In the aftermath of the Islamic terrorist attack in New York City on Halloween, much of the media has covered the story based on their own political leanings. After a host on CNN made a controversial remark about the Islamic phrase "Allahu Akbar," Fox News caught heat for taking comments out of context.
CNN vs Fox News
On Tuesday afternoon in lower Manhattan, 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov drove his rented Home Depot truck into a bicycle lane and struck dozens of innocent civilians. Saipov exited the vehicle shouting "Allahu Akbar," which translates to "Allah is the greatest," and is a common phrase used in the Muslim world, including those who carry out religious acts of terror.
Unlike many other terrorists in recent history, Saipov was shot and taken into custody, where he currently resides in a hospital bed. Law enforcement have confirmed that they found ISIS-propaganda in the suspect's truck, with Saipov reportedly celebrating his attack while being in police custody. Since the incident took place, the story has been reported differently depending on the news outlet, with the liberal-leaning MSNBC often downplaying the religious aspect of the attack, with the conservative Fox News focusing on the suspect's background and religion. Over on CNN, host Jake Tapper responded to the report that Saipov shouted "Allahu Akbar," which triggered a reaction from Fox News. As reported by Mediaite on November 1, Tapper is speaking out.
Hannity Doubles Down on Fox News' False Claim That Jake Tapper Said ‘Allahu Akbar’ Was 'Beautiful' (VIDEO) https://t.co/tsmazUn6Hl pic.twitter.com/wXV9E6kEuE
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) November 2, 2017
"The Arabic chant, Allahu Akbar, 'God is great,' sometimes said under the most beautiful of circumstances, and too often we hear it being said in moments like this," Jake Tapper said in his reporting of the Islamic terrorist attack.
Social media reactions poured in quickly, with many questioning why the host would attempt to praise an phrase commonly associated with groups like ISIS. On Fox News' social media accounts, the network tweeted the headline, "CNN's Jake Tapper Says 'Allahu Akbar' Is 'Beautiful' Right After NYC Terror Attack."
Hannity is continuing Fox's lies and smears by attacking @jaketapper for saying "Allahu Akbar" is a prayer sometimes said at "beautiful moments"
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) November 2, 2017
Hannity: "Maybe that's why you have low ratings" pic.twitter.com/JgsYIPU3R9
Tapper responds
Taking to his Twitter account on Wednesday night, Jake Tapper called out Fox News for taking his comments out of context.
"Fox News is lying," Tapper said. "I said it can be said at beautiful moments (wedding, birth) and too often at times like this (horrific terrorist attack)," he added.
.@FoxNews chooses instead to deliberately lie about what I said. Following the slime-coated path of @DailyCaller and @infowars. Disgusting.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 1, 2017
Tapper and Hannity
After Fox News took down the aforementioned tweet, host Sean Hannity doubled down on the network's attack on Jake Tapper. Hannity referred to Tapper as "fake news" and mocked him over his comments about "Allahu Akbar," while saying, "Tell your audience the truth."
Hannity lying now. The @FoxNews tweet I was referring to has been deleted because it was false. https://t.co/WPQtgzNGuU
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 2, 2017
Within minutes of Sean Hannity's attack, Jake Tapper fired back on his own Twitter account.
"Hannity lying now. The @FoxNews tweet I was referring to has been deleted because it was false," Tapper wrote.
Hannity, of course, smeared the late Seth Rich while his parents were still in mourning, so why wouldn't he lie about this?
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 2, 2017
"Hannity, of course, smeared the late Seth Rich while his parents were still in mourning, so why wouldn't he lie about this?" Jake Tapper posted in a follow-up tweet. As of press time, neither Sean Hannity nor Fox News have issued an additional comment.
