about it.”

[Prof. John Miller, director of newspaper journalism, Ryerson University]





“As a scholar, analyzing bias in the media for the last two decades, I believe the pioneering research of the CIC on the nature of anti-Islam bias in Canadian newspapers has been instrumental in increasing a greater awareness and sense of responsibility by many Canadian journalists and editors. It can be argued that the research and the dissemination of the findings of these studies have helped to reduce the frequency and the intensity of anti-Islam language and images. In a recent book by Frances Henry and I (University of Toronto Press, 2002), Discourses of Domination: Racial Bias in the English-Language Press, we specifically note the important contribution that the CIC has made in its careful and consistent monitoring of the press. In my classroom, I use these research findings as an educational tool in helping students identify bias in the news. As well, the CIC presents a powerful model of effective community mobilization in the search for a more responsible and non-biased media.”

[Prof. Carol Tator, course director, York University]





“As you know, I have used [CIC’s] annual studies in a number of my writing and reporting classes and I have had a Montreal member of the CIC come to speak to journalism students. I also participated in an 'Anti-Islam in the Canadian Media' workshop staged [by the CIC] in Montreal in September, 2000. [CIC's] work is an important way to introduce future journalists to critical research and to open their eyes to biases in the Canadian news media. As a teacher and a researcher in the journalism field, I know how hard it is to come by concrete, Canadian-based evidence to support informed criticism of the news media. [CIC] studies not only compare the treatment of Islam by a number of Canadian daily newspapers, but over time, indicate trends toward improvement or, sadly, exacerbation.”

[Prof. Mike Gasher, Ph.D., Department of Journalism, Concordia University]





“As someone who worked in the media for 25 years -- and now teaches journalism to aspiring journalists -- I cannot stress too strongly how important I consider [CIC's] work to be. I say this for several reasons:

1. The media need to be held accountable.

2. The public needs to know what is being disseminated in the ‘big picture.’

3. Educators can use this material in the classroom.

I teach a first year Journalism course to 220 students [and] use the CIC’s research study. I find it an excellent way to introduce them to the need for covering diversity in a fair and even-handed way.”

[Prof. Lois Sweet, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University]





“Anti-Islamic rhetoric in the media is a serious problem since it paints adherents of a religious group with the same brush. I have read previous reports on this issue by the CIC and found them intelligent, rigorous, and useful.”

[Prof. David Seljak, PhD, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Director, St. Jerome’s Centre for Catholic Experience, At the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario]







Introduction



Anti-Islam in the Canadian media instigates hate against a minority group. Hate also jeopardizes the mental and physical well-being of its individuals, especially those most vulnerable -- the children. Hate-mongering is against Canadian cultural values and Canadian law.



The Canadian Islamic Congress is striving to minimize anti-Islam in the media before any more of our children and youth suffer needlessly.



This is the fifth annual study released by Anti-Islam in the Canadian Media, an ongoing project conducted by the Canadian Islamic Congress. Its purpose is to evaluate coverage and to articulate CIC’s view by citing examples of the offending material. This study is not an opinion poll, but rather a reflection of what the Muslim community and CIC consider a serious problem affecting virtually every household of Muslim Canadians.



Through this study, the CIC hopes to increase the awareness of media professionals of this serious and growing problem.





Anti-Islam in Canadian media feeds 'Image Distortion Disorder'



The distorted perception that Islam condones and encourages violence is largely created by the media and it leads to societal anxiety among Canadians. This is called "image distortion disorder."



Image distortion disorder is particularly dangerous in Canada, with its substantial multi-ethnic, multi-faith, and multi-cultural populations.



Among most Canadians who have not knowingly ever met a Muslim in person, there is high likelihood that their perception of Muslim Canadians will be distorted. Canadian media -- particularly the National Post in recent years -- are creating a social crisis based on the religion of one identifiable group. This national crisis manifests itself in loss of identity and self-esteem, feelings of inferiority, and even suicidal tendencies, especially among teenagers.



And image distortion disorder inevitably leads to discrimination, hate-mongering, acts of vandalism, and false accusation by authorities. Young Muslim Canadians of dark complexion, especially women with hijabs (traditional head coverings), or males with full beards, are particularly vulnerable to anxiety, fear and discrimination because of society's perception that their religion is violent, backward, restrictive, fundamentalist, and intolerant of opposing or alternative viewpoints.



Worse still is the portrayal of Muslim Canadians as potential terrorists, posing such a serious "danger" to the country, that CSIS, the RCMP and local police should target them, revoke their citizenship if they are citizens, or ship them back "home" if they are not.



But the reality is that Islam is not everything the media depicts. There appears to be no balance of coverage regarding news or views related to Islam and Muslims, and very little that shows Muslims in a positive light.



Anti-Islam in the media has a devastating effect on every Canadian who cares about the well-being of this country and it insidiously undermines every effort to sustain our social and civil peace.



Treating the media's entrenched anti-Islam "disease" will not be easy, especially when publications like the National Post refuse to recognize that a problem even exists. And Canadian Muslims are not likely to own media outlets large or influential enough to counteract the toxic effect that media distortion and bias have had upon non-Muslims' understanding of their religion.



