Thursday, February 19, 2009

Islamophobia Rears its Ugly Head Again

An exclusive from Indian Roller Correspondent, Itinerant Little Leprechaun (ILLE)

ILLE:


Earlier this week, the news media was agog with the details of a prominent TV executive who beheaded his wife after an altercation in Orchard Park, NY. While it made sense to highlight this horrific crime of domestic abuse, was it really necessary to capitalize on the religion of the accused, which happened to be Islam? Indeed, before the specifics of the case were established by the courts, media headlines screamed out that he was a "Muslim" man. Here are a few notable examples:

  • Yahoo News
Muslim TV exec accused of beheading wife in NY

  • MSNBC
U.S. Muslim TV network founder charged with beheading wife
  • Miami Herald
Prominent Muslim man beheads wife


Using the same logic, if the media chose to emphasize the religious denomination of every newsworthy individual, here's an indication of how some prominent crime-news headlines of the past might have appeared...

  • Senator Ted Kennedy
Catholic Senator Escapes Manslaughter Charges for Drowning Incident
  • Timothy McVeigh
  • Bugsy Siegel
Jewish Casino Owner Accused of Murdering Police Informer
  • Joseph Smith
U.S. Mormon Founder Adds 14-Year Old Girl to His 30+ Wives
  • Dylan Bennet Klebold
Lutheran Minor Causes Columbine High School Massacre
  • Andrea Yates
U.S. Evangelical Christian Mother Drowns Her Five Children

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