Sunday, October 22, 2006
The BBC, bias, and catching a typo in the Daily Mail
Via Glenn Reynolds and Jonah Goldberg and I'm sure everybody else and his brother, the BBC confesses to bias in favor of lefty politics, anti-Americanism and multiculturalism, at least according to the Daily Mail. Definitely read the whole thing, but forgive the Daily Mail this one error, which I'm sure is merely typographical:
In one of a series of discussions, executives were asked to rule on how they would react if the controversial comedian Sacha Baron Cohen) known for his offensive characters Ali G and Borat - was a guest on the programme Room 101.
On the show, celebrities are invited to throw their pet hates into a dustbin and it was imagined that Baron Cohen chose some kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury, a Bible and the Koran.
Nearly everyone at the summit, including the show's actual producer and the BBC's head of drama, Alan Yentob, agreed they could all be thrown into the bin, except the Koran for fear of offending Muslims.
I'm sure the BBC staff meant "fear of offended Muslims". I think the Daily Mail should apologize for portraying the BBC as caring less about Christian sensibilities than Muslim. How libelous. No, it is just that the BBC is afraid. So, obviously, is the Daily Mail.
It is interesting that the BBC's producers are more comfortable declaring that they would discriminate against Christians than merely admitting the obvious: that political Islam deploys actual and threatened violence to veto speech otherwise protected under the law (from government, that is, but not from Muslims), and that they censor themselves because they are afraid.
14 Comments:
By 
, at
Sun Oct 22, 07:02:00 PM:
Given the murderous intent contained in islam and political islam, they are both aware of the threats.
Can a Muslim really be killed for leaving Islam (apostasy
Yes. Although Islam has often been characterized as a tolerant religion, that tolerance does not extend to those who leave Islam, or “apostatize.”
In Islam, apostasy (called ridda or irtidad) is considered a grave offense. The gravity of the offense can be seen from the following passages of the Quran:
How shall God Guide those who reject Faith after they accepted it and bore witness that the Apostle was true and that Clear Signs had come unto them? but God guides not a people unjust. Of such the reward is that on them (rests) the curse of God, of His angels, and of all mankind. (Quran 3:86-87)
Any one who, after accepting faith in God, utters Unbelief,— except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith — but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from God, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty. (Quran 16:106)
Under Islamic law, or Sharia, the penalty for apostasy is death. This penalty, however, is not found in the Quran. Although the Quran threatens apostates with eternal retribution, it does not clearly specify any punishment in this world.1 Rather, the punishment for apostasy is found in the Hadith—the written record of Muhammad’s words and deeds, which are considered in Islam to be an infallible guide to faith and practice.
The following passages are taken from the respected and authoritative Hadith collection of Muhammad bin Ismail al-Bukhari, an eminent ninth-century Islamic scholar:
Narrated ‘Abdullah: Allah’s Apostle said, “The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In [retaliation in kind] for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims.”2
Narrated ‘Ikrima: Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to ‘Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn Abbas who said, “If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostle forbade it, saying, ‘Do not punish anybody with Allah’s punishment (fire).’ I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.’”3
Narrated ‘Ali: …. No doubt I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “During the last days there will appear some young foolish people who will say the best words but their faith will not go beyond their throats (i.e. they will have no faith) and will go out from (leave) their religion as an arrow goes out of the game. So, wherever you find them, kill them, for whoever kills them shall have reward on the Day of Resurrection.”4
These passages were interpreted by traditional Islamic scholars as mandating the death penalty for unrepentant apostates.5 For example, in what is perhaps the earliest formulation of Islamic law, the Muwatta of Malik ibn Anas (d. 796), the author states:
As for the person who leaves Islam for something else and divulges it, he is called on to repent. If he does not turn in repentance, he is killed.6
Similarly, another important manual of Islamic law, The Reliance of the Traveler, by Ahmad ibn Naqib (d. 1368) says:
When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to he killed. In such a case, it is obligatory for the caliph [or his representative] to ask him to repent and return to Islam. If he does, it is accepted from him, but if he refuses, he is immediately killed.7
Some contemporary scholars have repudiated the traditional view, arguing that it rests on a misinterpretation of the basic texts and violates the Quranic principle: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256).8
Nonetheless, the traditional view is still widely held. For example, the English translation of ibn Naqib’s manual was officially endorsed by the Islamic Research Academy of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the oldest and most prestigious Islamic university in the world. The academy stated: “We certify that the above-mentioned translation corresponds to the Arabic original and conforms to the practice and faith of the orthodox Sunni community.”9
What is more, apostasy is still punishable by death in some Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen, Iran, Sudan and Mauritania.10 With growing calls for the adoption of Sharia elsewhere, the list of countries may expand.
