My letter to a young reporter serving as stenographer to gender ideology.
Ms. Tahleel Mohieldin:
Eid Mubarak, ukhti.
This evening I saw your coverage, . . .
https://fox47.com/news/local/anti-transgender-stickers-graffiti-appear-across-madisonAnd wanted to share some thoughts if I may.
Your piece interviews a single individual who cites his personal discomfort to mischaracterize pro-women’s rights slogans as anti-trans and ‘hate messaging’; while failing to seek out and hear from those with opposing views. The dictionary definition of ‘woman’ does not constitute hate speech; characterizing activism for gender ideology as a ‘Men’s Sexual Rights Movement’ is well supported by any in depth examination of such activism and its policy demands. Your interview subject claims that recent legislation seeks to ban him from bathrooms. Any fair reading of the legislation he refers to would make it clear that while some recent legislation seeks to clarify that men are not welcome in women’s single-sex public bathrooms, that trans-identified men such as Jade continue to be welcome in men’s single-sex public bathrooms. You confuse your audience when you use a ‘preferred (feminine) pronoun’ to speak about what our eyes and your own reporting has already acknowledged is obviously a man. This fails in your duty to accurately report the facts. That you would use your reporting to allow his delusional assessment to go unchallenged undermines the integrity of your work as a journalist.
Journalism is a noble profession. You are called upon to report the facts, not be a stenographer for every viewpoint ready to whine into a microphone.It is important to remember that the linguistic framework and factual assertions used to promote transgenderism are grounded in an ideology shared by a relatively small minority of your readers and viewers and one which is frequently divorced from material reality. It may be newsworthy to report on the conflicts over public policy growing from this ideological struggle in our culture. As a journalist your readers and viewers depend on you to exercise independence in these conflicts, to accurately and fairly cover these conflicts from all perspectives and to frame your stories impartially, presenting the facts necessary for your viewers to draw their own conclusions.
I would like to draw to your attention the Media Style Guide published in 2021 by the Women’s Liberation Front which provides important guidance for journalists who are covering issues related to gender ideology.
https://womensliberationfront.org/s/2021MediaStyleGuide-Updated-04142022.pdf
Given that you wear hijab on camera, you might also find interesting, two recent documents which have circulated among the muslim community in the United States.
I wrote a piece last year about a fatwa developed for the Islamic Council of North America by Dr. Yasir Qahdi.
ICNA Fatwa provides compassionate guidance
for Muslim Families Threatened by Gender Ideology
https://www.pac.gendercriticalgreens.org/blog/hesco/ICNA_Fatwa_provides_compassionate_guidance_for_Muslim_Families_Threatened_by_Gender_IdeologyAnother recent piece of interest to Muslims in America was published on May 23rd of this year and signed by the ustadha of my own congregation here in Roswell Georgia as well as hundreds of other Islamic scholars across the United States.
Navigating Differences: Clarifying Sexual and Gender Ethics in Islam
https://navigatingdifferences.com/clarifying-sexual-and-gender-ethics-in-islam/I am familiar with the multiple roles we play in our faith communities on the one hand and in our jobs and public lives on the other where our commitment to Islam positions us as a minority among the broader community. I am familiar with the conflicts these dual roles present for how we operate in these respective spheres. I won’t pretend to understand the challenges faced by a recent J-school grad trying to make a living in her profession, nor how that might be complicated by the public witness of faith from your wearing hijab.
But I do wish to support you living up to the highest ideals of journalism. Muslim or not, your audience relies on you for truth, accuracy, independence, fairness and impartiality. Matters of public policy are resolved based on what we learn from the Fourth Estate. Your profession is our first line of defense for democracy.
In sha Allah, you will take to heart the unsolicited advice and links to resources which I provide above and ever more effectively serve your audience in the days to come.
As-salaam alaykum.
s/ Hugh Esco
P.S. Please consider following this page for inspiration on how you might better cover the complicated issues which gender ideology asks us to grapple with: