Earlier this year, Fox Nation arbitrarily added the word “Muslim” to the headline a story about a New York City cab driver accused of ramming passengers. The story it linked to made absolutely no mention of the man's faith. Today, Fox Nation is at it again.
In a story headlined “Malaysia police slammed for cattle-branding women,” the Associated Press reported that Malaysian police are under fire for chaining up women accused of prostitution and marking their bodies. The story makes no mention of the police officers' faith. It doesn't even contain the words “Muslim” or “Islam.”
Nonetheless, Fox Nation decided to present the story as follows:
This is not to defend the actions of Malaysian police. The AP story is about alleged police misconduct. And while Malaysians are predominantly Muslim, the article includes nothing to suggest a religious aspect to the story. Throwing the word “Muslim” into the headline only serves to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment in Fox Nation's audience.
Fox Nation also has a well-documented history of race-baiting.