Rant over reporter’s headscarf fuels spite

Shelina Zahra Janmohamed reflects on reaction in the UK to the way a Muslim broadcaster dresses on camera

Former Sun newspaper editor Kelvin MacKenzie. Paul Hackett / Reuters

On Monday morning, British journalist Fatima Manji was most likely quietly preparing herself for the week ahead, just like the rest of us. Manji is an award-winning reporter and the first Muslim woman on British television screens to wear a headscarf. Recently she started anchoring Channel 4 News, and on the previous Friday she had been the studio anchor as the show covered the horrific events in Nice.

She was probably not expecting to wake up to one of Britain’s biggest newspapers carrying a full-page opinion piece with the huge headline: “Why did C4 have a presenter in a hijab to front coverage of Muslim terror attack?”

Of course, sensible people like you and me would answer: because she is a talented journalist doing her job. And her headscarf and Muslim faith have nothing to do with her ability to report in a fair, balanced and informative way.

The greatest irony is that the article called Muslim women “helpless slaves”, yet here was a high-profile Muslim woman busy expressing herself every day. Her news coverage has included consumer stories about the bank NatWest and Apple computers, as well as headlines about cancer, care homes and drugs. On this occasion, she covered terror.

The entire response was a triumvirate of hate from what could be the Devil himself: racist, Islamophobic and misogynist. It was the roar of privilege being deployed to squash difference and reject equality and respect.

The author of the piece is no stranger to demonising people in the pursuit of creating hatred. Kelvin MacKenzie, who wrote the piece for The Sun, was once its editor. Most infamously, he got it wrong about the cause of the 96 deaths of Liverpool Football Club supporters at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield in 1989, blaming the fans themselves and accusing them of disgusting acts. The story was headlined "The TRUTH".

This year, an inquest exonerated the fans and found that there was gross negligence on the part of the police.

At a time of rising hatred against Muslims and other minorities, and as work to improve women’s fair participation in public life continues, comments such as those made by MacKenzie about Manji can stir the pot of hatred. What we should be saying is: isn’t it brilliant that we have a young Muslim Asian woman covering one of the biggest news stories of the day?

We’ve come a long way since a time when people of colour were considered to be of reduced intellect. We’ve made huge strides from an era when women were considered emotional, fainting flowers who couldn’t possibly cover the news.

But it seems that we have not come far enough. And furthermore, the idea that a Muslim does not find terror attacks abhorrent is itself disgusting and prejudiced. What is heartening is the response that poured out in support of Manji – both though complaints to the regulators and in terms of solidarity. But MacKenzie’s column also gathered support.

In a climate of hatred, this sort of public pronouncement has an effect on public discourse. It does the dirty work for ISIL. On the other hand, Manji is the exact counter to the narrative of ISIL. And even more than that, she is the voice of the modern world. I stand with her.

Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf