BIRMINGHAM, England, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A Fox News commentator apologized for his claims the city of Birmingham, England, was under Muslim control, while the city's residents took to social media to offer ridicule.
Steven Emerson, self-described on his website as "one of the leading authorities on Islamic extremist networks," said on the U.S. news channel that Birmingham, England's second-largest city with a population of over one million, is a "totally Muslim city where non-Muslims don't go in." He added there are "parts of London there are actually Muslim religious police who beat and actually wound seriously anyone who doesn't dress according to Muslim religious attire." The host of the program, Jeanne Pirro, referred to Emerson's description as a "caliphate within a country."
In actuality, 22 percent of Birmingham residents identify themselves as Muslim. The city remains majority Christian.
Emerson apologized, saying "I have clearly made a terrible error for which I am deeply sorry," and promised a donation to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but not before local Parliament member Gisela Stuart commented, "I checked whether this was some kind of early April Fool spoof, and then I thought he was talking about Birmingham, Alabama, but then I realized he was just utterly and completely wrong."
Birmingham residents, on social media, condemned Emerson's comments with jokes, including a photo of Queen Elizabeth II in a headscarf, with a suggestion she may be Muslim, and that the "ham" in the city's name was removed to comply with Islamic dietary restrictions.
