The recent disturbances on the Temple Mount have led to any number of media muck ups. Here are some of the ones that we’ve noted.
THE TIMES OF LONDON
Who came up with this headline?
Of course, while the Temple Mount is a holy site, there is currently no Jewish temple there.
In the article itself, it states:
Under a longstanding arrangement, Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount, but are forbidden from praying there. Authorities recently banned two Muslim volunteer groups that frequently harass Jewish visitors who try to pray in secret.
These Muslim “volunteer groups” are no such thing. In fact:
Security officials say the NGOs that were closed recruited paid activists for both groups so they would visit Temple Mount every day at set times. Activists earned 3,000-4,000 shekels ($771-$1,028) per month, according to the officials. They added some of the funds were sent from the Gulf States, sometimes via couriers, to the West Bank, and from there were transferred to East Jerusalem.
And do they harass Jewish visitors who “try to pray in secret?” There is no evidence that these Muslims groups do anything other than target visibly Jewish visitors irrespective of whether there are any plans to pray in secret.
The Times has misleadingly implied that the Jewish visitors are the ones responsible for provoking Muslim outrage by breaking the status quo. The confrontations are, in fact, initiated by these Muslim groups, which have now been banned.
THE INDEPENDENT
It’s not just The Times failing to give any context about the groups of Muslim women attacking Jewish visitors on the Temple Mount. The Independent writes:
Last week, Press TV reported that Israeli soldiers and police officers prevented more than 40 Palestinian women from entering the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Of course there is no explanation as to why this has happened. But that’s hardly surprising if you base your sources on Press TV, the international propaganda arm of the Iranian regime. That The Independent can consider Press TV to be remotely credible should be an embarrassment.
But that’s not the only embarrassment:
The photo above shows the Dome of the Rock and not the Al-Aqsa mosque. And since when was the mosque itself a holy site for Jews?
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
Confusion was also apparent in the International Business Times, which wrote:
The mosque has been embroiled in controversy as non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site, but Jews are forbidden from praying or displaying national symbols, which often lead to deadly fights.
In fact, non-Muslims are forbidden from visiting the Al-Aqsa mosque. It is the surrounding compound that they are allowed to visit.
And just how many “deadly fights” have there been over Jews “praying or displaying national symbols” at the site? You’d do well to find any.
To top it all off, the IBT also states:
The mosque is of religious significance to both Muslims and Jews.
Actually, the religious significance of the mosque to Jews is as accurate as the reference to regular deadly fights.
Whoops.
[sc:graybox ]Also check out the LA Times’s biased coverage of the Temple Mount disturbances here.
