GREEK PARTNER COMPLAINS TO NEW SITE ABOUT ARTICLES CONTAINING ISLAMOPHOBIC MISINFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH FAR-RIGHT CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
Anti-muslim articles by Andreas Andrianopoulos are very frequently posted on In.gr
Our partner organisation Karpos wrote to In.gr, complaining about their lack of attention to unverified information surrounding allegations of Islam threatening European culture and way of life including instances of hate speech. In particular they highlight the articles of Mr. Andrianopoulos who claims Islam is inherently violent and a threat to European population with its ongoing expansion. Such articles are often associated with far-right and racist conspiracy theories which can translate into violent and abusive behaviour.
Karpos calls for In.gr to provide fact-checking and unbiased, balanced reporting in response to such articles to prevent the spread of Islamophobic views.
Karpos sent an email of complaint to the editor-in-chief of In.gr:
“Dear Sirs,
For the second consecutive month (July 2020) we observe that your news page informs readers about anti-Muslim views without hosting articles that contradict the unsubstantiated arguments about the alleged threat to European culture and way of life from the followers of the Muslim faith.
We write to you to express our dissatisfaction, as we consider your site a reliable information hub. The Karpos team is involved in a program (Get The Trolls Out, led by the Media Diversity Institute) to detect hate speech in the media associated to religion, and we have already identified a relatively extensive display of intolerant views on your page.
Specifically, we refer to the articles of Mr. Andrianopoulos, in whose texts conspiracy theories are reproduced about the supposed expansionist plans of Islam, its inherent violent nature and the danger of degeneration of Western civilisation. The above theories often resonate with the far-right, racists and conspiracy theorists with disastrous results and implications for many of our fellow citizens.
Opinions such as those of Mr. Andrianopoulos, although extreme, may have a place in any free society. However, it is the responsibility of the media that hosts them to ensure a balanced presentation of such issues and to establish the truth when it is distorted by credible, but not true, elements.
We are not writing to you only to express our concern from a humanitarian point of view. We do not only consider that views like Mr. Andrianopoulos’ on Islam violate the right to religious expression of millions of people around the world, we further believe that falsified data is used to support Islamophobic views and this practice is contrary to journalistic ethics. As the spread of false information by the media intensifies, the need to highlight and address any such practice, small or large, is becoming more urgent.
We consider it necessary for your page to clarify whether it adopts Mr. Andrianopoulos’ views on Islam, as long as it continues to promote them generously and without publishing differing views. We would greatly appreciate the scientifically substantiate approach to Islam and not the ideologically charged theory, but also the inclusive publishing strategy that would allow the victims of Islamophobic propaganda, our fellow Muslims, to express their views on how they see themselves, Islam and especially how they often feel targeted for something as theoretical, spiritual and often accidental as religious sentiment.
We remain at your disposal for any further discussion on the matter! ”
