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BBC refuses on-air apology over Question Time 'Muslim slur'

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Published Date: 31 May 2009
By Jeremy Watson
THE BBC has rejected calls for an on-air apology over controversial remarks made by a Question Time panellist that Muslim leaders in the UK were encouraging the slaughter of British troops.
Following the broadcast in March and comments made by journalist Charles Moore, the corporation has reportedly offered to pay £30,000 to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and carry an apology on the Question Time website.

In a statement release
d yesterday, the BBC said: "Question Time always had a lively and wide-ranging debate. On occasion, this results in unfairness to individuals who aren't there to put their view and this is one of those occasions."

But BBC chiefs have turned down a request to air an apology during the popular programme hosted by veteran presenter Sir David Dimbleby. A BBC insider said yesterday: "It's not the case that we have agreed to an on-air apology. That is not something that is being entertained."

Moore, a former editor of the Daily Telegraph, was speaking in the wake of Islamic protests that disrupted a UK soldiers' homecoming parade in March.

During the show in question, Moore said: "I've gone to (the MCB] many times, and said, 'Will you condemn the killing and kidnapping of British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan?', and they won't. Because these wars are in Muslim countries, they will not do this. They do one thing that is perfectly understandable – they are opposed to the war. That is perfectly legitimate.

"But there is a bigger step they take … they say it is actually a good thing, even an Islamic thing, to kill or kidnap British soldiers."

Moore was speaking two days after a homecoming in Luton for the Royal Anglian Regiment was disrupted by an anti-war demonstration featuring vocal Muslim protesters. They waved placards with slogans including: "Anglian Soldiers: Butchers of Basra" and "Anglian Soldiers: cowards, killers, extremists".

The MCB formally presented a letter of complaint to the BBC after the March broadcast and threatened legal action, resulting in the corporation's offer of an apology.

MCB secretary general Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari said: "These kinds of statements are very damaging and we received many complaints from our Muslim supporters who said they were extremely offended by the comments. In fact, when a British man called Ken Bigley was kidnapped in Iraq, we sent envoys there to plead for his release. This is accusing us of encouraging terrorism abroad."

The council wants an on-air apology on the Thursday night political programme. This month it attracted a record 3.8 million viewers for an edition dealing with MPs' expenses.

Question Time is recorded an hour before broadcast so that lawyers can check the content for possible defamatory remarks. It is believed that no legal objections were made to Moore's comments, which were seen as provocative but not legally actionable.

All the panellists condemned the actions of the protestors, but only Moore, now a political biographer, singled out the MCB – which on its website says its aim is to work for a more enlightened appreciation of Islam and Muslims in wider society – for criticism.





The full article contains 530 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 30 May 2009 6:57 PM
  • Source: Scotland On Sunday
  • Location: Scotland
  • Related Topics: The BBC
 
1

The Online Scot,

Scotland 30/05/2009 21:13:42
They still haven't broadcast an apology to Alex Salmond after Brian Taylor stated that his anser ti a trick matsh question was wrong.

The story went all over Scotland as regional newspapers reported the BBC claim. The Scotsman were forced to print a correction.

So, no surprise that the BBC refuse to broadcast an apology.
2

The Online Scot,

Scotland 30/05/2009 23:48:15
... answer to a trick maths question ...
3

Anthony,

Glasgow 31/05/2009 00:43:59
The critical point here surely has to be that there seems to have been no question of the BBC bothering to ascertain whether the comment made by Charles Moore and which the Muslim Council took such exception to, was actually true or not. I've no idea myself. But surely that had to be investigated first? Yet again, it seems that the BBC roll over to aggressive minority and particularly muslic groups. Isn't finding out the truth important anymore?
4

Scottish and Proud,

Glasgow 31/05/2009 00:44:43
Nor has Scotland received an apology for the remarks made by that pompous little englander twit,
Nor do I recall £30k beinf paid to a Scottish charity
5

Fifi la Bonbon,

31/05/2009 00:52:47
There's too much public apologising going on.

People have no right not to be offended. If somebody says something you dissagree with, politely tell them why you think they are wrong and move on.

