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On 7 January 2015, gunmen stormed the offices of French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 employees and wounding several others in an attack by terrorists who reportedly said they were avenging the prophet Muhammad. Concerns about Islamic extremists intensified in the tragedy's aftermath and reinvigorated a long-circulating rumor involving Muslim no go zones in cities in both the United States and Europe. The belief that large neighborhoods or entire towns and cities have been effectively placed outside local rule of law is in no way new: variations of the rumor have circulated since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, but the rumor received both heightened attention and increased saturation after a controversial Fox News segment on 11 January 2015. In the course of that segment, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro spoke with self-styled terrorism expert Steve Emerson: Emerson continued by insinuating authorities in areas as France and the UK denied the existence of no-go zones in their countries and claimed the entire city of Birmingham, England, was one such example of a no-go zone in which non-Muslim residents were not permitted: In response, British Prime Minister David Cameron termed Emerson a complete idiot: Shortly after the segment aired, Emerson fully retracted his claims about Birmingham and issued an apology in a statement published on his web site: Before he appeared on Fox for the segment in question, Emerson floated a similar claim during a Twitter exchange with French ambassador Gerard Araud. During the back and forth, Emerson pressed the ambassador for details on 750 rumored no-go zones inside France. Araud replied to Emerson's claims about lawless areas of France: The multifaceted rumor has several aspects spanning multiple countries: among areas rumored to be partially under de facto Islamic law are Birmingham, England; a small Muslim enclave (commonly known as Islamberg) within Hancock, New York; Dearborn, Michigan; and more than 750 unspecified areas in and around Paris and elsewhere in France. The confusion Araud expressed in response to Emerson's statements (before the Fox News segment) appeared to stem from translation confusion over what are known as zones urbaines sensibles (ZUS) or sensitive urban zones in France. While some pockets of citizenry (including high-density Muslim populations)in France have indeed been identified as ZUS, and the term is not a designator for large populations of Muslims. Rather, the highlighted areas are ones that have been afflicted with issues such as crime, poverty, unemployment, and blight and are therefore targeted for urban renewal initiatives. Perhaps owing to the language barrier, the ZUS have been assumed to be designators of areas of Islamic lawlessness in recent years, but as noted at Geographic Travels: Likewise, Middle Eastern writer Daniel Pipes originally blogged about Zones Urbaines Sensibles back in 2006 and then revised his viewpoint after seeing some of them first-hand in 2013: Certainly there are areas of France where crime and violence is rampant, that travelers and non-residents may avoid, and where police may intercede in only with caution and difficulty — some of which are home to significant Muslim populations — but as others have noted: After Emerson sparred with Araud, his claims were broadcast to a larger audience and met with considerable ridicule. Outrage over France's ZUS is slightly easier to sell (as no locations are ever specified, and a language barrier hampers reading comprehension for the curious) than a claim the entire city of Birmingham has fallen to Sharia law. Following the segment, incredulous viewers began to mock the implausible statements made by Emerson using the hashtag #FoxNewsFacts on Twitter. The citizens of Birmingham found his comments to be particularly amusing: A week later, Fox News issued four separate on-air apologies for reporting the story about no-go zones incorrectly, including one in which anchor Julie Banderas offered a blanket apology to the people of France and England: As is often the case, Emersons and Fox's corrections did not travel as far or fast to those who saw and believed the claims made during the Fox News segment, and his retraction did not address the claims he had made earlier about no-go zones in France. While large populations of Muslim residents inhabit cities and towns affected by the rumor (and may adhere to religious custom in large numbers), no areas of England, France, or the United States currently allow the laws of any religion to override their own laws. Areas designated as ZUS in France are not exempted from policing or French law, and are simply targeted for renewal initiatives. Likewise, residents of Dearborn and Hancock are not exempt from state or local law, regardless of the religion to which they adhere.
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