Those of us concerned about social harmony in this country must therefore react to all distortion and bias in the media by raising our voices in protest.



Image distortion disorder is real in the Canadian media. It creeps subtly into our consciousness. Only if all of us point out and acknowledge its existence, do we begin to effectively deal with it and isolate those who live in denial, insisting that it does not exist.



The Canadian Islamic Congress

Tel (519) 746-1242, Fax (519) 746-2929

Email: cic@canadianislamiccongress.com

http://www.canadianislamiccongress.com





An Anti-Islam Glossary… as Used by Canadian Newspapers





English:



· Armed Islamic group

· Canadian-based Islamic extremist

· Extreme: branches of Islam*

· Extremist: Islamic group, Islamic regime*

· Hard-line: Islamic regime*, Muslims*, Muslim regime*

· Global Islamic militancy

· Fanatic: Islamic*

· Fundamentalist: Islamic terror*, Islamic terrorist, strain of Sunni Islam

· International: Islamic extremist, Islamic movement militancy

· Islamic: dictatorship, extremist, extremist group, extremism, fighters, fundamentalist, fundamentalism, fundamentalist terrorist groups*, hard-liner, -inspired terrorist attacks*, insurgency, insurgent, Jihad, Jihad militant, guerrillas, militia, hard-liners*, hijacker, forces militancy, militant, militant group, purists*, radical, radicalism*, rebel*, resistance, separatists, suicide bomber, terrorist, terrorist cells, terrorist group*, terrorism, violence

· Islamist: cell, terrorism, group*, militancy*

· Militant: Islamic, Islamic government, Islamic group, Islamic organization, Islamic mullahs*, Islamist group*, Muslim

· Murderous: Islamic militant

· Muslim: activist, dictator*, extremist, fundamentalist, fundamentalist militant, guerrillas, militia, militant, mercenaries, mob, vigilant group, rebel

· Puritanical Islamic militia

· Radical: armed Islamic group, Islam*, Islamic fighters, Islamic group, Islamic militia*, Islamist, Islamist group*, Muslim, Muslim faction*, Muslim organization, Islamic militant

· Violent Islamic group







* New for 2002





French:



· Contagion islamiste

· Extremiste: musulman, islamiste

· Fanatisme islamique

· Fondamentaliste islamiste

· Groupe arme islamiste

· Guerilleros musulmans

· Islamistes armes

· Manif: islamistes, musulmane

· Maquisards islamistes

· Mercenaires musulmans

· Menace: islamiste, islamique

· Milice: islamique, islamiste

· Mouvement islamiste

· Terroristes islamistes









Newspaper Grading Criteria (worst-to-bad)




Description
Points

1
Identifying Muslims by their religion when they are involved in violent acts
100

2
Inferring that Islam is intolerant and an extreme religion that teaches, endorses or condones acts of violence
90

3
Use of the term “Muslim Terrorists”, etc.
80

4
Use of the term “Muslim Militants”, etc.
70

5
Use of the term “Muslim Extremists”, etc
60

6
Use of the term “Muslim Fundamentalists", etc.
50

7
Propagating negative stereotypes about Islam
40

8
Being culturally insensitive, for example to religious practices, dress code, food or social customs
30

9
Selective presentation and analysis of events and the use of popular "experts"
20

10
Failing to offer a balanced view on political events related to Muslims
10






How The Grading Is Done:



1. Each published item was first evaluated (max. points:100) given the above criteria, the resulting numerical rating was then multiplied by the following weighting factors:

a. Front page items 2.00

b. Titles, photo caption or cartoon 1.80

c. Weekend edition factor 1.40

d. Repetition of anti-Islam terminologies in the same item 1.30



2. The points from step (1) were then multiplied by a circulation factor as follows:

· La Presse 1

· The Montreal Gazette 1

· The Ottawa Citizen 1

· The Winnipeg Free Press 1

· The Globe and Mail 2

· The National Post 2

· The Toronto Star 3





2002 Newspaper Ranking (Without Circulation Factor)

(Worst-to-bad)








Newspaper
Relative Points (max 100)

1
National Post
100

2
Ottawa Citizen
91

3
Montreal Gazette
87

4
La Presse
76

5
Toronto Star
61

6
Globe and Mail
60

7
Winnipeg Free Press
59








2002 Newspaper Ranking (With Circulation Factor)

(Worst-to-bad)








Newspaper
Relative Points (max 100)

1
National Post
100

2
Toronto Star
92

3
Globe and Mail
60

4
Ottawa Citizen
46

5
Montreal Gazette
44

6
La Presse
38

7
Winnipeg Free Press
30








2002 Newspaper Ranking Comparing to 2001, 2000, 1999, and 1998



Not including the circulation factor: a measure of anti-Islam.