Even in countries where the death penalty is not applied, Muslims who leave Islam may be subject to “civil death.” They are forcibly divorced from their spouses, stripped of their inheritance rights and so on. They are also often harassed by government officials and police.
In addition, many converts fear for their lives as they may be targeted by radical Muslims—or even their own family members, who consider themselves disgraced by the person’s conversion. For example, when Mark Gabriel, a former professor of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, converted to Christianity, his father tried to kill him. Gabriel’s account of when he told his father about his conversion reveals the depth of animosity toward those who leave Islam:
First, my father fainted right there on the street. Some of my brothers rushed out to him, and my mother started crying in fear. I stayed with them as they bathed my father’s face with water. When he came to, he was so upset he could hardly speak, but he pointed at me. In a voice hoarse with rage he cried out, “Your brother is a convert, I must kill him today!”
Wherever he went, my father carried a gun under his arm on a leather strap. (Most wealthy people in Egypt carry guns.) He pulled out his gun and pointed it at me. I started running down the street, and as I dove around a corner, I heard the bullets whining past me. I kept running for my life.11
Nor is Gabriel an exception. A recent Declaration by the Christian Converts of Egypt signals the plight of many converts to Christ from Islam.
Even converts in the West live in fear of their lives. Sabatina James, who lives in Linz, Austria, has round-the-clock police protection because of death threats from her family and much of the Muslim community. She has written a book about her conversion titled, Sabatina: From Islam To Christianity—A Death Sentence. Another woman, in the UK, was stabbed to death by her father simply because she had struck up a relationship with a Christian.12
Many missionaries have long considered the Law of Apostasy, whether enshrined in official legal codes or carried out with the tacit approval of the government, to be the greatest barrier to the gospel in Muslim lands.13 In addition, because the criteria of what constitutes apostasy are so broad, radical Muslims use it to intimidate those who would dare to speak out against their brand of Islam. Oppressive governments may also use it to suppress opposition to government policies and practices.14
1Abul Ala Maududi, one of the most influential Islamist thinkers of the 20th century, argued that Quran 9:11-12 mandates the death penalty for apostates:
But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity,— they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the Signs in detail, for those who understand. But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith,— fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them: that thus they may be restrained.
But even this passage is ambiguous and Islamic scholars have traditionally used the Hadith rather than the Quran to justify the death penalty. Maududi’s views are expressed in his volume, The Punishment of the Apostate According to Islamic Law source.
2Sahih Bukhari source, vol. 9, bk. 83, no. 17.
3Ibid. source, vol. 9, bk. 84, no. 57.
4Ibid. source, vol. 9, bk. 84, no. 64.
5The major schools of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) are unanimous in mandating the death penalty for adult male apostates. However, two major schools say that women apostates should not be killed but imprisoned until they recant. See H.A.R. Gibb & J.H. Kramers, “Murtadd,” Concise Encyclopedia of Islam (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers, 1995), pp. 413-414.
6Malik ibn Anas, Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik ibn Anas: The First Formulation of Islamic Law, transl. Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley (Inverness, Scotland: Madinah Press, 1991), p. 304.
