Malian Mamoudou Gassama has been widely and rightly praised for his heroic intervention to save a child dangling from a fourth-floor balcony. But the mainstream media coverage has had troubling aspects, such as the unchallenged promotion of the idea that immigrants have to ‘earn’ the right to be treated with humanity.
But another such feature stands out even more.
Mamoudou Gassama is a Muslim, like around ninety percent of Malians – but most who have read about or watched video of his exploits would be unaware of this fact from the ‘MSM’ coverage.
But imagine he had committed an atrocity instead of being a hero. Can you imagine for a microsecond that there would have been no mention of his religion? It would form the core of every bulletin or piece of analysis, as Twitter user Maher Arar observed:
Comment:
It seems the idea of Muslims as heroes is one that doesn’t occur to MSM editors. Couldn’t possibly be Western bias or ulterior motives, of course.
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I’m disappointed with this, skwawkbox. Making an issue out of something that wasn’t an issue. Playing their game.
You’d think there were no muslim firefighters or coppers or medics who save people every day. You’d think there was no outrage at the UK govt denying visas to hundreds of doctors from the sub-continent…Nothing to do with their creed.
Until you mentioned it above I had no thoughts whatsoever about his religion, it had so little relevance to me that his religion (or lack of it) never even entered my head.
Whilst I can see the point you are trying to make surely the link made between certain religions and acts of terrorism is made because the terrorists profess to be committing these acts on behalf of their ‘religion’.
The first thought however if this was an act of violence would be that the person was Muslim as it would surely be reported that way…wouldn’t it serve us better in that case to NOT report that the person was Muslim if it was an act of terror on behalf of their religion, supposedly, if only to counter any terror they want to create?
“wouldn’t it serve us better in that case to NOT report that the person was Muslim if it was an act of terror on behalf of their religion, supposedly, if only to counter any terror they want to create?”
NO!
It’s not very practical is it? Also I’m in favour of responsible reporting not censorship.
His religion hadn’t occurred to me either until Steve mentioned it, but then we’re not racists or bigots. It’ll have been their first thought. The most dedicated and professional of them can probably discern your race & religion just from your name.
Isn’t Steve’s contention that the MSM know exactly what they’re doing when they selectively disclose the religions of terrorists and others of whom we might be expected to disapprove – normalising racism in the minds of those inclined to racism while stopping just short of overtly encouraging it?
Religion not racism? Racists I’ve encountered have used religious and racist epithets interchangeably so I assume that’s commonplace.
Racism & religious division is part and parcel of the centuries-old “project hate” by the real enemy to keep us from seeing them – rich Tories – for the evil exploiters, slave owners, despoilers and warmongers they’ve always been.
You only need hear priests when there’s a(nother) nonce scandal, or imams when a(nother) terrorist act is committed to know what ‘religion’ is about.
They’ll condemn the act – But NEVER the perpetrator. Here we see maher arar bulling a muslim up for a commendable deed but choosing to find a negative because of ‘religion’. Does he do the same for those muslims in the emergency services? Doubt it.
I’m (lapsed) catholic. I saved two women from the Mersey in 1990. When the press got hold of it, they never mentioned my religion. They mentioned I was (then) unemployed, though.
Was I arsed? Not really.
Did it help me get a job? Did it shite. What good would it do to make note of the fact that gassama is muslim?
I’ll tell ya…It doesn’t make a blind bit of difference. All’s it does is give the racists something else to crib about and paint the left as pessimistic bores – ‘Oh, look….them lefties and mooslims are up in arms again because the media didn’t mention someone’s religion when a good deed was done…best the media shouldn’t have even reported it, really’
nadhim zahawi.
Claims £000’s for heating his privately owned stables
Sells off Royal Mail for a pittance AND cracks wise about it.
Part of a government that actively prevents foreign doctors & nurses from working in this country as part of a plan to destroy & sell off (again for a pittance) the greatest national asset ever created.
That’s despite he himself being an Immigrant.
And also a Muslim.
Yet the last two points are never dwelled upon; so why should we dwell upon gassama’s faith? Looks like the French got the better deal, to me.
There should be no mention of religion, race, marital or job status when reporting anything that has nothing to do with religion, race, marital or job status as far as I’m concerned.
The argument is a bit of a blunt instrument used to state the obvious. Skwawkboxes readership is pretty smart. Yes, we have experienced hypocrisy from western governments who , along with the right wing MSM, have created a hostile environment that perceives all Moslems with suspicion unless they are rich Saudi Sheiks.
Great that even temporarily the strong and cool Mamoudou has helped reverse perceptions.
Meanwhile, all of us must not let up on exposing the base commentary of Islamophobia from people such as as Melanie Phillips of the Daily Mail; (who writes controversial bollocks for a large fee in the guise of deep moral thought!) and the Palestinian-bashing of the right in Israel and its apologists, who perceive Palestinian babes as future terrorists.
Meanwhile a little more quick off the mark and hard condemnation from the left of extremist terrorist atrocities such as those perpetrated by Dayesh , on Fatwahs against writers, on religious zealotry of all kinds. The war worth supporting is the war on ignorance.
The drip, drip, drip of negativity in the MSM has an effect on the opinions of the less gifted – those who also happen to be suckers for the right.
I’m a militant atheist who’d be delighted at the death of all religious delusion but that’s not what’s going on here.
This is about divide and rule – as ever.
I’m not sure that those caught up in the ‘hostile environment’ have derived much comfort or reassurance from Theresa May’s declarations that “Faith guides me in everything I do.”
SteveH, I meant that the MSM foment racism in the stupid – the Tory base – and that it’s intentional. I still don’t see a different reading of it..?
Only two possibilities explain those words of May’s.
Either she thinks claims of faith engender trust or she’s a genuinely deluded believer.
I hope for the former, obviously.
I see a greedy charlatan as less potentially dangerous than an airhead who thinks heaven is waiting.