The pathetic decision by Jeremy Clarkson and his co-host Richard Hammond to dress in niqabs during a Top Gear programme from Syria (this is what passes for humour in such circles) has provoked an outbreak of mass Muslim outrage, if the right-wing populist press is to be believed.
Yesterday's Daily Mail featured a lengthy article headlined "Top Gear stars cause religious row after dressing up in burkas on Boxing Day special" and the Daily Star went with "Clarkson in Burka gear storm", while the Daily Express warned of "Protest fears over Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear stars in burkhas".
.... This is of course all part of a right-wing narrative about intolerant Muslims reacting with "fury" to any slight against their faith. In reality, it seems clear that the Muslim community, like the writer of this post, find it difficult to work themselves up into a state of indignation over the puerile antics of a man widely dismissed as a reactionary sexist bore. [Islamophobia Watch] Read more
