10 May 2011

Pointing the Finger: Islam and Muslims in the British Media

Edited by Julian Petley and Robin Richardson. Published by Oneworld Publications 2011.

This book is a rehash of research done between May 2006 and April 2007 for the GLA and the then Mayor of London (Ken Livingstone) and in early 2008 by the Cardiff School of Journalism (Note 1).

There is no new information even though the marketing blurb calls it “ …. a critical analysis of recent media coverage …”.

I was angry at first realising I had spent £20 on a book the contents of which I knew already (and had indirectly paid for as a London tax payer) and which were freely available.

However the book is useful. It illustrates the warped and irrelevant thinking of western apologists for Islam and shows how little they have to contribute to the discussions on Islamophobia and Muslim integration. [Read more]