The Common Ills: The US press exposes its own bias yet again

Sunday, April 11, 2021

The US press exposes its own bias yet again

Iraq is experiencing historic highs in daily COVID-19 cases. The country has acquired nearly 400,000 vaccines doses so far, nowhere close to what is needed to inoculate most of its population of around 40 million.

There were 7,937 new coronavirus infections reported throughout Iraq on Friday, the Ministry of Health said in a news release. The record is Wednesday’s toll of 8,331 cases. Daily cases have been rising since February and are now much higher than the previous highs of around 5,000 a day in September, according to Worldometer. The country has reported 14,641 coronavirus deaths.

The Iraqi government is encouraging people to take the vaccine for the coronavirus and has criticized its citizenry for not adhering to social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines. Agence France-Presse reported that Baghdad now has a 24-hour curfew on the two weekend days of Friday and Saturday and an 8 p.m. curfew on other days, and that concrete barriers have been placed across the city to impede movement.

Sinan Mahmoud (THE NATIONAL) reports:

What are the Covid-19 rules in Iraq during Ramadan?

The Iraqi government has yet to declare the restrictions during Ramadan, but new measures are expected to be put in place as cases continue to rise.

A partial lockdown from 9pm to 5am is in place.

Mosques, restaurants and shopping malls are allowed to open.

Last year, Ramadan started a few weeks after the Iraqi authorities imposed full nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

Measures were eased during the holy month. Residents were allowed to move freely between 6am and 7pm, but mosques, restaurants, shopping malls and parks were kept closed.

[. . .]

Like last year, charity banquets are not allowed, but people and organisations will be permitted to distribute Ramadan packages to poor families in different districts.

It will be difficult for the government to restrict those who plan to throw street charity iftars, especially in heavily populated areas or in those that include shrines.

In April, Iraq has seen the Covid count increase daily.

Read the above and think about the western press, especially the US press.

Where's the put-our-noes-in-every-damn-thing-becasue-we-know-best approach?

Remember how they took it upon themselves to distort Pope Francis planned trip to Iraq? The minute it was announced, this historic visit, the US press bitched and moaned and carped and attacked.

Apparently, some forms of religion aren't approved by the US press. Maybe it's all religions that they feel this way about but they hold it in check if it's a religion that, if they attack, they could be physically attacked?

I have no idea. We're not calling out Ramadan here. It's a religious rite and people should be allwed to express their faith. That was our approach to the historic visit that Pope Francis made to Iraq last month.

But it wasn't the approach of the US press.

We need to take a moment to register that and grasp that a country that supposedly allows for religious freedom (the US) has a press that just feels free to attack certain religions -- especially dominant ones in the US.

If the Pope's visit -- which was structured -- was a health problem to the US press, the same US press should be fretting -- and butting in -- over Ramadan or they should be willing to honestly explain why they treat religions differently in their 'concerns' for safety.

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