Fox ‘Terror Expert’ Apologizes For Saying British City Is ‘Totally Muslim’ (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

A Fox News “terrorism expert” was forced to issue an apology on Sunday after he wrongly stated on-air that one British city was “totally Muslim” while discussing extremism in Europe following the recent attacks in Paris.

“In Britain, it’s not just no-go zones, there are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim where non-Muslims just simply don’t go in,” Steven Emerson said during a Saturday appearance on “Justice with Judge Jeanine.”

“And parts of London, there are actually Muslim religious police that actually beat and actually wound seriously anyone who doesn’t dress according to Muslim, religious Muslim attire,” he continued.

In fact, Birmingham has a Muslim population of 21.8%, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics.

Emerson, whose website calls him “one of the leading authorities on Islamic extremist networks,” issued an extensive apology after his remarks set off a wave of a ridicule on social media.

“I have clearly made a terrible error for which I am deeply sorry. My comments about Birmingham were totally in error,” he told the UK edition of the Huffington Post on Sunday.

Emerson called it an “inexcusable error” and said he would make a correction immediately for “the beautiful city of Birmingham,” according to the site.

“PS. I intend to make a donation to Birmingham Children’s Hospital,” he added.

The Fox contributor’s original comments sparked a hashtag mocking the channel’s coverage of Islam, #FoxNewsFacts.

Incidentally, the program’s host, Jeanine Pirro, had her own moment of ignorance during the show when she said Pakistan was the most important “Arab” nation in the West’s crackdown on global terrorism. (Pakistan is a South Asian country.)

“It is time for this to be over and stop sending American dollars to any Arab country that does not support this mission, Pakistan at the top of the list,” she said.

Watch the clip below, courtesy of HuffPo UK:

Correction: This post has been updated to show that Emerson’s remarks aired on Saturday.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: