Misinformation and Malice: The art of demonising Islam

Whilst the UK government currently lacks a formal definition for the term ‘Islamophobia’, the Oxford English dictionary defines it as the ‘intense dislike or fear of Islam […]; hostility or prejudice towards Muslims.’ Previously, Islamophobia hinged upon pseudo-intellectual arguments to smear the public’s perceptions of Islam. Verses from the Quran and Prophetic ahadith were consistently decontextualised and misconstrued in order to demonstrate that the religion was one that not just instructed violence, but required it: as had been carried out by deviant groups such as the likes of ISIS and Al-Qaeda. As pathetic and pitiful as these attempts were, they seem borderline honourable when compared with recent tactics from the far-right. It is evident that they have abandoned the slight intellectual prowess that they once attempted to express, in exchange for far more malicious means – utter fabrications.

Recent memory retells the harrowing incident of the Southport stabbings which occurred on the 29th of July last year. Perpetrated by Welsh citizen, Axel Rudakubana, three girls were killed, with ten more left injured. It suffices to say that the nation was left utterly shocked andstunned by the tragedy that occurred. The then 17-year-old had his identity protected, due to his legal status as a minor. However, the absence of definitive information created a vacuum in which misinformation thrived.

In the subsequent aftermath, rumours began to circulate, namely on the social media platform, X. An account, which was followed by Andrew Tate, under the handle ‘European Invasion’ echoed the idea that the perpetrator was an illegal Muslim immigrant. Tate – himself – parroted this sentiment by recklessly affirming that it was indeed an illegal immigrant who committed this heinous crimes. All the while, an account with roughly 60,000 followers – run by Bernadette Spofforth - claimed that the name of the murderer was ‘Ali Al-Shakati’. This was a completely baseless claim, yet still its impact was to be devastating, whipping up a storm of unrest, which quickly spread across the UK.

Southport Mosque and its attendees were quickly scapegoated for the attack, and retribution was brutally unforgiving. Strangely though, their chants, attacks and insults, were not aimed at the alleged attacker, rather they were aimed at God and his Messenger ﷺ. The reaction may have been ignited by the baseless claims which flooded their feeds, but it is clear that the target was Islam, not the alleged murderer. As it unfolded, the real perpetrator was not, of course, motivated by any Islamic teachings, nor was he even a Muslim. And yet, as I’m sure most of us can remember, the disorder did not stop at Southport.

Posts can be deleted, as they were, but the irreparable damage to people’s perceptions of Islam remain. And indeed, the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to Al-Fajur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar.’ [Sahih Bukhari 6094]

Another devastating attack was the mass murder at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany on the 25th of December, last year. The assailant rammed a car through the bustling market, killing six and injuring roughly 300. His name was Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, and he has resided in Germany since he was granted asylum on human rights grounds. The 50-year-old psychiatrist fled from his country, Saudi Arabia, after being accused of rape – a fact which has been seldom mentioned. After reaching Germany in 2006, he declared himself as an ex-Muslim. For almost two decades, he pedalled his anti-Islamic beliefs and aligned himself with the German far-right political party, Alternative for Germany. Furthermore, he created a website aimed at helping other ex-Muslims flee from Gulf countries in the Middle East. His disdain for Islam was clear and undeniable, however, his website, and numerous social media posts, make it explicitly clear that he harboured similar feelings towards Germany. Yet still, Elon Musk, who at the time of the attack boasted 208 million followers on X, made the claim that ‘the atheist angle was a scam to avoid extradition.’ The dumbfoundedly absurd insinuation made seems to be that Abdulmohsen – for almost 20 years – dedicated his life to slandering and slating Islam, Muslims, and the Arab countries in the Gulf, as a cover. Put simply, Musk, without a shred of evidence provided, claimed that the assailant was a Muslim. Doubling down, he reshared a post from an Iranian/German music producer, Maral Salmassi, who asserted the claim that Abdulmohsen’s apostasy was merely a façade. Of course, the only evidence she needed to – or more accurately, was able to - provide in order to substantiate this claim was his Arabic name. The mental gymnastics performed in order to present Muslims in a negative light is jarringly preposterous. 

Mental gymnastics is a recurring theme for the far-right. They continue to go to outlandish lengths to portray Islam as a religion which is conducive to immoral deeds. In response to the vile and egregious grooming gangs, the topic of which warrants its own separate article, Tate claimed that ‘there is an Islamic crime problem.’ This sentiment was endorsed by Musk, who at the time had posted/reposted a barrage of content pertaining to the topic.

But were the grooming gangs a product of an ‘Islamic crime problem?’ In short, logic would dictate: no, they weren’t. To attribute the reprehensible actions of a few to the teachings of a religion would require one to demonstrate where Islam endorses, or even permits, such actions. But of course, this is not possible. Intoxicating women (haram), luring them (haram), engaging in fornication with them (haram), whilst they’re under the age of legal consent ofthe country – haram! Every aspect of these crimes is haram, un-Islamic and antithetical to Islamic teachings. Despite this, there is an insistence from far-right figures to leverage these abhorrent actions taint the image of Islam. False and inaccurate as they are, these allegations have the propensity to leave a lasting impression on their audiences. This is why Allah stresses the importance of confirming information before spreading it.

Allah says in the Quran,

‘O believers, if an evildoer brings you any news, verify it so you do not harm people unknowingly, becoming regretful for what you have done.’ [49:6]

To end off, it is important to remind ourselves that although certain individuals may seek to portray Islam in a way that fits their agenda, it is incumbent that all Muslims endeavour to display the inherent beauty, purity and innumerable virtues of our religion. Perhaps the most effective way of doing this is to perfect our own character, for indeed the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Verily, gentleness is not found in anything but that it beautifies it, and it is not removed from anything but that it disgraces it.’ [Sahih Muslim 2594]