UK Think Tank Accuses Muslim Council of Undermining Press Freedom

[Social Media]

 

Think Tank Accuses Muslim Council of Undermining Press Freedom

 

A new report has accused the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) of acting in “bad faith” by attempting to stifle legitimate reporting on Islamist terrorism, claiming such efforts risk curbing press freedom in the UK.

 

The report, published by the think tank and educational charity Policy Exchange, focuses on the activities of the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM), an arm of the MCB. It alleges that the CfMM has pressured journalists and media producers to adopt a one-sided portrayal of Islam while misrepresenting the nature of factual coverage.

 

Despite claiming to address misreporting, the CfMM has reportedly uncovered only “a tiny number” of genuinely false and harmful stories since its inception seven years ago, according to the 94-page study. The report suggests that much of the CfMM’s work is rooted in ideology rather than journalistic standards.

 

While the CfMM has not issued a formal rebuttal to the report, it has expressed concern over its findings. A representative stated that the organisation “engages constructively” with media companies and regulatory bodies. It also confirmed it had shared its internal style guide with the BBC and participated in discussions with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), including calls for stricter guidelines on the reporting of Muslims.

 

However, the report challenges the CfMM’s influence on media practices. Journalist and Times Radio presenter Andrew Neil endorsed the report’s conclusions, arguing that the CfMM mischaracterises the British media. “This Policy Exchange report forensically demonstrates that CfMM, its evidence and its conclusions are badly flawed,” Neil said. “It shows how CfMM has a purpose far wider than the correction of supposed factual errors. It seeks to enforce a tendentious view of Islam and sometimes seeking to suppress truthful, factual reporting which happens to contradict that view.

 

The increasing role played by self-appointed, unrepresentative and often rather small activist groups in shaping public debate has been examined too little.”

 

Andrew Gilligan and Damon Perry, authors of the Policy Exchange report, criticised the CfMM for what they see as overstating the scale of bias in the media. The CfMM has claimed that nearly 10 per cent of the 55,000 articles it monitored misrepresented Muslims and that around 60 per cent of stories about Islam are negative. But the authors argue these claims distort the reality of media coverage and conflate critical reporting with prejudice.

 

The report cites instances where media outlets were attacked for referring to individuals such as Mohammed Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John, as a “terrorist,” or Khalid Masood, the Westminster attacker, as an “Islamic extremist.” According to Gilligan and Perry, such pressure frames accurate descriptions of terrorism as Islamophobic.

 

The report also questioned the CfMM’s lobbying efforts around fictional media portrayals. It described efforts to influence drama content that features Muslim characters who are gay or reject traditional dress like the hijab, suggesting this signals a wider intent to police cultural narratives.

“This report provides all who need it with the evidence that the Centre for Media Monitoring is a bad-faith actor. It should not be engaged with or taken at face value by journalists, regulators or anyone else,” Gilligan and Perry concluded.

 

The MCB has long been viewed with suspicion by UK authorities. In 2009, the Labour Party suspended formal ties with the group after one of its leaders was alleged to have supported violence against Israel, an accusation the MCB denied. More recently, a 2023 review of the government’s Prevent counterextremism programme by Sir William Shawcross reaffirmed the official policy of non-engagement with the MCB, citing “unresolved extremism concerns.”

 

The CfMM has been contacted for comment.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times  2025-07-09

 

 

[Purdey]

Just get them into a debate with Richard Dawson on live television and watch their apoplectic faces.

[jippytum]

it is outragious Muslims should have any control of media output in the UK. 

Over 600 mosques and Sharia courts are allowed by the woke authorities in the UK. 

With the swell of Muslim illegal entries

by Muslim males the UK should do more to curtail the growing domination of the Musilm religion in all areas of British life. 

 

[mogandave]

They are just doing the jobs lazy Brits refuse to do. 

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

It’s certainly true that British news on important issues does get stifled by religious/ethnic groups.

 

 

[Emdog]

"..Khalid Masood, the Westminster attacker, as an “Islamic extremist.” According to Gilligan and Perry, such pressure frames accurate descriptions of terrorism as Islamophobic."