2002
2001
2000
1999
1998

1
National Post
National Post
National Post
La Presse
Toronto Star

2
Ottawa Citizen
Montreal Gazette
Ottawa Citizen
Montreal Gazette
Globe and Mail

3
Montreal Gazette
Ottawa Citizen
Montreal Gazette
Globe and Mail
Montreal Gazette

4
La Presse
Globe and Mail
La Presse
Toronto Star
Ottawa Citizen

5
Toronto Star
Chronicle Herald
Globe and Mail
Ottawa Citizen
Toronto Sun

6
Globe and Mail
La Presse
Toronto Star
National Post
–

7
Winnipeg Free Press
Toronto Star
–
–
–




Including the circulation factor: a measure of harmful impact on readers.




2002
2001
2000
1999
1998

1
National Post
National Post
National Post
Globe and Mail
Toronto Star

2
Toronto Star
Toronto Star
Toronto Star
Toronto Star
Globe and Mail

3
Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail
La Presse
Montreal Gazette

4
Ottawa Citizen
Montreal Gazette
Ottawa Citizen
Montreal Gazette
Ottawa Citizen

5
Montreal Gazette
Ottawa Citizen
Montreal Gazette
National Post
Toronto Sun

6
La Presse
Chronicle Herald
La Presse
Ottawa Citizen
–

7
Winnipeg Free Press
La Presse
–
–
–




Notes

1. The Toronto Sun was monitored in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 but not ranked.

2. The Journal de Montreal was monitored in 2001 but not ranked.

3. The Chronicle Herald was monitored and ranked only in 2001.

4. The Winnipeg Free Press was monitored and ranked only in 2002.





2002 vs 2001 Ranking (without circulation factor)





Rank
Year 2001
Year 2002

Newspaper
Normalized Points
Newspaper
Normalized Points

1
National Post
100
National Post
100

2
Montreal Gazette
69
Ottawa Citizen
91

3
Ottawa Citizen
62
Montreal Gazette
87

4
Globe and Mail
58
La Presse
76

5
Chronicle Herald
56
Toronto Star
61

6
La Presse
50
Globe and Mail
60

7
Toronto Star
41
Winnipeg Free Press
59






Notes

1. The National Post is ranked the highest in its use of anti-Islam language in both 2001 and 2002.

2. The difference in points between the first ranked newspaper and the seventh is lower in 2002 than 2001; 41 points in 2002 compared to 59 points in 2002.

3. No significant difference between the last three newspapers in 2002.

4. The Toronto Star, Canada’s largest circulation newspaper became worse in 2002 by 20 points.

5. The Globe and Mail became worse in 2002 by two points, the Ottawa Citizen by 29 points and the Montreal Gazette by 18 points.

6. La Presse, the only French daily included in the study, became worse by 16 points.

7. The total number of points has increased 4.8 times (380%) from the pre-9/11 year to the post-9/11 year; from an average of 670 points per newspaper per month to an average of 3,232 per newspaper per month.





Some examples of how Canada’s Newspapers endangered the well-being of Canadian Muslims in 2002



1. "Three plots hatched..." The Toronto Star, January 7, 2002.
The Toronto Star managed to use anti-Islam terminology 11 times in this one item.



2. "Why they booed...," by Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail, March 9, 2002.
"Israel and the West confront a common enemy: Islamofacism... it is fuelled by hatred, and does not submit to bargaining or reason..."



3. "Yasser Arafat's..." by Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail, April 4, 2002.
"He quoted the Koran: A martyr who falls in the battle for Jerusalem's worth 40 martyrs..."



4. "What turns kids..." by Ananya Mukherjee Reed, The Toronto Star, April 5, 2002.
"...there is a pre-disposition toward extremism and fundamentalism amongst the 'ordinary Muslim'..."



5. "Radical Islam..." by Stephen Handelman, The Toronto Star, April 23, 2002.
Mr. Handelman manages to use anti-Islam terminology 10 times in this one item.



6. "Terror, lies..." by Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail, May 16, 2002.
"...4,000 Jews were warned to stay away -- an article of faith throughout the Muslim world..."



7. "Give Kashmir a chance..." by Ramesh Thakur, The Globe and Mail, May 29, 2002.
"Koran-Kalashnikov culture..."



8. "Unlike his victims," by Rosie DiManno, The Toronto Star, June 19, 2002.
"...Muslim, a man of the Koran, blinded by the Zealotry..."



9. "Resisting the gale" by David Warren, The Ottawa Citizen, October 27, 2002.
"When a sniper suspect is arrested in suburban Washington, D.C., he just happens to have adopted the surname 'Muhammad'. Don't pretend less than half of North America wasn't expecting this."









How the National Post endangered the well-being of Canadian Muslims in 2002



Examples:



1. “A cultural inability...” by George Jonas, The National Post, February 3, 2002.
“...it’s the rationality of Islamic culture that’s seriously in doubt”



2. "With friends like..." by Mark Steyn, The National Post, March 4, 2002.
"...reluctant to let everything ruffle the 'Islam is a religion of peace' editorial."



3. "And now for..." Editorial, The National Post, June 17, 2002.
"...the Muslim immigrants quartiers of Western cities living off European and Canadian welfare..."



4. "Whatever you do, don't call it a hate crime" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, July 8, 2002.
"The organizations that purport to represent Muslims in North America and Europe have their own excuses for turning a blind eye to the torrent of hate from respectable sources within the Muslim world...There's no reason why the FBI and other U.S. agencies should sign on to their fictions."



5. "Pencil in Iraq for this August" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, August 1, 2002.
"...Saudi Arabia is not America's 'most powerful Muslim ally in the war against Islamic terrorism,' but the principle underwriter and fomenter of Islamic terrorism."



6. "Muslims must modernize Islam" by Daniel Pipes, The National Post, August 2, 2002.
"At present, admittedly, it is hard to recall the positive side [of Islam]...That is the ultimate message of 9/11."



7. "First we take Baghdad..." by Mark Steyn, The National Post, August 8, 2002.
"...allowing the Saudis to continue providing the ideological heft to Islamist terrorism...[In Iran] the original Islamist nutters have been firing on their hapless citizens..."

7.

8. "Farcical island war has much deeper roots" by Charles Krauthammer, The National Post, July 19, 2002.
"Much of the conflict in the world today - the Philippines, Kashmir, Chechnya, the West Bank, Sudan, Nigeria,... - represents the Islamic world, once expanding, long contracting, pushing out once again to reclaim its place in the sun. As Samuel Huntington has written, the borders of Islam are bloody."



9. "Lawsuit aims to bankrupt terror network" by Stewart Bell, The National Post, August 16, 2002.
"...Hamas had been raising money in Canada since at least 1993, partly through a U.S. charity that was endorsed by prominent Canadian Muslim organizations."



10. "My lack of courage?" by Daniel Pipes, The National Post, August 20, 2002.
"Islam has always been on warpath...Militant Islam is Islam...Mild Koranic verses were abrogated...my readers know what they are talking about."



11. "The real enemy in this war is ourselves" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, August 22, 2002.
"The Islamists are [militarily] weak but culturally secure. The West is just the opposite. There's more than one way to lose a war."



12. "Concordia Web site Investigated" by Stewart Bell, The National Post, August 24, 2002.
"Radical Islamic groups have operated a series of Web sites from Canada that have solicited donations, glorified terrorism and sought recruits for Osama bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan."



13. "Not all teachers are angels" by George Jonas, The National Post, August 26, 2002.
"Apparently America's largest teacher's union, The National Education Association,... told teachers that they should be careful not to 'suggest any group is responsible' for attacks which killed 3,000 people...Or, as Mr. Steyn observes: "Don't blame anyone. But, if you have to, blame America."



14. "Muslim extremism: Denmark's had enough" by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard, The National Post, August 27, 2002.
"Muslims are only 4% of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists,..."



15. "Multiculturalists are the real racists" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, August, 2002.
"Whether or not Muslim cultures are prone to rape is a question we shall explore another day...On this 'Islam is peace' business...I'm not a racist, only a culturist...You see it in European foreign policy already: they're scared of their mysterious, swelling, unstoppable Muslim populations...Maybe we should start a betting pool: Which European country will be the first to institute shari'a?"



16. "Save the Temple Mount" by Daniel Pipes, The National Post, September 3, 2002.
"That's the Ramadan holiday, when thousands of Muslim worshippers will aggregate in the mosque at Solomon's Stables. Their weight and movement could cause the southern wall to give way."



17. "The Bush Doctrine began on Flight 93" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, September 9, 2002.
"To the Muslims who celebrated openly in Ramullah, in Copenhagen, in Yorkshire and at Concordia University in Montreal, it [9/11] was the most spectacular blow yet against the Great Satan."



18. "Mystery of evil cannot be ignored" by Father Raymond J. DeSouza, The National Post, September 11, 2002.
"The anniversary [of 9/11] is upon us...Jews and Christians [but not Muslims!] used to be able to speak frankly of the mystery of evil in the world..."



19. "Unfinished business" Editorial, The National Post, September 11, 2002.
"...another September 11...an event that would make all but the tiniest coterie of multiculturalists realize that we are in a fight for survival."



20. "The twin clashes within civilizations" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, September 12, 2002.
"...how Muslims here [in Canada] have coped with the post-9/11 'backlash' seems to be as firmly ensconced in the news bulletins as the weather and the closing Dow..."



21. "Chrétien caught in a web of confusion" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, September 16, 2002.
"The Islamists want to kill all the Jews...The Islamists have no rational demands, and no conceivable changes to U.S. policy will deflect them..."



22. "I say monger away, baby" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, September 26, 2002.
"...'the root cause' of this new war is Islam's difficulty co-existing with modernity...Fact: An ethnic Danish girl is far more likely to be raped by a Muslim than an ethnic Dane. Fact: Immigration means that more Danish women get raped."*
*Two members of the Danish Parliament, in a letter to the editor published by the Post on September 6, 2002 disputed the false information originally published by the Post by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard (August 27, 2002). Mr. Steyn reported the same false information again on September 26, 2002!