7Ahmad Ibn Lulu Ibn Al-Naqib, Reliance of the Traveller: The Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law, trans. Nuh Ha Mim Keller (Beltsville, Md.: Amana Publications), pp. 595-596.
8Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Islam and Human Rights: Tradition and Politics (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1999), pp. 157-158.
9Ibid. pp. xx-xxi.
10See the U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2002 source.
11Mark A. Gabriel, Islam and Terrorism (Lake Mary, Fla.: Charisma House, 2002), p. 18.
12Clare Chapman, “Voice for Muslim women terrorized by their families” source, Scotland on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2003. See also Julia Duin, “Daring leaps of faith” The Washington Times, Oct. 13, 2002.
13See Anonymous, “September 11th and the Mandate of the Church” source, See also Samuel M. Zwemer, The Law of Apostasy in Islam source , (London: Marshall Brothers Ltd., 1924), pp. 15-32.
14Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, Toward an Islamic Reformation (Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1990), p. 184. For an indication of just how easy it is to be judged an apostate, see Reliance of the Traveller, listed in note 7 above, pp. 596-598.
Also, click on the links in this link
It can't get much clearer, can it???
Maybe Ruth Kelly has finally figured it out, BUT, I don't think that the threat of withholding a bit of cash will deter these well funded messianic maniacs.
By , at
Sun Oct 22, 07:12:00 PM:
I agree with you anon, this muslim erosion of our western values, not to mention their violence, incessant lawbreaking, honour killings, demands for sharia, etc, etc has got to stop. If they can't respect the covenant put foreward by our craven politicians, our craven politicians will have to have a courage transplant, and face them head-on. BUT, there are still a few idiots who have been fooled by their advisors
By , at
Sun Oct 22, 07:24:00 PM:
Since the above studies show with startling clarity both the lies of the Islamic apologists, and the murderous theology and demands of islam, I am pretty sure that should the "craven politicians" make a realistic study of the tenets of Islam, they would find that many laws relating to incitement, intimidation, (as understood by the bbc and other reporters)racial hatred, (paricularly to jews) and on, and on, were repeatedly being broken, and that THE POLICE AND INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES should finally find the courage to do, what is after all, their job.
By 
D.E. Cloutier, at
Sun Oct 22, 07:24:00 PM:
We know that stuff, Anonymous. You're trying to tell Noah about the flood here.
What are you going to do about it? The Republicans are losing the war against Radical Islam. (Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia--you name it.) If the Democrats get in power, they will lose the war a year or two quicker. Either way, you lose.
By , at
Sun Oct 22, 07:28:00 PM:
Islam authorizes genocidal murder
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sun Oct 22, 07:34:00 PM:
Okay, "they," as I said, we know the problem. What are your proposed solutions?
By , at
Sun Oct 22, 07:53:00 PM:
Dec, the war ain't over yet. I expect a few surprises. Big guns are taking up positions. The fat lady is just tuning up.
I particularly like the way the French frogs are caught between the israelis, (who hate em) and Hezbullah and now Russian islamic Chechens in beirut and Sidon to the north. That will be worth watching.
US minesweepers should be in the straights of homuz any time now. Iwo Jima plus a load of others just south of Iran, and a BIIIG build up of naval and air power in the eastern med.
I reckon just a little more push, and northern Iraq will be a safe US landing zone. The Kurds are itching for a pop at Iran. The Israelis for their part will ABSOLUTELY NOT LET IRAN GO NUCLEAR. Egypt has finally started cutting arms supplies to the tunnels to palestinian Gazoo. Egypt should be worried. But hey, let Gazoo-ites kill each-other, who cares.
Israel ain't gonna take out Assad, the alternative is worse.
Remember the overall chief of military in Israel is Dan Halutz. He's airforce, not army. That fact identifies Israels perception of their existential current enemy.
