Media / Media Bias
"of Pakistani descent"
by Arthur Weinreb, Associate Editor,
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Within a week of the terrorist attacks on July 7, police were able to identify the four men who set off bombs on a London bus and in the tube. Security videos showed the four young men entering the London transit system together before going their separate ways. Although there has been no absolute proof that they were the terrorists who were responsible for the worst attack on the city since World War II, all four men were killed in blasts at different locations. The odds that four people could enter the system together, separate and then all be killed at separate locations is astronomical unless they were in fact responsible for the carnage.
Three of the four had ties to Pakistan. Two of the three had been born in the U.K. while the third had come to England with his family at a young age. The fourth was a British citizen who was born in Jamaica.
The media has consistently described the first three men who were identified as being Britons of Pakistani origin or descent. A Lexis Nexis search for July 13 and 14 shows 163 hits for the phrase "Pakistani descent". A search of the phrase "Pakistani origin" reveals 231 hits during the same time period.
No one believes that these four young men acted alone or were the masterminds of the attack. The investigation is continuing and links to Pakistan, including recent visits made by any or all of the terrorists is being examined.
After the investigation broadens it may come to light that there is a strong connection between the 7/7 attacks on the London transit system and Pakistan. But notwithstanding that fact, it is surprising to see the media, including the overly politically correct newspapers and networks, continually describe the terrorists as being of Pakistani descent or origin. In the absence of any recent connection between Pakistan and any of the participants what can be the possible relevance of the particular country that their parents happened to come from? You can imagine what would happen in Canada if a black drug dealer, born in this country, was further described as being "of Jamaican descent". All hell would break loose.
If the media feels the necessity of providing a further description of the suspects, their religious affiliations should be specified instead of which country their parents came to the U.K. from. The fact that they were Muslims is of course the most important factor as to why they decided to carry out those acts. The country of origin of their families is irrelevant.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what motivates the media in the way they decide to report certain people and events.
Arthur Weinreb is an author, columnist and Associate Editor of Canada Free Press. His work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Men's News Daily, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck and The Rant. Arthur can be reached at: letters@canadafreepress.com
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