23. "Muslim radicalism reshapes Euro-politics" by David Frum, The National Post, September 28, 2002.
"The raw numbers for today's big march are coming from a new direction: Britain's large and increasingly outspoken Muslim community...Today Britain's radical Muslim minority is gathering in Hyde Park. Tomorrow: who knows?"



24. "The root cause? We're all infidels" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, October 17, 2002.
"Blessings be upon you, Mister Robert [Fisk of the Independent], we had entirely [forgotten] to add "Kill the Irish" to our "To Do" list, praise be to Allah... they're happy to kill Australians, Britons, Canadians, Swedes, Germans, as they did in Bali. We are all infidels."



25. "Zigging and zagging on the sniper's trail" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, October 21, 2002.
"In fairness to the Islamofascists, when it comes to their 'murderous pleasures' variety is the spice of death."



26. "Western muslims are on the front lines" by David Frum, The National Post, October 26, 2002.
"A gunman named Muhammad has terrorized the Washington area for weeks...[he] was not a Muslim who became a killer. He was a killer who became a Muslim. This reassurance, however, is no reassurance at all...The Muslim community of the West are one of the most decisive theatres of this civil war. And the case of John Muhammad reminds us that in this theatre, our victory is far from won."



27. "Stop making excuses for Muslim extremists" by Mark Steyn, The National Post, October 28, 2002.
"...[the sniper's] transformation into a killer seems to be more or less coincidental with his transformation into Mr. Muhammad...the brilliantly versatile Muslim fundamentalists are gunning down Maryland school kids and bus drivers,..."



28. "Ayub case illustrates the need for profiling" by Jonathan Kay, The National Post, October 31, 2002.
"...as if a man born in [an] Arab nation and steeped in that country's state-sponsored hatreds should be expected to shed them instantly once he gets a social insurance number and spends a few evenings watching the CBC."



29. "Treatment of Israel strikes an alien note" by Alan M. Dershowitz, The National Post, November 4, 2002.
"...in Saudi Arabia apartheid is practised against non-Muslims, with signs indicating that Muslims must go to certain areas and non-Muslims to others..."*
"This is only applicable to two holy Islamic sites, but Mr. Dershowitz does not tell his readers the fact and call this 'apartheid.'



30. "Keep mosque and state separate in Turkey" by Jonathan Kay, The National Post, November 6, 2002.
"...the idea of 'reform' is still inextricably tied with a return to ancient Mohamedan values and practices."
*The term 'Mohamedan' instead of 'Islamic' was used in the 1700's and 1800's to misinform the public that Muslims worship Mohamed as Christians worship Christ.



31. "Fallaci is a little heavy on the rage" by George Jonas, The National Post, November 7, 2002.
"...Fallaci is correct to say that some of the most extreme Islamist figures live in the West."



32. "No U.S. ally seen as immune to attack" by Jan Cienski, November 14, 2002.
"...'Islam today seems to produce two things: Oil and dead bodies'..."



33. "A bombing pause - for 12 months?" by Mark Steyn, November 21, 2002.
"...in his month-long Ramadan-a-ding-dong, George W. Bush is relentlessly on message: as he told Islamic bigwigs at the White House the other day, "Our nation is waging a war on a radical network of terrorists, not on a religion and not on a civilization." Not true. Daniel Pipes and others have argued that this is the Islamists' great innovation - an essentially political project piggybacking on an ancient religion. It seems unlikely that many Muslims in, say, Newark or Calgary or Singapore would wish to be suicide bombers themselves, but what seems clear is that in these and other places there is - to put it at its most delicate - a widespread lack of revulsion at the things done in Islam's name. This last year has been too quiet. Next Ramadan, when the traditional calls for a bombing pause are issued, let's hope there's some bombing to pause."



34. "Censored and bullied, scholars sanitize Islam", by David Frum, November 30, 2002.
"Islamic law has for many years been stretching its reach into the West. Nor is it just the press that is intimidated: Western scholars live under the shadow of the fatwa as well. Large portions of the Koran, for example, appear to have been translated from Aramaic, the language of the Roman Middle East...the work of scholars of Islam differs...constant intimidation and threat of attack. Yet even in the West, some radical Muslim groups are demanding the same power over speech and thought that their Nigerian counterparts now exercise. This newspaper has been one of their favorite targets. The fate of Isioma Daniel reminds us how urgent it is to reject these demands and reassert our continuing belief in our Western principles of liberty - and how dangerous it would be to begin to surrender them."



35. "A fatwa of one's own." by Mark Steyn, December 5, 2002.
"Thanks a bunch, you ungrateful Nepean Islamist! Where did I go right?"



36. "Limit Muslim Immigration, 44% say." by Mike Blanchfield, December 21, 2002.
"Almost half of Canadians support restrictions on the number of Muslim immigrants allowed into the country, according to a new public opinion poll that suggests the idea of a "Canadian mosaic" is losing support. The poll, conducted last month for Maclean's magazine, Global TV and Southam News "



37. "A sermon dressed up as a documentary." by Robert Fulford, December 21, 2002.
"...the PBS network in the U.S. broadcast a new film devoted entirely to religious propaganda, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet."



