Did Farooq Shah murder a sex worker because of his faith?

This Daily Mail headline is not only misleading but deeply sensationalistic:

The story implies that Farooq Shah murdered a sex worker for being near a mosque. But that statement is grossly inaccurate.

Buried further down the article is this admission from Shah:

“In his account to the jury, Shah said having women sell their bodies near his mosque or home ‘means nothing’” [my emphasis]

A post-conviction statement from the police reflects the truth of the murder. Det Insp Darren Richards, from the Met Police, said: “Shah has never given any reason or expressed any remorse for killing Mariana.”

That statement is omitted from the Daily Mail copy. Yet, you can find it on the BBC and Illford Recorder, as the East London and West Essex Guardian Series avoids any sensationalistic reporting.

The above examples avoid mentioning Shah’s faith because it is irrelevant to the crime. Nor do they present any evidence to substantiate the Mail’s claim that the murder was predicated on her working near a mosque.

The PCC’s Editors’ Code of Conduct is clear:

12 ii)Details of an individual’s race,colour,religion,sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability must be avoided unless genuinely relevant to the story.

The language of ‘prostitute’ is also problematic when compared to the more neutral term ‘sex worker’ – a term used more accurately in the BBC report.

Prior to the murder, Shah robbed and threatened a vulnerable man with a knife. But as Det Insp Darren Richards points out:

“This was a cold-blooded, senseless murder by a man who went out that night, armed with a knife, intent on using it to commit serious injury to someone.

“He killed Mariana because she was there, because he thought he could get away with it.

“In doing so, he has deprived a young daughter of her mother. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Mariana.”

The far-right are exploiting the story to whip-up anti-Muslim sentiment.

Inaccurate and sensationalistic reporting merely fuels further prejudice and a sense of collective punishment for the crimes of an individual. An individual who was not inspired by faith but the senselessness of extreme violence.

Will the Daily Mail now amend their sensationalistic copy?