Open Letter to Sky News (another reason to shoot your T.V.)
Dear Sir,
Today on your morning news programme you featured a story by Home Affairs Correspondent Mark White titled "The Path to Terror" describing how a young man "Amar" has found that the only support available to him is that of extremist Muslim groups. The report itself was scant, noting only that "Amar" has a history with depression, drug and alcohol abuse, is currently homeless and has received little support in terms of housing or medical programs from his local Council in Waltham Forest. While "Amar" stated that he knows some of the men accused in last year's attempted airliner bomb plot and that he has been approached by extremists groups, nothing more was said. For a story that claims to be an insight into the process of recruitment of British men into home-grown terrorist organizations and cells, you clearly forgot to include any information about what assurances a man like "Amar" would receive by joining. On your web page Mr. White states, "He said he is no radical, but his radical brothers are offering him the hand of friendship, while others have turned their backs on him." There are no follow-up questions to the sort of aid and friendship that have been offered to "Amar, " no information as to whether or not extremist groups are also operating a social agenda like Hezbulla and Hamas, thereby suppyling people with services that, in theory, are provided by the government. There was also no time devoted to asking whether or not "Amar" would approve of taking his own life at the expense of others. The report noted his past suicide attempts but linked this to depression and not any larger sort of issue such as dissatisfaction with Britain's foreign and domestics policies, or a larger disgust with any perceived "excesses of Western society." In short, the report was woefully inadequate and, frankly, repeated the stereotype of the "disaffected youth."
Immediately following this report your News Presenter Emma Crosby began to ask Radical Cleric Anjem Choudary whether or not something should be done about the fact that extremist Islamic groups are preying on disaffected youths. For his part, Mr. Choudary noted that the relationship between extremist groups and their members is not as simple as the one ascribed to "Amar" and took care to say that while a lack of social welfare services may be the reason for some to join, for the majority it comes down to politics and foreign affairs. Ms. Crosby then said (and I paraphrase) "We could be here going around for hours and hours on the issue of politics. I don't want to discuss that." Having said this, the dialogue between the two became incresingly curt, finally ending with Ms. Crosby cutting off Mr. Choudary's videolink mid-sentence. Not only was I appalled at Ms. Crobsy's lack of professionalism during a live broadcast but I was incensed that she herself was missing a key ingredient to this highly sensitive and extremely important issue. Only a fool would deny any link between politics and religion, especially in the form of religious terrorism in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The main reason why extremist groups are gaining recruits is not because their recrutees are "poor, disaffected young men"--if anything, the majority are increasingly well-educated and middle class--but because globally Muslims are upset about Great Britain and the United States foreign policy to Islamic countries. At the forefront lie some of the most diplomatically challenging issues, namely the War on Terror, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the ever-worsening situation of Palestine; to deny or ignore the fact that they do not inspire the followers of the 2nd largest faith in the world to take action, be it violent or otherwise, is what is causing the "gulf" between the constructed archetypes of "East" and "West." Indeed, the link between politics and religion is not a new one for the UK but even Ms. Crosby forgot to mention that Britain's domestic policy towards Northern Ireland lay at the heart of the Troubles and suicide bombings of the 1980s and 90s just as much as any notion of "Catholic" and "Protestent."
The shallowness and callowness of your organization's reporting today made me immensely upset. If Britain is turly going to "deal" with the issue of extremism, it must digest and understand the complex reasons behind it as well as being prepared to offer an insightful critique of this issue. You are not in the business of ignoring situations; as such, you cannot pick and choose an angle for the purpose of your agenda, whatever it may be. What I witnessed today was an outright lack of objectivity and journalistic responsibility. No wonder some British Muslims are angry and disillusioned with the depiction of Islam and Muslim culture within the media.
Regards,
--A.L. Castonguay