Islamophobia

Our analysis shows that almost two-thirds of articles paint Muslims in a negative light.

Miqdaad Versi is the founder of the Muslim Council of Britain’s Centre for Media Monitoring

‘Muslims have been compelled to take libel action against newspapers and have won.’ Photograph: Terry Harris/Alamy

Last week, the Labour MP Naz Shah observed that “Islamophobia has now passed the ‘mainstream media test’”. The report published this week by the Muslim Council of Britain’s Centre for Media Monitoring shows that she’s right.

Consider some of the most egregious cases cited in the report. There was the Times, Telegraph, MailOnline and Express libelling a Scout group leader, Ahammed Hussain, in 2019, using a laundry list of anti-Muslim tropes; these included “allegations about using the Scout group to promote extremism, segregation of children, extensive links to antisemitic groups, and inviting banned preachers to the Mosque”. 

Or take the Mail on Sunday, which called council worker Waj Iqbal “a fixer” for paedophile taxi drivers in Rochdale. As he put it, his whole world crumbled, he lost his job, his “marriage ended and [he] couldn’t see [his] kids”. The impact of this kind of reporting cannot be overstated. While nothing can repair the harm caused, in both cases, the publishers had to pay very substantial libel damages and print apologies.

Many other similar examples published in the report show how Muslims have been compelled to take libel action against newspapers, and have won. If one considers the hundreds of thousands of pounds paid to settle these claims, what does this tell us about the price they are willing to pay to misrepresent Muslims?  READ MORE...

Ancient Fishing

Ancient fishing is one of the hardest human activities to study. Since many of the materials used, such as plant fibres and wood, are perishable, much of the physical evidence has been lost to time. However, one of the largest ever collections of early fishing technology has given researchers an unparalleled insight into the ancient techniques used.

The team, led by Antonella Pedergnana of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Archaeological research institute in Germany, studied 19 bone fish hooks and six grooved stones.These were found in the Jordan River Dureijay (JRD) in the Hula Valley, northern Israel.

Researchers believe that the grooved stones were used as weights for the rods.  The groundbreaking research study was explored in BBC Science Focus magazine.

Archaeology: Researchers found the ancient fishing tools in Hula Lake, Israel 

(Image: GETTY/BBC Science Focus )

Ancient humans: Humans have fished for thousands of years (Image: GETTY)


Here, Professor Gonen Sharon of Tel Hai College, Israel, told the publication: "The hooks are amazingly similar to modern hooks – in size, in features (like barbs) and in dexterity of making.

"Moreover, the hooks present features that are rarely found in modern-day hooks – for example, an outer lower barb aiming to function as a ‘point of no return’ to prevent the fish from escaping the hook."The sophisticated methods are believed to have risen during a seismic shift in human history.  READ MORE...