Pundit sorry for UK error made on Fox
Self-described ‘terrorism expert’ calls Birmingham an entirely Muslim city and a ‘no-go zone’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
TV pundit Steve Emerson claimed on Fox News Sunday that Birmingham, Britain’s second most populous city, was a “no-go zone” for non-Muslims, drawing immediate ire and ridicule from non-Muslim Birmingham residents.
Emerson, who heads the DC-based Investigative Project on Terrorism, stated Birmingham was “totally Muslim” on Fox’s “Judge Pirro,” despite the city having seen only 21 percent of its citizens classify themselves as Muslims in the 2011 census.
Brummies responded to the obviously wrong claim in social media en masse, creating the Twitter hashtag #foxnewsfacts.
Jam jars across Britain are becoming radicalised. #FoxNewsFacts pic.twitter.com/0O4Cfv1DIo
— Parvez Anwar (@pavanwar) January 12, 2015
BREAKING! Margaret Thatcher was secret Muslim Jihadist (seen here wearing Hijab): #foxnewsfacts pic.twitter.com/q2iGty9Icx
— Tom Pride (@ThomasPride) January 12, 2015
As a non-Muslim I wasn’t sure how I was going to get to work in #Birmingham today #foxnewsfacts pic.twitter.com/YusmGb3pdo
— Toby Rackliff (@tobythetram) January 12, 2015
Emerson quickly apologized for the error on his organization’s website, stating, “My comments about Birmingham were totally in error.”
He also promised to take out an ad in a Birmingham newspaper and donate to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
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