The only people who need apologies are insecure chippy types.
6

Mercutio,

FALKIRK 31/05/2009 02:20:15
#1&4 Don't be so parochial, oh I forgot you just can't help it.
7

W Smith,

Middle East 31/05/2009 05:00:04
In the nineties, on Panorama, one member of the audience was allowed to call Roman Catholic Mother Theresa a "sacred cow".

Very insulting and was said with such venom I was surprised it wasn't edited out.

Mother Theresa and her organisation Sisters of Mercy, didn't even acknowledge this personal attack.

Good for her.

Funny how she could take criticism better than some muslim males.

BTW
The BBC never offered Mother Theresa an apology.
8

W Smith,

Middle East 31/05/2009 05:04:56
BTW
The BBC used to despise church goer Mary Whitehouse and she was slagged off by people like Bill Oddie, John Cleese and Billy Connelly.

The BBC mockingly called a comedy programme 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience'.

How brave of the BBC attacking an old church going granny who was unarmed.

By giving money to MCB the BBC are showing their bias - AGAIN.
9

greenhill,

31/05/2009 06:03:42
The BBC,just like the government,authors,publishers,theatres,art galleries etc, is afraid of Muslim violence.

They have not conceded that the comments were unfounded only that it was unfair that the MCB could not respond at the time. However that sort of "unfairness" goes on all the time on all sorts of issues.

Once again we have "The Religion of Peace" dictating terms with underlying menace. When these issues start to escalate we end up with thousands of bearded maniacs on the streets burning books and carrying placards threatening beheadings to infidels. The Police stand by and watch without intervention because they are also afraid.

We should stop behaving like frightened mice and crack down on these fuzzy faced nutters.
10

,

31/05/2009 06:25:48
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
11

JayJay,

Right here 31/05/2009 09:04:48
This situation would have given the MCB the perfect platform to issue an unqualified denunciation of crazed preachers such as Abu Hamza, stating very clearly that the views and comments of these individuals was both unislamic and unrepresentative of the views of the wider Muslim community.
Instead they threaten legal action and the BBC immediately caves in.
I worry now that we only have very heavily qualified free speech in this country. Guys can take to the streets demanding death and destruction, and are ignored by the police - meanwhile the riot squad is out cracking a few skulls when a few thousand people point out the not exactly well hidden truth that a bunch of bankers had completely taken the pash out of the country.
12

Budgie,

INCHINNAN 31/05/2009 09:31:37
We may have to face the prospect of an increase in our licence fee if the BBC start paying money - along with any apology - to our Muslim friends, who seem to find offence at every turn.
13

The Former Mr. Angry,

Perth 31/05/2009 10:11:03
So:-
1) There was no legal basis on which the broadcast with the remarks should have been withdrawn
2) As far as we know no complaint has been made about Charles Moore by the MCB as to the correctness of his statements
3) As soon as there's chirp from the MCB regarding them being outraged and offended £30,000 of your and my spondulicks are produced at the drop of a hat!

This organisation really needs to get a grip on reality and the BBC just needs to grow a spine. Some Muslims are wonderfully talented at mumping and moaning about perceived insults and yet we meekly say sorry (not on the BBC yet, but give it time) while their brethern parade up and down shouting insults and chants and display posters with actionable content which is ignored by the police. Where ARE the responsible majority of Muslims or are they too cowed by this type of harrassment and bullying? This is Charles Moore's point and there haven't been many sensible answers yet.

Meanwhile the miles of Abu Qatadr and Hamza continue to spout bile and venom about Britain and our troops' involvement in Muslim countries.

A further point is that the MCB of course miss the point in terms of their ability to engage in free speech in this country. Imagine a Christian trying to do so in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan - well there have been some examples in the fairly recent past, but of course they weren't offered any compensation, naturally and certainly nowehere near £30,000.

BBC licence needs to be revoked permanently.
14

Douglas,

Bathgate 31/05/2009 10:27:53
The followers of the prophet don't make it easy for open minded folk to remain that way.
Condemn their (seemingly ever growing) vocal minority out of hand then come back for a wee chat.
15

Alan B,

31/05/2009 10:50:30
Surely the point is we want to live in a country where people live side by side in peace and get on with each other.

