Tuesday, August 07, 2007

A picture tells a thousand words ...

Today I can honestly say that the News Limited media have done Muslims a huge favour. Both The Australian and Daily Telegraph have blown the cover on a rort involving the Islamic Council of NSW and its community housing program.

I guess the papers can't get it right all thee time. I found it rather disturning that the Daily Telegraph's website carried the headlines of "Muslim refugee housing scandal" and "Muslim refugee housing 'rort' probed".

The problem was that the illustration accompanying the article was the one to the left of this paragraph. I mean, what on earth does a woman wearing a face veil have to do with a housing scandal? Yes, it does involve Muslims. But how did women get involved? After all, the two people at the heart of the scandal are men, not women. Why bring the small minority of Muslim women who wear face veils into the picture? What have rthey got to do with the scandal?
I'm not sure who the online editor of the Tele is these days. The last fellow I spoke to some time ago when i did a blog for the tele was a decent sort of chap. But this kind of silly stereotyping should be left to Fleet Street.
And as usual, the comments are of the sort you'd expect at Tim Blair's blog (minus the threats of violence and swearing). Here's the first one ...
Another Left-Wing Labor failed Initiative. Why have an organization looking after Muslims only? Why not all Australians? Another racist left-wing pc effort gone wrong!
Yep, nothing like racists accusing their victims of racism! Welcome to tabloid land!!
© Irfan Yusuf 2007