As for US elections, I can't comment, I'm European, but unlike most of the men in skirts around here, I support the US 100%, BUT, I do catch the drift that Demos are weak on most things especially between the ears. Clinton is an opportunistic liar, but Reps should keep the contents of their pants where they belong.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sun Oct 22, 08:21:00 PM:
Mainstream news media organizations in the United States as well as in Europe have always censored themselves out of fear, TigerHawk. In the case of the American media, fear of the Mafia, fear of Black Panthers, fear of the KKK (not to mention fear of big advertisers) are a few of the things that have impacted coverage in certain places at certain times in the past. Whatever gave you the idea that journalists wanted to die for a small paycheck and a byline on a 1,000-word story?
I spent the first seven years of my career as a journalist at daily newspapers. I can think of only a small number of editors in the last 100 years who liked to start fights. Fortunately, I worked for two of them.
Just because someone has freedom of speech doesn't mean he has to use it.
By Dawnfire82, at
Sun Oct 22, 08:39:00 PM:
Does that make it less pathetic to target the interests that won't hurt you but deserve it less and ignore or pamper the dangerous ones?
No. It just makes it normal.
By skipsailing, at
Mon Oct 23, 10:33:00 AM:
DEC's argument for "self restraint" in the press is specious at best.
American Journalism has been trending leftward for quite a while now. part of the left's agenda is the replacement of old religions with their new faith of atheism. so we see stories about piss christ and madonna on a cross. Everything the ACLU does to damage christianity in America get attention. Even the Boy Scouts must be destroyed in order to replace their 'faith' with the new creed of 'no faith'.
DEC seems to think that the media responds to fear with self restraint rather than courage. Since it takes no courage to whack around christians, we get Charlotte Church's little escapade. And since it takes significant courage to take on CAIR's vast assembly of savage lawyers we get virtually no coverage.
It just won't wash and the nation is doing the right thing by turning its back on the feckless cowards in the MSM.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Mon Oct 23, 12:18:00 PM:
Skipsailing: "American Journalism has been trending leftward for quite a while now..."
American journalism isn't "trending" leftward. In most cases, it has always been "left." Read Joseph Pulitzer's 19th-century statements about the role of a newspaper.
However, in the past many of the dominant forces in the left were fighters, not pacifists (labor movements, Spanish Civil War, WWII, etc.).
The political left has always been better than the political right at generating supporting news coverage. (The bumbling President Carter was an exception.) The political left knows how to hit the hot buttons of the press. Many in the political left work for NGOs. The paychecks of these folks depend upon their ability to generate donations through news coverage.
Many Republicans have business training and backgrounds. Except for product promotions and personnel announcements, businessmen like to stay out of the press.
Meanwhile, the West continues to underestimate the propaganda skills of Middle Easterners. Americans think about Baghdad Bob and chuckle. But Middle Eastern "propagandists" spread two great religions--Islam and Christianity--around the world. And Saddam managed to convince most of the world that he had huge stockpiles of WMD.
By skipsailing, at
Mon Oct 23, 12:39:00 PM:
Several good points DEC, thank you.
the left has a flair for drama. Various efforts to offset this have been dismal failures. I recall the "silent majority" for example.
As for propagandists, I believe that we misunderstand the audience for much of this effort. Baghdad Bob was laughable, but I imagine that many in the ME find him and others like him credible indeed. After all they are fed a steady diet of this pap.
By , at
Tue Oct 24, 03:49:00 AM:
WELL,WELL, I think they said "Up Yours" DEC. (whats in a name?)
Censorship won't work, 'cos some people care and realize the problem, while others cower in the corner and lock the door.
For my part, I've tightened the zipper, and turned off the volume, BUT in the near future...........
I'll changer the venue and the medium, however, so you needn't worry.
I'll keep you posted Mr Journalist.
BTW, which two editors had balls, I might apply for a job!!!!!!!!
Or just maybe my own site!!!! Now wouldn't that be something???
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Tue Oct 24, 12:49:00 PM:
For the record, a troll just used my name, D.E. Cloutier (which is on my blog).