Having the national media hamming up anti feeling about one group as we have seen from the press or the bbc giving oxygen of publicity to neo bnp type views does not help to have a harmonise society.

The media should focus on policy or individuals and not try to brand whole groups in a certain light.

Much of it is just an update on Tebbits old cricket test.

At the end of the day we have considerable amounts of racism within society and this just encourages it with the average joe from that community getting abuse as a result.
16

Padraig,

31/05/2009 11:01:12
I for one am tired of hearing some muslims' agressive demands for favouritism - they are simply playing on our tolerance to see how far they can stretch it.

At some point, we shall have to put a stop to it and, as with all bullies, the longer we leave it, the more strident our response will need to be.
17

Silence of the Yams,

31/05/2009 11:23:22
£30k for what? The BBC are a joke. To hell with them all. This country's problems with fascist Islamic loons is only beginning: They are still coming here in their droves and we are not doing a thing. By the time brain-washed docile white majority act it will be too late. This country will be knackered.
18

greenhill,

31/05/2009 11:25:05
RE:Alan B,31/05/2009 10:50:30
.............................................


Muslims are not a race and Islam is a dogmatic belief system. In fact it is racist to suggest that Muslims are a race. Fascism is also a dogmatic belief system and if you wish to take issue with it then you should feel free to do so. In your version of a "harmonious society" it seems we should not be comfortable criticising a particular dogma.

In this case we have the national media bowing down in abject dhimmitude before arising to shout:

"Allah Akbar, and here's your £30'000 quid"

This sort of thing has been going on for far too long. The first time I came across it was back in 1980 when the Saudi dictatorship threatened to cripple Britain’s economy as it had done in 1973.This time because of a TV documentary. The program was about the public execution of a princess who committed the crime of choosing who she wished to love. The British Government backed down and apologised.

Like them and the MCB you are an enemy of freedom living in a free society.
19

Observer,,

Glasgow 31/05/2009 12:26:03
Charles Moore is a bare faced liar. At no stage ever have the Muslim Council of Britain condoned the kidnapping and killing of British soldiers. That Question Time should broadcast such comments without rebuttal shows just how common anti-muslim sentiment is, and how casually people feel free to make shockingly ignorant statements that stigmitise a whole section of society without even feeling the need to apologise when they are corrected as to their ignorance.
20

Alan B,

31/05/2009 12:37:40
#greenhill

I think you are mixing things up.

I am not talking about Saudi and international relations with certain countries but internal uk issues as per the article.

As such it is a completely different issue and a complete red herring to the basic premise of the article and nothing to do with my post that you were replying to.

Without getting to side tracked with Saudi the west have preserved the Saudi (dictatorship) leadership to ensure oil supplies for the west. It leads into the whole area of oil politics. That we depend on oil rich countries for oil and the influence that has over our politics and where we try to control and influence their politics.

The issue which you tried distract from in your response is uk internal relations and how to best promote harmony.

I am full aware that islam is not a race. But that you need to point that out shows the silliness of your point.

I said that the media hamming up anti muslim feeling encourages racism. That is wider than just anti muslim feeling. We do have a problem with racism in this country that you failed to acknowledge. A problem that means that those from other ethnic background and not necessarily muslim get abused.

With freedom of speech comes responsibility. Do we really want to promote hatred.






21

greenhill,

31/05/2009 13:58:56
REAlan B,31/05/2009 12:37:40


I have not mixed anything up: You did that. It was very clear you were conflating Islam with race.

However consistent with your intellectual and moral cowardice you are now slyly shifting tack and making out that criticism of Islam leads to racism and therefore Islam should not be criticised. This is a savvy attempt at silencing open speech. Once again you prove yourself to be an enemy of freedom.

If the bully boys of the MCB have a problem with Charles Moore then they should sue him personally and not go for the soft touch dhimmis at the BBC.

The reference to "Death of a Princess" was of internal relevance because we had Islamic dictators laying down the law on what we should watch on our domestic TV and what opinions should be expressed within the UK on Islamic issues.That was the beginning and we have had plenty more ever since. “Death of a Princess” was a high value production but has never been repeated on British TV and we all know why.

