The Ethics of Selective Journalism: Mishal Husain’s Silence on Muslim-Perpetrated Atrocities

In today’s interconnected world, journalism holds the immense power to shape public consciousness. But that power comes with a moral obligation — to tell the full truth, even when it’s inconvenient. When journalists highlight some injustices while ignoring others, they tilt narratives, foster bias, and ultimately, obscure reality.

Mishal Husain, a senior presenter at the BBC and one of the most prominent Muslim journalists in Britain, is often applauded for her eloquence and professionalism. Yet a closer look at her work reveals an unsettling pattern. Husain has consistently amplified stories portraying Muslims as victims — while staying silent, evasive, or entirely absent when Muslims are the perpetrators of violence, oppression, or hatred. This selective framing raises serious ethical concerns about objectivity, fairness, and responsibility in mainstream media.

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the Silence Around Justifying Murder

In 2020, the world watched in horror as a French schoolteacher, Samuel Paty, was beheaded by an Islamist fanatic for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a classroom discussion on free speech. The murder shocked Europe, ignited global debates, and revealed the deadly consequences of radicalized ideologies.

Amid the outrage, former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad posted a disturbing tweet. In a statement that outraged even long-time allies, he wrote that Muslims “have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.” The words were widely condemned as an indirect justification of terrorism. Yet despite its gravity, Mishal Husain offered no public criticism, no coverage on her platform, no engagement with the danger of such rhetoric.

Dr. Mahathir is no stranger to authoritarianism. Under his leadership, Malaysia saw the rise of Islamism cloaked in state power. His policies contributed to systemic discrimination against Malaysia’s non-Muslim minorities, especially Hindus and Christians. But this side of his legacy rarely, if ever, appears in Husain’s coverage. The failure to hold powerful figures accountable when they share one’s religious background is not journalism — it is partiality disguised as neutrality.

Religious Discrimination in Malaysia: A Story Left Untold

Malaysia's slide into theocratic governance over the past two decades has been subtle but unmistakable. Christian and Hindu minorities have faced increasing restrictions. Churches were attacked, Christian literature banned, and in one infamous episode, the government prohibited Christians from using the word “Allah” to refer to God — a decision that led to the seizure of Bibles and the firebombing of churches.

Hindus faced even more systemic suppression. Many temples were demolished on grounds of “illegality,” and the peaceful HINDRAF movement, which aimed to fight discrimination against Hindus, was met with brutal crackdowns. Leaders were jailed under draconian laws like the Internal Security Act, while their communities were silenced by threats and surveillance.

Mishal Husain, with access to global platforms and a significant following, has not meaningfully addressed any of these issues. Her omission cannot be accidental. The pattern shows a refusal to critique human rights violations when the perpetrators are part of an Islamic political framework.

Ignoring Centuries of Violence Against Sikhs and Hindus

When Mishal Husain discusses communal violence in India, she has pointed to incidents where Muslims have suffered — such as the 2002 Gujarat riots — without delving into the historical continuum of religious violence in the region. This framing obscures centuries of brutality inflicted upon Hindus and Sikhs by Islamic rulers and invaders.

From the execution of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur by Mughal emperors, to the mass slaughter of Sikhs during the 18th-century campaigns led by Afghan warlords, the Sikh community's collective memory is built around martyrdom at the hands of Muslim rulers. Events like the Wadda Ghallughara (Great Sikh Holocaust of 1762), where over 30,000 Sikhs were massacred in a single campaign, are etched deeply in Sikh oral tradition.

The 1947 Partition saw the systematic cleansing of Hindus and Sikhs from what became Pakistan. Cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan — once vibrant centers of Sikh culture — became religiously homogenized through orchestrated violence. Hundreds of thousands were killed, women raped, temples destroyed, and entire communities vanished. Yet, this enormous trauma rarely finds a voice in global media, and certainly not in Mishal Husain’s reporting.

Modern-Day Persecution in Pakistan: A Deafening Silence

The persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan is not a thing of the past. It is a brutal, ongoing reality. Christian and Hindu girls are routinely abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to older Muslim men. Their families rarely see justice. Courts often rule in favor of the abductors, citing false "consent" from children as young as 12.