He is not an "Islamic extremist"; better would be to classify as "Islamic fundamentalist", getting his authority to attack directly from the Koran. Read it some time. I have.

Also, a phobia is an irrational fear. Maybe anxiety would be a better fit, but the fact does remain that the attacks, the terror, are based on religious teachings enslave or kill infidels. 
 

[jippytum]

19 minutes ago, mogandave said:

They are just doing the jobs lazy Brits refuse to do. 

 

 

yes like grooming  school children and assaulting our policewoman

 

22 minutes ago, mogandave said:

They are just doing the jobs lazy Brits refuse to do. 

 

 

 

[proton]

12 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s certainly true that British news on important issues does get stifled by religious/ethnic groups.

 

 

 

Chomper beginning to see the light 😆 Where Islam takes over there is NO freedom, it's Allah's and the sick Prophets way only.

[Chomper Higgot]

Just now, proton said:

 

Chomper beginning to see the light 😆 Where Islam takes over there is NO freedom, it's Allah's and the sick Prophets way only.

I wasn’t referring to any one particular religious group.

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I wasn’t referring to any one particular religious group.

Yet this topic is about one particular religious group. Muslims and their attempt at underming press freedom

[The Cyclist]

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

the Muslim Council of Britain

 

The name above is a telling you what you need to know.

 

Otherwise it would be called ' The Council of British Muslims "

[angryguy]

Any news from here on out having to do with muslims can be assumed to be the UK. Shameful what they have done

[proton]

9 minutes ago, The Cyclist said:

 

The name above is a telling you what you need to know.

 

Otherwise it would be called ' The Council of British Muslims "

 

They have been desperate to get criticism of thier nasty ideology classed as racist to make it illegal. Here is what they say on the website, now they want to make so called Islamophobia  crime for the same reason

 

'Islamophobia refers to prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed at Muslims or those perceived as Muslim. It’s rooted in racism

 

This is a lie, opposition to Islam has no connection to race.

[spidermike007]

Sharia and any organization or group that supports Sharia must be stopped. And no rights whatsoever should be accorded to these organizations. The imposition of Sharia law is simply a way for those men, with little to no self esteem, to keep the women as repressed as possible. Nothing religious about anything in their game. It is all a big show. A rather heinous one, at that. 

 

This is 13th century, puerile, nasty, uncivilized, fake puritan nonsense. There is alot of confusion within the Muslim religion, and Sharia law, with regard to sex, fun, singing, dancing and joy in general. Very outdated and fairly ridiculous concepts, in this day and age. Let us be thankful we are not subject to such nonsense. 

 

Something must be done to keep out the extremist super freaks. Their religion may work for them in Saudi, Kuwait, Yemen, Sudan or Somalia. That same ultra conservative fanatislcism, is not wanted, needed, nor desirable in Western nations. Only moderates need apply should be the policy. And there should be a standard of willingness to assimilate, and the burden should be on the family to prove the burden is met.

 

I believe immigration policy should be reformed to the point where it should be staged, and all Muslim families should show a willingness to assimilate. I also believe that families with Muslim daughters who are teenagers can start by proving that they have participated in a bikini contest, and for teenage boys they must show a burden of proof that they're not affiliated with any of the local madrasas. 

 

Are we serious about keeping our nation's safe from extremists, or not? 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

Just now, spidermike007 said:

Sharia and any organization or group that supports Sharia must be stopped. And no rights whatsoever should be accorded to these organizations. The imposition of Sharia law is simply a way for those men, with little to no self esteem, to keep the women as repressed as possible. Nothing religious about anything in their game. It is all a big show. A rather heinous one, at that. 

 

This is 13th century, puerile, nasty, uncivilized, fake puritan nonsense. There is alot of confusion within the Muslim religion, and Sharia law, with regard to sex, fun, singing, dancing and joy in general. Very outdated and fairly ridiculous concepts, in this day and age. Let us be thankful we are not subject to such nonsense. 

 

Something must be done to keep out the extremist super freaks. Their religion may work for them in Saudi, Kuwait, Yemen, Sudan or Somalia. That same ultra conservative fanatislcism, is not wanted, needed, nor desirable in Western nations. Only moderates need apply should be the policy. And there should be a standard of willingness to assimilate, and the burden should be on the family to prove the burden is met.

