From Jihad Watch:
Nigeria: Charred bodies line road as Muslims rampage after Muslim candidate loses election
Note how AP never identifies the perpetrators who are rioting, burning people to death, and torching churches. It is obvious since the outrage all stems from the Muslim candidate losing the election, but AP doesn't dare state the obvious. The only time it identifies anyone who does any of the actions in this story is when it can cast Islam in a favorable light: "An armed mob at a bus station also threated another evangelical pastor before a Muslim man nearby spirited him to safety." This is typical mainstream media coverage: Muslims can never be identified as such when they are doing evil in the name of Islam or because of their self-identification as Muslims; their Muslim identity may only be mentioned when they're doing something good or playing the role of victim.
The problem with this, besides the obvious bad faith, is that it misleads the public about the nature of the global jihad and Islamic supremacism. The consequent ignorance leads to complacency and misdiagnosis of the problem, resulting in numerous policy mistakes that only embolden the Islamic supremacists further.
An update on this story. "Charred bodies line road to Nigeria town after riots sweep region after presidential vote," from the Associated Press, April 19 (thanks to Twostellas):
KADUNA, Nigeria — Smoke rose above this city in Nigeria’s Muslim north where rioting broke out again Tuesday after opposition protesters in the region set fire to churches and homes when official results from the national election showed that the Christian incumbent had won the vote.
On the outskirts of Kaduna, burned out minibuses and cars lined the roads, and at least six burned corpses could be seen. Some of the victims also bore machete wounds. Skull caps and sandals were strewn nearby, left behind by those who frantically fled amid the chaos.
Authorities and aid groups have hesitated to release tolls following the riots for fear of inciting reprisal attacks, but the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed there had been fatalties [sic]. The Nigerian Red Cross said Tuesday that nearly 400 people had been wounded....
Supporters of opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari set fire to homes of ruling party members in several areas across the north. Police said an angry mob also engineered a prison break.
In the northern town of Kano, Rev. Lado Abdu said three churches had been set ablaze by angry demonstrators. An armed mob at a bus station also threated another evangelical pastor before a Muslim man nearby spirited him to safety.
“What brought together religion and politics?” Rev. Habila Sunday said in the local Hausa language. “I want to know why when politics happen do they burn churches?”...
While Christians and Muslims have shared the same soil in the nation for centuries, the election result showing the Christian president’s more than 10 million vote lead over Muslim candidate Muhammadu Buhari spread accusations of rigging in a nation long accustomed to ballot box stuffing.
Jonathan took office last year only after the country’s elected Muslim president died from a lengthy illness before his term ended, and many in the north still believe the ruling party should have put up a Muslim candidate instead in this year’s election. Monday’s violence also was fueled by the economic despair in Nigeria’s arid north....
Posted by Robert on April 19, 2011 6:23 AM
Nigeria: Charred bodies line road as Muslims rampage after Muslim candidate loses election
Note how AP never identifies the perpetrators who are rioting, burning people to death, and torching churches. It is obvious since the outrage all stems from the Muslim candidate losing the election, but AP doesn't dare state the obvious. The only time it identifies anyone who does any of the actions in this story is when it can cast Islam in a favorable light: "An armed mob at a bus station also threated another evangelical pastor before a Muslim man nearby spirited him to safety." This is typical mainstream media coverage: Muslims can never be identified as such when they are doing evil in the name of Islam or because of their self-identification as Muslims; their Muslim identity may only be mentioned when they're doing something good or playing the role of victim.
The problem with this, besides the obvious bad faith, is that it misleads the public about the nature of the global jihad and Islamic supremacism. The consequent ignorance leads to complacency and misdiagnosis of the problem, resulting in numerous policy mistakes that only embolden the Islamic supremacists further.
An update on this story. "Charred bodies line road to Nigeria town after riots sweep region after presidential vote," from the Associated Press, April 19 (thanks to Twostellas):
KADUNA, Nigeria — Smoke rose above this city in Nigeria’s Muslim north where rioting broke out again Tuesday after opposition protesters in the region set fire to churches and homes when official results from the national election showed that the Christian incumbent had won the vote.
On the outskirts of Kaduna, burned out minibuses and cars lined the roads, and at least six burned corpses could be seen. Some of the victims also bore machete wounds. Skull caps and sandals were strewn nearby, left behind by those who frantically fled amid the chaos.
Authorities and aid groups have hesitated to release tolls following the riots for fear of inciting reprisal attacks, but the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed there had been fatalties [sic]. The Nigerian Red Cross said Tuesday that nearly 400 people had been wounded....
Supporters of opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari set fire to homes of ruling party members in several areas across the north. Police said an angry mob also engineered a prison break.
In the northern town of Kano, Rev. Lado Abdu said three churches had been set ablaze by angry demonstrators. An armed mob at a bus station also threated another evangelical pastor before a Muslim man nearby spirited him to safety.
“What brought together religion and politics?” Rev. Habila Sunday said in the local Hausa language. “I want to know why when politics happen do they burn churches?”...
While Christians and Muslims have shared the same soil in the nation for centuries, the election result showing the Christian president’s more than 10 million vote lead over Muslim candidate Muhammadu Buhari spread accusations of rigging in a nation long accustomed to ballot box stuffing.
Jonathan took office last year only after the country’s elected Muslim president died from a lengthy illness before his term ended, and many in the north still believe the ruling party should have put up a Muslim candidate instead in this year’s election. Monday’s violence also was fueled by the economic despair in Nigeria’s arid north....
Posted by Robert on April 19, 2011 6:23 AM
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