Cui Bono? Demonizing Muslims to what end?

Gerald Caplan of The Globe and Mail, Canada, has written a questioning piece on why mainstream media spends so much valuable time and resources in promoting Islamophobia.

He begins:

Why do certain media choose to offer platforms to those who spread malicious lies and instill fear about Muslims? Do they agree with those sentiments? Is it to influence their government’s policies on multiculturalism, immigration or laws banning Muslim institutions and practices? Is it in the name of free speech for Muslim-bashers? To fill space? To improve ratings? Or merely for the hell of it?”

And he ends:

But what’s the interest of certain media in enabling these haters to spread their gospel, to fan the flames of intolerance? What audience are they after? What do they expect their audiences to make of all this sympathetic exposure to rabid anti-Muslim feelings? Why are they inciting ordinary people to hate other ordinary people? Why?

Read the full article.