 

I believe immigration policy should be reformed to the point where it should be staged, and all Muslim families should show a willingness to assimilate. I also believe that families with Muslim daughters who are teenagers can start by proving that they have participated in a bikini contest, and for teenage boys they must show a burden of proof that they're not affiliated with any of the local madrasas. 

 

Are we serious about keeping our nation's safe from extremists, or not? 

 

Sharia law has no legal standing in the UK.

[The Cyclist]

Is this really what their website says ?
 

10 minutes ago, proton said:

Islamophobia refers to prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed at Muslims or those perceived as Muslim. It’s rooted in racism

 

Thickos

 

Phobia = An irrational fear

 

And there is nothing irrational about fearing Radical Islam or Radical Muslims.

 

I debunked the racism aspect yesterday. Islam is not, and never has been, a race.

[proton]

30 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Sharia law has no legal standing in the UK.

 

Nor has raping schoolgirls, polygamy, FGM and forced marriage, that does not stop them. Islam only recognises sharia law, not dhimmi laws.

[JonnyF]

28 minutes ago, The Cyclist said:

I debunked the racism aspect yesterday. Islam is not, and never has been, a race.

 

Correct.

 

But they haven't got their blasphemy laws through just yet (well, not in an official capacity anyway) so until that happens, which it will, they will try to redefine criticism of Islam as racism. 

[steve187]

2 hours ago, mogandave said:

They are just doing the jobs lazy Brits refuse to do. 

 

 

who are 

[lavender19]

[mogandave]

29 minutes ago, steve187 said:

who are 

Immigrants. And it’s a well known fact that Muslim immigrants commit far fewer crimes than white Brits. 

[retayl]

1 hour ago, mogandave said:

Immigrants. And it’s a well known fact that Muslim immigrants commit far fewer crimes than white Brits. 

A fact only known in your Brit bashing brain. Muslims represent 6.5% of the population yet 18.1% of the prison population. 

[proton]

2 hours ago, mogandave said:

Immigrants. And it’s a well known fact that Muslim immigrants commit far fewer crimes than white Brits. 

 

Really? the prisons are full of muslims

[DezLez]

20 minutes ago, retayl said:

A fact only known in your Brit bashing brain. Muslims represent 6.5% of the population yet 18.1% of the prison population. 

Do the figures breakdown to show how many of the Muslims were 1st/2nd generation UK born or 1st gen Immigrants?

[proton]

22 minutes ago, retayl said:

A fact only known in your Brit bashing brain. Muslims represent 6.5% of the population yet 18.1% of the prison population. 

 

If you discount the women and kids thats about 3% muslim males of the population making up over 18% of the prison inmates, a lot more should have been convicted of course!

[proton]

1 minute ago, DezLez said:

Do the figures breakdown to show how many of the Muslims were 1st/2nd generation UK born or 1st gen Immigrants?

 

Irrelevant they are Muslims first born in the UK or not

[peter zwart]

Isn't that something that pretty much every mainstream media outlet has done in recent years? And as for this specific topic, that's what you get when you let tumors grow.

[jayboy]

5 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I wasn’t referring to any one particular religious group.

 

You were slyly referring to Jews though you didn't dare say so. Don't patronize us.

 

As the late and much missed Norm MacDonald pointed out,  “What terrifies me is if Islamic extremists were to detonate a nuclear device and kill 50 million Americans. Imagine the backlash against peaceful Muslims!”

[DezLez]

3 hours ago, mogandave said:

Immigrants. And it’s a well known fact that Muslim immigrants commit far fewer crimes than white Brits. 

 

50 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Irrelevant they are Muslims first born in the UK or not

I believe that it is relevant as @mogandave has made reference to the difference without facts/links!

[Sir Dude]

Islam and Islamic influence should be cut out of western culture because of the incompatibilty of it and the danger it pose to all, as it is diametrically opposed to all our values and holds nothing but contempt for us. Don't like it or our culture? Then you know where the airports are, and there are plenty of ways to get to the Middle East etc. where you'll be happier... good riddance.