Only jerks kneejerk
I WAS just about to get on a plane with my kids when the news of the Munich shooting brok broke so for the next few hou hours I got only snippets of wh what was going on. T The first report was that six pe people had been shot at a sh shopping mall, no more details. On social media, however, f facts are secondary. Already it had been decided that this was an Islamist terrorist attack and already abuse and hatred was being thrown at any and all Muslims. Flicking throught Twitter looking fo for information was like bathin bathing in bile. The full story of Munich is still unfolding.unfold As I write this, Police hav have confirmed the shooter, w who killed a total of nine peoplepeop and injured 20 more, is a German-Iranian teenager who they believe acted alone and whose motive is unclear. From t the outset, the German authorities were incredibly measured, urging people no not to post pictures of victims or events and not to leap to conclusions. If nothi nothing else, we need to learn this lesson in th these undeniably difficult times. Just as BrexiteersB warn against “talking ourselves i into recession” we are whipping ourselves i into a state of fear and loathing which may already be taking on a life of its own. Earlier in the week, the commentator Kelvin MacKenzieMa slammed Channel 4 News for sending one of its most able reporters, Fatima Manji to report from the scene ofo the Nice attack. He interpretedinter the decision as “one in the eye of the ordinary viewer who looks at the hijab as a sign of the slavery of Muslim women by a male dominated and clearly violent religion”.
No Kelvin, you do. You and all the others stoking this toxic cauldron of irrational hatred. Hijab- wearing Fatima Manji is patently a highly qualified woman pursuing a successful career.
Thank God some media professionals in this world can see beyond a bleeding headscarf.
But perhaps more to the point, so many of those killed and maimed in the attack in Nice were Muslims, just like Fatima Manji. In fact , one of the very first victims shared her name and her religion.
Fatima Charriri was a 62year- old, hijab- wearing, mother of s even and grandmother.
She was discovered ,fatally wounded, on the Promenade des Anglais by her husband and son.
Fatima leaves a large and loving extended family bereft at her loss.
Bereft and as uncomprehending as the vast majority of their faith and those of all faiths and none, that someone could commit such an atrocity. We await a clearer picture of what was the motivation for the shooting in Munich and the other alarming events of the week including the attempted abduction of an airman at RAF Marham in Norfolk.
It would be naive to deny that a radical and corrupt form of Islam, or a reaction to i t, does seem to be the common denominator.
But to start pointing the finger at all Muslims is as sensible as pointing out most rapists are men.
There is enough madness in the world, Kelvin, let’s not stir the pot for the sake of a headline.