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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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1st May 2003

PRESS RELEASE: Media Islamophobia in the Wake of Recent Tel-Aviv Bombing

IHRC is concerned at recent media hype and resultant Islamophobia that surrounds the possible involvement of two British Muslims in Wednesday’s Tel Aviv bombing. The British Muslim community is being portrayed as a nexus of Islamist terror.

IHRC condemns the killing of all non-combatant civilians and at the same time calls for consistency in the coverage and condemnation of civilian killings on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

IHRC also draws attention to the Israeli Army recruitment office in London. Clearly holders of British citizenship are actively serving in the Israeli army and its illegal occupation of (Palestinian) Territories. This raises the prospect of their potential involvement in atrocities, including yesterday’s Israeli army raid on Gaza, which killed eight Palestinians, including a two-year-old child and 13-year-old boy.

IHRC is disheartened by the failure of the UK government and media to question and condemn the participation of UK and US citizens of Jewish descent in the Israeli army, its war crimes and numerous violations of UN resolutions. IHRC points out that Amnesty International has condemned the actions of the Israeli army as constituting war crimes. IHRC feels that this failure to question effectively awards complicit consent to such behaviour and displays double standards.

The British Muslim community has once more been called upon to condemn and explain the actions of the alleged bombers. IHRC notes that none of the leaders or members of the British Zionist community have been called on to explain the presence of British citizens in the Israeli army. It appears that British Muslims are expected to adhere to a different code of conduct than their fellow citizens.

For further information please contact the Press Officer on (+44) 20 8902 0888 or (+44) 7958 522 196, email: info@ihrc.org.

Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8902 0888
Fax (+44) 20 8902 0889
Email info@ihrc.org
Web www.ihrc.org