British MPs demand meeting with tabloid editor over ‘misleading’ Muslim survey story

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The front page of Monday's Sun, which has raised the ire of British MPs.

Published: 9:15am, 27 Nov 2015

British opposition Labour MPs have demanded a meeting with the editor of the Sun newspaper for approving a front-page story that falsely claimed one in five British Muslims had sympathy with those who have left to fight for Islamic State in Syria.

The 10 MPs said in a letter to the Sun on Thursday: “We are writing to request a meeting with you regarding your recent story ‘1 in 5 Brit Muslims’ sympathy for jihadists’ from Monday 23rd November.”

Shabana Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, led the Labour backbench call for an explanation from Tony Gallagher, the tabloid’s editor, saying they were worried about the impact “flawed” and “misleading” stories have in stoking hate crimes.

The group of MPs said editorial decisions that have been made “have consequences on attitudes to Muslims in the UK”, adding that this week there had been an “alarming increase” in attacks on British Muslims.

Critics of The Sun took aim at the newspaper's failure to point out that sympathy levels had fallen sharply among Muslims. compared to March. Photo: Survation

“Figures this week show that in one week since the barbaric Paris attacks hate crimes against Muslims have increased by 300 per cent in the UK,” said the parliamentarians.