Rabat – The Center for Media Monitoring released a report Monday finding that of 40,913 articles assessed from 30 outlets in the UK in 2025, 70% associated Muslims or Islam with negative aspects or behaviors. Approximately 50% of all articles about Muslim in the UK contained a “high degree of bias.”
“As the largest study of its kind ever conducted in the UK, this report presents deeply concerning evidence of structural bias in how Muslims are portrayed in the UK press,” said Rizwana Hamid, the group’s director.
Right-leaning news organizations were more likely to publish biased media about Muslims. The Spectator and GB News Television channel were the “worst across all five bias categories:” negative coverage, generalizations, misrepresentations, contextual omissions, and problematic headlines.
The highest rates of generalizations appeared in GB News (39%), The Daily Telegraph (32%), Daily Express (24%), The Times (22%), The Sun (21%) and Daily Mail (20%).
Broadcasters and left-leaning outlets such as BBC (6%) and The Guardian (11%) recorded markedly lower levels.
The study said in one example they examined, right-wing media elevated a statement by US President Donald Trump that London was governed by “Sharia Law.”
Trump had told the United Nations General Assembly in September: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed. It’s been so changed. … Now they want to go to Sharia law. But you are in a different country. You can’t do that.”
While some sources fact-checked the claim or provided context, opinion outlets like The Daily Express “went further by treating the conspiracy as credible,” the report said.
“Presenting baseless claims as matters of debate normalises misinformation and fuels anti-Muslim narratives, underscoring the media’s responsibility to challenge falsehoods decisively rather than inadvertently legitimising them,” the group said.
The study comes as Muslims in Britain are met with increasing hostility, as far-right groups and anti-immigration sentiment continue to grow. In September, over 100,000 gathered in London for a rally against immigration.
“Extensive research has shown correlations between negative portrayals of Muslims and rising hate crime, employment discrimination, and support for restrictive policies,” the report said.
In the US, the Center for the Study of Organized Hate released findings Monday showing that between February 28 and March 5 alone, there were a total of 25,348 Islamaphobic posts targeting Muslims on X, a significant increase from just before the US and Israel began the war with Iran. When reposts are counted the total volume of Islamaphobic content grows to 279,417, an 11-fold increase.
Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Islamaphobia has been on the rise. Discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Arabs in the US hit a record high in 2024 according to a report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). From 2023 to 2024, there was a 7.4% rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents.
“The findings in this brief illustrate an environment of anti-Muslim hate and incitement that, while already volatile, has reached a critical tipping point due to the convergence of several factors. These developments underscore the need for urgent action across multiple fronts,” the CAIR report emphasizes.
