The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a decision by Fox News to remove the claim in one of its articles that the Islamic phrase “Allahu Akbar” is a “terror chant.”
In a letter to Fox News requesting the removal of that false claim, CAIR wrote in part:
“‘Allahu Akbar’ simply means ‘God is Greatest’ or ‘God is Great’ in Arabic. It is one of the most common expressions used by some two billion Muslims worldwide in daily prayers, celebrations, times of grief, and ordinary conversation.
“To label this universally-accepted religious expression as a ‘terror chant’ falsely associates the faith and religious practices of an entire global community with acts of violence committed by a tiny minority of extremists. Even Fox News has previously acknowledged that the phrase literally means ‘God is great.’
“Such language is inaccurate, inflammatory, and contributes to anti-Muslim prejudice at a time when American Muslims continue to face discrimination, harassment, threats, and violence.
“Media organizations have a responsibility to report accurately and to avoid language that unfairly stigmatizes entire religious communities.
“We respectfully request that Fox News remove the phrase ‘popular terror chant’ from the headline and any associated promotional materials, publish a correction acknowledging that ‘Allahu Akbar’ is a common Islamic expression rather than a terrorist slogan, and adopt editorial standards that distinguish between the actions of violent extremists and the beliefs and practices of the overwhelming majority of peaceful Muslims.”
After the letter was sent, Fox removed the false claim and added:
“Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the headline language. ‘Allahu Akbar’ is a common Islamic expression meaning ‘God is great,’ though it has also been invoked by extremists during terrorist attacks.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]