38. "Enough preparation, it's time for action." by David Frum, December 28, 2002.
"The United States and its allies are now ready to strike at Saddam Hussein. The crucial date is Feb. 8, the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The Americans are reluctant to move so long as large throngs of potentially militant Muslims are gathered in one place. After they leave the way will be open for the fighting to start."









Who’s Who of Anti-Islam at the National Post



(a six-month January-June survey of statistics)





1. Stewart Bell

17 news stories in 6 months

January 12, February 9(2), 13, 28, March 9, 21, 26(2), 27(2), April 4, 9, May 5, June 1, 8, 14



2. Mark Steyn

7 columns in 6 months

February 25, March 4, 28, April 25, May 5, 30, June 10



3. George Jonas

5 columns in 6 months

February 12, March 2, 29, June 15, 21



4. David Warren

3 columns in 6 months

March 20, April 6, May 14



5. Robert Fulford

3 columns in 6 months

March 23, May 4, June 15



6. Jan Cienski

3 news stories in 6 months

February 23, May 31, June 19



7. Editorials

3 in 6 months

January 4, 21, June 17









Reviewing 2001: Some examples of how the National Post was endangering the well-being of Canadian Muslims:





1. "Misplaced anxieties" -- Editorial, September 15, 2001.
"But it is hard to get worked up about the occasional slur directed against North American Muslims... Indeed there is something offensive about the tear-drenched press releases issued by North American Muslim organizations..."



2. "Muslim mushrooms, terrorist toadstools - Fifth columnist ushers bin Laden within our perimeter" -- October 15, 2001, George Jonas.
"...We have to fear our neighbors down the street... a degree of ethnic or religious profiling is unavoidable... Though few of our neighbors are terrorists, some are sympathizers. They provide the culture in which fifth columns grow..."



3. "Willing to assist" -- Editorial, October 15, 2001.
"As George Jonas argues convincingly on the facing page, a small but substantial number of Canadian Muslims and Arabs are willing to assist terrorist operations."



4. "A healthy dose of 'bigotry'" -- Editorial, October 18, 2001, By Jonathan Kay.
"...We should not pretend that an effective fight against terrorism [in Canada] can be waged in a truly color-blind fashion. The fact is, those who plot the annihilation of our civilization are of one religion and, almost without exception, one race. Yet admitting this is a problem for Mr. Chrétien... Multiculturalism is a relativistic creed that assumes all immigrant cultures are equally tolerant, civilized and enlightened once you scratch the surface..."



5. "U.S. wants to fight its war in peace" -- October 24, 2001, By George Jonas.
"...From the beginning, Western attempts to draw a distinction between Islamist terrorists and Islam resulted in a lopsided effort... We rarely heard Muslims in the West pledging loyalty to the countries in which they lived..."



6. "Not terrorism, but not lawful either" -- October 29, 2001, By Andrew Coyne.
"...the massive backlash against innocent Muslims that failed to materialize..."



7. "Acts of faith" -- Editorial, October 31, 2001.
"...Muslims decided that religion overrode ties of citizenship... so many Muslims use religion to define friend and foe."



8. "Mark Steyn lambastes the mindless rush to praise Islam" Top Headlines, p. A1, November 26, 2001.



9. "Few security rules: First, define 'terrorism'" -- November 27, 2001, George Jonas.
"...the threat of militant Islam, where fifth columns of theofascist storm troopers have infiltrated Western democracies..."



10. "Let Islam Speak for Islam" -- November 28, 2001, Raymond de Souza.
"It is a tragic fact that... the only systematic persecution of Christians today is from fellow believers in the God of Abraham, namely Muslims."





How the same news is differently reported



Examples:



1. "Musharaf denounces Islamic extremists" by Bronwyn Curran, AFP, published in the National Post, August 15, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology is used 4 times, once in a heading.



"Musharaf lashes out at Islamic militants" by Lisa Adams, AP, published in the Globe and Mail, August 15, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology is used 3 times, once in a heading.



"Musharaf calls attacks 'despicable'" by AP, published in the Toronto Star, August 15, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology is used twice, none in a heading.



2. "U.S. man accused of conspiring to set up terrorist camp"
"Muslim convert linked to al-Qaeda" by AP and Reuters, published by the National Post, August 29, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology is used twice, once in a heading.



"Five face terror charges over U.S. 'sleeper cell'" by AP, published by the Toronto Star, August 29, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology is used once, none in a heading.



"5 accused of terrorist plot in U.S." by Tu Thanh Ha, The Globe and Mail, August 29, 2002.
Anti-Islam is used once, none in headings.



3. "Homophobic Muslim stabs Paris Mayor" by Chris Wattie, NP, October 7, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology is used twice, once in a heading.



"Police arrested...a French Muslim" "Homophobe suspected in stabbing of Paris mayor" by Reuters, published by the Toronto Star, October 7, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology is used once.



