Julaybib Ayoub has examined coverage of Islam and Muslims in the Daily and Sunday Telegraph over the past month. He writes:
“What can be said about these lists? First of all, Muslims are generally represented as a ‘problem’, whether it be regarding the war on terror, extremism, shariah law, schools, dress, education, youth, crime, other religions and culture. In other words, in almost every aspect of media interest, there is a ‘Muslim’ angle. Pretty much the same kind of stories come up again and again in each area – the threat of extremist youth; halal food in schools; the veil; alleged Muslim intolerance and over-sensitivity; and also the ‘injustice’ of Muslims being granted ‘special’ provision, although those kinds of stories (new racism stories) are more often found in the tabloids.
“However, some topics associated with Muslims by the media actually having nothing to do with Islam at all, notably forced marriages and honour killings. Honour refers to a cultural phenomenon found in both Muslim and non-Muslim cultures in South Asia and also in the Arab world. Yet the media not infrequently insinuates an Islamic association, especially when some tenuous relationship can be contrived linking Muslim leaders and such practices.”