See No Evil, Report No Evil

There has been discussion of the change in the Associated Press Stylebook, the most widely-used resource for journalists, to use the term “undocumented workers” instead of “illegal aliens.”

But there Another change that has thus far received less attention, Lori Lowenthal Marcus reports on JewishPress.com:

This changed has been traced directly to campaigning by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) against the use of a term it described as pejorative.

In a January press release, the organization which describes itself as a Muslim civil rights group, but which government officials have described as a front-group for Hamas, was unhappy with the way the AP Stylebook defined “Islamist.”

The AP added the term “Islamist” to its Stylebook in 2012. The term was defined: “Islamist—Supporter of government in accord with the laws of Islam. Those who view the Quran as a political model encompass a wide range of Muslims, from mainstream politicians to militants known as jihadi.”

CAIR found that definition objectionable, and urged the AP to drop the term from its Stylebook.

The AP went even further. Although “Islamist” is still a defined term in the AP Stylebook, reporters are now admonished not to use it to mean something objectionable.

The entry for “Islamist” now reads: “An advocate or supporter of a political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam. Do not use as a synonym for Islamic fighters, militants, extremists or radicals, who may or may not be Islamists. Where possible, be specific and use the name of militant affiliations: al-Qaida-linked, Hezbollah, Taliban, etc. Those who view the Quran as a political model encompass a wide range of Muslims, from mainstream politicians to militants known as jihadi.”

CAIR issued a press release Friday, April 5, welcoming the change by AP, and calling the Stylebook revision a “step in the right direction.”