"The suspect, a Muslim..."
"Paris mayor stabbed in stomach" by Andre Picard, The Globe and Mail, October 7, 2002.
"Police arrested...a 39-year-old unemployed computer technician..."
No anti-Islam terminology is used.





4. "Turkey's new leader shuns his Islamist past" by Patrick Graham, NP, November 5, 2002.
Anti-Islam terminology used 5 times, once in a heading.



"Turks 'watch and wait' after election" by Ian Fisher, New York Times, November 5, 2002, published by the Toronto Star.
No anti-Islam terminology is used.



"The star who swept Turkey" by Doug Sanders, The Globe and Mail, November 5, 2002.
No anti-Islam terminology is used.





5. "...Kashmir" by Binoo Joshi, The Associated Press, November 25, 2002.



The National Post publishes the item using anti-Islam terminology 4 times, once in a heading.



The Toronto Star publishes the same news item using anti-Islam terminology 3 times, once in a heading.



The Globe and Mail publishes the same news item using anti-Islam terminology 3 times, none in the heading.







What are International non-Muslim “terrorists” called?





In Spain (1)



(The Toronto Star, July 17, 2000)



· “Separatists blamed...”

· “...blamed on ETA, which stands for Basque Homeland and Freedom in the Basque language.”

· “Basque nationalists...”

· “radical ETA supporters...”



In Spain (2)



(The Globe and Mail, July 17, 2000)



· “Official blame Basque separatist group for two terrorist attacks within 24 hours” – headline.

·

· “The rebels consider the centre-right Popular Party heir to the former dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, who brutally repressed Basque culture and language during his nearly four decades in power.”



I.e., the terrorist attacks were put in context.



In Greece



(by Paul Koring, The Globe and Mail, June 10, 2002)



· “Greek terrorist group claims...”

· “Killing was retaliation for ‘barbaric’ NATO air was...”

· “[November 17] now espouses a fiercely Greek-nationalist ideology.”

· “Greeks maintain close ties with their fellow Christian Orthodox Serb neighbours.”



In Northern Ireland



(By Kristin Gazlay, AP, The Chronicle-Herald, July 29, 2000)



· “Last of terrorists freed in N. Ireland”

· “The 86 convicts were granted early releases...”

· “Freed, too, was James McArdle, the IRA man who planted a bomb in London’s Docklands in 1996, killing two people and injuring 40.”



In Sri Lanka



(By Martin Regg Cohn, The Toronto Star, May 14, 2000)



· “...terror tactics of the Tigers who use suicide bombs and massacres to get their way.”

· “In 1983, a wave of sectarian rioting against Tamils by the Sinhalese majority triggered the rebellion by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who have been fighting for a separate state ever since.”



Anti-Islam in the Media, Examples (Seven Weeks)

Newspaper: The National Post



(1)

Date: 11/22/02

Title: Two Al-Qaeda operatives...

Page: A13

Source: Stewart Bell

Terminology: a hardline Muslim terrorist group



(2)

Date: 11/22/02

Title: Muslim cleric warns U.S....

Page: A13

Source: Michael Georgy - Reuters

Terminology: A radical London-based Muslim cleric



(3)

Date: 11/26/02

Title: What next?...

Page: A18 Comment

Source: Daniel Pipes

Terminology: Muslims display a fervour for extreme interpretations of Islam



(4)

Date: 11/28/02

Title: Terror threat closes...

Page: A3

Source: Agence France-Presse and Reuters

Terminology: Islamic extremists



(5)

Date: 11/28/02

Title: Bodyguard says bin Laden...

Page: A19

Source: Terror File/Araminta Wordsworth from NP news services

Terminology: radical Islamic camps, Muslim militants



(6)

Date: 11/29/02

Title: Terrorists brandish.../ Terrorists have declared... Attacks

Page: A1 & A4

Source: Stewart Bell

Terminology: radical Islamic groups, Islamist terror campaign, Islamic terrorism





(7)

Date: 11/29/02

Title: Israelis and Africans...

Page: A20 Comment

Source: Ed Morgan and Henry Ojambo

Terminology: Islamic terrorists taking African lives and Jewish doctors saving them.



(8)

Date: 11/30/02

Title: Israeli forces take over...

Page: A20

Source: Tim Butcher – The Daily Telegraph with files from AFP

Terminology: radical Islamist group



(9)

Date: 12/04/02

Title: Managing the latest...

Page: A18 Comment

Source: Jonathan Kay

Terminology: Islamist terror cells



(10)

Date: 12/09/02

Title: Islam’s bloody borders

Page: A14 Comment

Source: Charles Krauthammer – Washington Post Writers Group

Terminology: Islamic terrorism



(11)

Date: 12/17/02

Title: CSIS links Ottawa man...

Page: A1

Source: Stewart Bell and Bill Curry

Terminology: Islamic extremist



(12)

Date: 12/18/02

Title: ‘Terrorism is an international...’ Federal case against Harkat...

Page: A4

Source: Stewart Bell and Bill Curry

Terminology: Islamic extremists





(13)

Date: 12/20/02

Title: Pearl murder suspect...

Page: A20

Source: Juliette Terzieff

Terminology: Muslim militant



(14)

Date: 12/27/02

Title: 6 held in Grenade strike...

Page: A16

Source: Ahmed Rashid

Terminology: militant Islamic



(15)

Date: 12/27/02

Title: Workers for Canadian firm...

Page: A16

Source: The Associated Press, with files from AFP

Terminology: Muslim rebels, Muslim insurgency



(16)

Date: 12/28/02

Title: Blasts devastate government...

Page: A2

Source: Maria Golovnina and Jon Boyle - Reuters, with files from news services

Terminology: Islamic militants



(17)

Date: 12/30/02

Title: Violence takes its toll...

Page: A15

Source: Muin Shadeed – Reuters

Terminology: Islamic militant group





A Pilot Project: Anti-Islam in the Electronic (TV) Media

Monitoring period: Oct 8 - Dec 6, 2002 (60 days)



Occurrences of anti-Islam language, summarized:



· CBC News - 17 times

· CTV News - 13 times

· Global News - 5 times



CBC Newsworld, the National (9:00 - 9:30 p.m. weekdays)



Oct 14/02

Islamic militants
Islamic extremism
Muslim extremists
Islamic militancy
Islamic army


Oct 15/02

Fundamental Islamic state
Islamic terrorist organization
Islamic extremism
Islamic extremist


Oct 17/02

Extremist Islamic group
Muslim cleric accused of heading a radical group


Oct 24/02

Converting to Islam


Nov 06/02

Militantly Islamic
Islamist would never be reformed


Nov 15/02

Islamic extremist groups
Fundamental Islamic state


Nov 27/02

An Islamic group operating





CTV News (11:00 - 11:30 p.m. daily)


Oct 8/02

The defendants -- all Muslims ...-- are accused


Oct 12/02

Militant Islamic groups


Oct 15/02

Islamic terrorists
Islamic militant group


Oct 19/02

Islamic leader under arrest, suspect of terror attack



Oct 20/02

Islamic militants


Oct 24/02

Converted to Islam


Oct 26/02

Muslim extremist groups


Oct 30/02

Islamic government uses oil money to fund a civil war



Nov 9/02

Radical Islamic group
There's growing fear of all things Islamic


Nov 15/02

Venomous rhetoric in the Mosques


Nov 29/02

Radical Muslim faction





Global News (5:30 - 6:00 p.m. weekdays)



Oct 15/02

Muslim Extremists


Oct 18/02

Muslim fundamentalist rebels



Oct 24/02

Converted to Islam
Converted to Islam
Converted to Islam



How TV News reports events regarding Muslims


Example:
Global 5:30 p.m. News - Oct 24, 2002
"... John Allen Muhammad [the American sniper] converted to Islam...”



"converted to Islam" was mentioned 3 times within 2.5 minutes



BUT what are non-Muslim "terrorists" called?



Try the popular term, "settler," but never "Jewish terrorist," "Jewish fanatic," "Jewish fundamentalist," etc.


Example 1:
CTV 11:00 p.m. news - Nov 16, 2002
"Eight years ago an American settler gunned down 29 Muslim worshippers as they prayed."

Example 2:
CBC Newsworld, the National, 9:00 p.m. - Nov 15, 2002
"Eight years ago, a Hebron-area settler opened fire during Muslim prayers also at the tomb of the patriarchs and killed 29 people..."

Note:

On Nov 11 and 14, 2002, CTV and CBC respectively reported on the urgent advisory issued by the Canadian Islamic Congress for Muslims traveling to the U.S. Global TV did not carry this item; it chose to ignore the concerns of Canadian Muslims.



Recommendations





Anti-Islam in the media instigates hate against a specific minority group. This is an ethical and professional quality issue.



The following recommendations are designed to enhance the quality of delivering news and views, encouraging reporting that is free of anti-Islam.



The CIC recommends…



1. That large newspapers become members of accredited press councils.

2. That large newspapers and major TV networks provide their reading and viewing public with ombudspersons.

3. That more Canadian journalists cover world news on location.

4. That media corporations commit to holding regular staff workshops to foster sensitive, high-quality news coverage and writing.

5. That media managers change newsroom culture, making it no longer acceptable to promote images such as:

· the violent young Black man

· the miser Christ-killer Jew

· the militant bearded young Muslim man

· the oppressed brainless Muslim woman with Hijab

· the drunken Native

· the dagger-carrying militant Sikh



6. That diversity-in-media scholarships be offered to promote more balanced reporting on issues involving race, religion, gender, culture... etc.

7. That media outlets adopt equity hiring policies to normalize and balance public awareness of diversity issues (as in No. 6.)

8. That journalists be rewarded for producing high-quality, sensitive, and informative coverage.

9. That media managers recognize readers’ rights to communicate and respond to their print and/or broadcast content.

10.That media organizations offer their journalists working sabbaticals to research and write in-depth features about Canada’s diversity.