BM Opinion: Western media shows its bias with Marwa killing
Posted by bikyamasr on 05/07/2009
Western media shows its bias with Marwa killing
Bikya Masr
5 July 2009
All the talk of ethics and equality in the Western media has gone out the window with the recent killing of Marwa Al Sherbini in Dresden, Germany. The failure to report the killing has highlighted the gulf that exists in mainstream media across Europe and North America. It is a horrible state they find themselves in when Bikya Masr is the first English language source to report the killing. We did so on Friday, before even the wires found time to issue a few limited paragraphs on the situation.
It should not come as a surprise for those Arab observers, however, that a hate crime against an Arab, a veiled woman and an average citizen was not reported. The unfortunate bias that the West has against middle-class Arabs reared its ugly face and we should all condemn their lack of honesty in over this situation.
In recent years, foreign media appear only willing to report on the radical, extreme or crazy Arabs and the things they accomplish. Marwa was an average citizen who was fighting for her rights in Germany. The result was her murder by a crazed psycho that wanted nothing more than to kill Muslims. But, the West has remained silent, even through the weekend.
In France, the debate over the burqa rages on, with so-called feminist Muslims arguing in support of the ban proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Why? Because there is a deep rooted hatred against Muslims throughout the world. There is no desire to show and report on the “real” Arab in their element. If you look at the reporting coming from the Middle East, there are hundreds of reports of those people who live in garbage cities, the radical sheikhs who espouse ideas against the Jews, but where is the reporting on the middle-class Arab who wants nothing more than to live an open and free life? It doesn’t exist.
Now, Germany is attempting to charge Marwa’s killer with manslaughter, not murder. This is the last straw. No commentator has discussed the fact that this is horrible and wrong. Why? It is simple, Western media cannot report that a hate crime was perpetrated against an Arab in Europe because it would go against everything they stand for: Arabs are the enemy.
Days on since we first reported the incident, the Arab world waits for a justice that is likely not to come. American and European journalists should be ashamed of their profession; one that claims to be honest and free. How free can it be when the murder of a woman by a fanatic goes unpunished?
Stay silent Western press and you will soon understand why Arabs distrust you. Your shameful lack of reporting on this murder will long survive in the hearts and minds of people in this region and rightfully so. If there is an unwilling to condemn this murder, then the right response should be an unwilling to directly deal with your reporters.
Egyptians should boycott Western press in the near future for their failure to accurately and honestly report on the courtroom murder in Dresden. This will send a message that dishonesty cannot go unpunished.
BM
Nora said
Like the article very much and you make total sense but i have to disagree with boycotting western media. we need to know what goes on and how it is reported in the western press but what should be done is our writers and commentators should send opinion articles to big respected newspapers condemning this and demanding fairness from the “leading” press agencies and newspapers. we are turning to a nation of boycotters. in Alexandria, the pharmaceutical syndicate will boycott German medicine for a week. Why? and its not like they force us to buy the meds, we ask for it. We need to be smarter and more realistic in our responses.
bikyamasr said
meant boycotting in the sense of not giving interviews to those news organizations who are “orientalist” in nature. thanks for the comment you are right, though, that boycotting is not the answer
E. Weiskott said
Thanks for sticking with this story. It’s being most unjustly underreported. I’ve tweeted links to this page and your initial coverage. Sometimes we have to do it ourselves. @unmodern
BM News: All Bikya Masr links on Marwa killing « Bikya Masr said
[...] BM Opinion: Western media shows its bias with Marwa killing [...]
test said
And what is abot crime against german? This doesn’t matter? I can’t see annything about this in your blog.
As an german you can’t go to everey place in your own town because you are no moslem!
Another example: the foraign people (Age 10-19) are in Hamburg 50%
So whow ist the rassist?
And one question… Why they all stay in a so rassism country???
Truth said
SOme weeks ago, a muslim father in Germany (of turk descent) killed his daughter, as she didn’t want to follow ‘the muslim way’ – she wanted to have a free and western-like lifestyle. There was no protest of muslims in germany, and probably none at all. Just silence. Think about this.
Additionally:
Muslims come to europe and often behave as if they would still be in a muslim oriented country. You can’t be surprised that many europeans are very sceptic towards muslims – what would you think when lots of europeans would permanently live in egypt, but would show great dis-respect towards the egyptian and islamic culture and habbits?
Truth said
Some more words:
The killing was reported in the media – there were reports about it in newspapers and online-sites. So what did You expect more?
As already mentioned – why dou think do muslims have a bad reputation in europe? The answer is: Their behaviour.
Hester said
The young woman’s death is a tragedy that could have been prevented. One wonders how this crazed man was able to get away with stabbing someone eighteen times before he could be stopped? The Germans need to take the steps needed to ensure the safety of everyone in a court of law. Nothing can replace that young woman’s life but the Germans owe her family an apology and reparations. When Marwa Al Sherbini went into that courtroom, she, as anyone else who goes into a courtroom, should have been safe from harm.
That being said, quite frankly, the Muslim response to this tragedy,… massive marches, talk of martyrdom, whining about Western hypocrisy, and demanding an apology from Germany, is bizarre to say the least. This ranks right up there with the reaction to the Rushdie book, Danish cartoons, the Pope’s remarks, the rumor of the Quran in the toilet, etc. etc. etc. In Egypt, you have Muslim mobs rampaging through Copt villages and attacking Churches, you have monks beaten up by Muslims, there is discrimination and persecution of the Copts, and you are talking about hypocrisy?
More than a few Muslim women have been brutally killed in Germany by relatives. Where was the outrage from their co-religious around the world? Where? More than a few Muslim women have been murdered in Egypt. Did I miss the marches for them?
BM News: The true Marwa coverage « Bikya Masr said
[...] BM Opinion: Western media shows its bias with Marwa killing [...]