Cases like that of Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Christian girl, or Mehak Kumari, a Hindu teenager, highlight the vulnerability of non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan. The legal system offers little protection, while political leaders appease hardline clerics.

Perhaps the most infamous case is that of Asia Bibi, a Christian farmworker accused of blasphemy for drinking water from a communal well. She spent nearly a decade on death row before being acquitted. Her acquittal sparked nationwide riots, led by radical Islamist groups demanding her execution. Pakistan's blasphemy laws have become tools of oppression, silencing dissent and endangering lives — yet they receive virtually no criticism from Mishal Husain.

Islamist Terror in Europe and the West: The Inconvenient Truths

The threat of Islamist terrorism in the West is real and growing. The Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris in 2015 was not just a terrorist attack — it was an assault on the idea of free expression. The killers justified their actions through religious doctrine. When the magazine republished the cartoons in 2020, violent protests erupted across Pakistan. The radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) demanded vengeance, organized rallies calling for the beheading of cartoonists, and even threatened France with nuclear annihilation.

These are not fringe elements. These are mass movements, with ideological roots that deserve scrutiny. But Mishal Husain, despite covering global affairs and Muslim communities extensively, has avoided such critiques. Her silence on these threats allows extremism to fester in the blind spots of global consciousness.

The UK’s Child Grooming Scandal: Ignored Victims

One of the darkest and most shameful chapters in modern British history is the decades-long grooming and sexual exploitation of underage girls by predominantly Pakistani Muslim gangs in cities like Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford. These girls — many just 11 or 12 — were repeatedly raped, beaten, and trafficked.

Authorities failed to act for years, fearful of being branded racist or Islamophobic. When the scandal finally broke, it became evident that thousands of victims had suffered due to political correctness and cowardice.

Mishal Husain, as one of the BBC's most senior voices on domestic issues, has not taken a stand on this. She has not investigated the cultural factors or community silence that allowed such abuse to continue. Her avoidance betrays the very victims her profession is meant to protect.

The Radicalization of Converts and the Murder of Sir David Amess

In 2021, British MP Sir David Amess was murdered by Ali Harbi Ali, a radicalized Muslim convert. The attack was premeditated, ideologically motivated, and part of a pattern of similar incidents across Europe. Muslim converts have been involved in several terror plots — from knife attacks to bombings — yet the media rarely addresses the theological teachings or radical networks behind such transformations.

Husain’s reporting on terrorism tends to steer away from these ideological underpinnings. By not acknowledging the role of extremist Islamic doctrine in inspiring violence, such journalism becomes incomplete — even complicit in its omissions.

When India Is the Focus, Balance Disappears

When it comes to India, Mishal Husain has shown no such hesitation. Her coverage has frequently criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hindu nationalist movements, and incidents of violence against Muslims. While these issues are certainly newsworthy and deserve coverage, they are often presented without historical or comparative context.

There is little mention of India being home to over 200 million Muslims, most of whom live with full citizenship rights and religious freedom — unlike the nearly extinct Hindu, Sikh, and Christian communities of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The double standard is glaring. It is not wrong to criticize India. But to do so while ignoring far worse conditions in neighboring countries reveals a profound bias.

Conclusion: The Cost of Selective Outrage

True journalism must confront all forms of injustice — no matter who commits them. It must shine light into all corners, even those that challenge personal beliefs or cultural loyalties. Mishal Husain’s failure to address atrocities committed by Muslims, Islamist regimes, or within Muslim communities is not a minor lapse. It is a profound dereliction of journalistic duty.

In selectively highlighting Muslim suffering while omitting Muslim culpability, Husain contributes to a dangerous imbalance in public discourse. Victims of Islamist violence, persecution, and extremism — whether they are French cartoonists, Sikh martyrs, Hindu girls in Pakistan, or British schoolgirls — deserve their stories to be told too.

Selective journalism is not journalism. It is propaganda. And in a world already drowning in division, we cannot afford silence where truth is needed most.

(Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, NYTimes, India Times)