Four Absurd and Dangerous Lies Fox News Told About Muslims This Week
January 16, 2015World
Fox News has reached new depths of paranoia and outright hate in its coverage of the aftermath of the Paris shootings. This week, it was the object of international satire and outrage following a string of lies told about Muslims and Europe. Here are four of the worst, most glaring examples:
- The English City Of Birmingham Bans Non-Muslims: Fox News brought on Islamophobia promoter Steve Emerson who proceeded to claim that the British city of Birmingham disallows non-Muslims from even entering the city. The city actually has over 800,000 non-Muslim residents. The ridiculous claim drew a rebuke from Prime Minister Cameron, who called Emerson an “idiot,” and spawned the hashtag #FoxNewsFacts, where users made up absurd lies and told them Fox News-style.
- Muslim Terrorism Is “Plaguing The Entire Planet”: Fox brought on an ex-Marine who called on the U.S. To “exterminate” the Muslim extremist “scum” that is “plaguing the entire planet.” The reality is that only 0.7% of terrorist attacks in Europe between 2006 and 2013 were committed by Muslim terrorists.
- Muslims Are Taking Over Parts Of France, Turning Them Into “No-Go Zones”: Fox hosts showed their audience a map of supposed territories in France that Muslims have conquered and stopped others from entering. A French satirical television show sent reporters to some of these zones to mock the claim.
- Muslims Have Conquered Parts Of America, Too: Based on material from the fringe Clarion Project, Fox ran a segment on “Muslim enclaves” spreading around the United States and are serving as training grounds for Muslim militias plotting on taking over. One of the enclaves Clarion says is a no-go zone is the city of Dearborn, Michigan. Here's a list of bars in this supposed Muslim-conquered territory.
Yes, many of these lies are absolutely hilarious. But Fox has millions of viewers, and sadly if they believe these lies, they could end up being very dangerous.
