BM Opinion: The West’s Marwa coverage: anti-Islam bias

The West’s Marwa coverage: anti-Islam bias

Bikya Masr

7 July 2009

It is now one week since Marwa El Sherbini was knifed to death inside a Germany courtroom and Bikya Masr has followed the situation closely, breaking ths story in English early Friday morning and following that with a series of reports on the case as more details have come out. Unfortunately, the coverage has led to a number of attacks, in comment-form, by Europeans and Americans, who have argued that their continents’ respective coverage of the incident was “widely” reported and was not “biased.”

The question has to be answered: are they right? A Google News search on Tuesday evening showed that the reporting is sporadic at best, reaching its height on Monday, with the coverage of the “anti-Germany” demonstrations in Alexandria as the 32-year-old mother and wife was put to rest.

According to Web searches on Tuesday evening Egypt time, a total of 5 articles in English were published on Sherbini and two of those articles were from The Guardian. It appears that this is not the widespread coverage from the continent.

On Monday, scores of articles were printed that delved into the funeral procession in Alexandria. The vast majority of those articles highlighted the anti-German sentiments at the funeral and failed to delve into more serious issues such as the racism growing in Europe.

The coverage has proved Bikya Masr’s previous point that reporting on this heinous crime has been written about inside the prism that Muslims equal bad. It is an unfortunate truth that Western journalists must come to grips with. We spoke with a European journalist a few days ago who lamented this fact. Others echoed the sentiment that editors’ were simply not interested in the story until it became something the West could latch onto (read here: “the crazy Arabs at the funeral”).

What we have learned over the past week is that Europeans are quick to defend their leaders’ decision to ban an Islamic dress and fast to cover a demonstration where anti-European sentiments are shouted. But, the reality is that the vast majority of Egyptians and Arabs have no qualms with Germany or Europe, rather they seek a dialogue over how such a crime could be committed. The West has failed, once more, to deliver on its promise of freedom and equality. Their reporting reveals this dangerous attitude.

The fact that scores of reports were published on Monday after the funeral shows this reality. Why had their not been a concerted effort over the weekend to deliver up-to-date analysis of Egyptian sentiments? Why did editors in London or New York or Washington fail to see this as an opportunity to show the Arab and Muslim world that there was no bias. By reporting on what was unfolding in the hearts and minds of Arabs and Egyptians, the West could have won a victory over the naysayers. Instead they chose to show a small percentage of Egyptians at an emotional funeral as “crazy” people that have taken advantage of a horrible situation. This is as far from the truth as possible.

At least Arabs learned something in this fray: don’t rely on the West to develop the culture they so-often claim to be inherent in their societies. It is unfortunate that they failed to conduct themselves as professionals, instead they returned to the fear-mongering that has helped create a civlization that desperately desires a “clash of civlizations.”

BM

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