That episode ended up with dhimmis like Nicholas Winterton and Lord Carrington kissing militant Islamic butt and nothing has changed. Our society now lives under an invisible fatwa where playwrights, art galleries, TV companies and novelists censor themselves because of the threat of Islamic violence which is backed up by the enemies of free speech like you.
22

Observer,,

Glasgow 31/05/2009 15:35:44
Greenhill you are wrong. And you are over-complicating things. Charles Moore made a statement which was not true. He made a statement on a pre-recorded programme which gave viewers the belief that British muslims support the kidnapping and execution of UK troops. That was irresponsible editorially.

Statements like Moore's give rise to hostility against ordinary muslims, and Police figures here in Scotland prove that racial attacks on Asians have increased rapidly since 9/11 - making them the biggest group of people in Scotland to suffer from what the Police classify as racism.

When people make casual Islamophobic statements that can result in attacks on Asians, that's the point that Alan was making, and he is entirely correct.
23

Joe Macdelta.,

31/05/2009 16:19:34
I have no Idea what they want an apology for, Abu Hamza is surely viewed by many as an Islamic leader, he certainly doesnt preach love and understanding, as do many others of his like.
24

greenhill,

31/05/2009 16:50:40
What abject nonsense I actually watched it.

He specifically talked about the Muslim Council of Britain .He had every right to say what he said and was strongly opposed by a Muslim on the panel and a member of the Labour party. He was outnumbered in the debate and the point about the MCB not representing Muslims was made strongly.

The MCB is once again playing the hurt feelings card in a gratuitous manner. They wish to imply that free speech causes racism in order prevent criticism. They also imply that they represent Muslims in Britain and anyone criticising them insults all Muslims. This is nonsense. It is the MCB that is, not for the first time, stirring up trouble.

Alan started out on one tack then slithered into another but the message was rather similar: free speech is not allowed. You are at it as well this time implying that Muslims are a race because the Police say so.

The Police Ha! Ha! Ha!

Islam is on the same page as Scottish Nationalism, The Labour Party, Christianity, Nuclear Power, Astrology, The Press, Farming and all manner of entities and subjects that are up for criticism.

What next should people not criticise Israel because that fuels anti Semitism and leads to attacks on Synagogues and Jews? Eh! Eh!

Free speech is sacred.
25

greenhill,

31/05/2009 16:55:07
My above post refers to Observers comment at #23
26

Observer,,

Glasgow 31/05/2009 16:58:02
25 Yes of course free speech is sacred, but with free speech comes responsibility. No spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain has ever said that it is a good thing to kidnap and kill British soldiers, as Mr Moore stated. That makes him a liar, and a liar who's provocative statements could cause harm to others.

Freedom of speech does not extend to liars Greenhill.

27

greenhill,

31/05/2009 17:59:39
RE Observer,,Glasgow 31/05/2009 16:58:02

The British Government took the same view as Moore and withdrew funding from the MCB.

Daud Abdullah,Rashid al Ghannoushi,Imam Abdul Qayum and Mohammed Sawalha all signed a document that endorsed the attacking of British warships and anyone who supports Israel and that means many uk citizens includind soldiers. Daud Abdullah has since backtracked in an unconvincing manner.

Nevertheless it should be stressed that Moore specifically stated that the MCB did not represent ordinary Muslims and the other panellists made the point even more strongly. The overall discussion portrayed ordinary Muslims in a good light whilst attacking the MCB.

I wonder why they have said nothing about the female Muslim panellist who attacked the MCB for being male dominated? (rhetorical question).The claim that the broadcast was an attack on Muslims is totally bogus.

The Broadcast was responsible and the MCB should sue Moore if they object to his stance.
28

Observer,,

Glasgow 31/05/2009 19:35:48
Greenhill you are being economical with the truth.

The Government suspended links with the Muslim Council over Gaza after Daud Abdullah signed the Istanbul declaration which made no specific mention of British troops. Abdullah said ''I did not and do not condone calls for attacks on British troops'' the Declaration itself stated that the sending of foreign warships into Muslim waters would be regarded as an act of war, which I would say would probably seem quite reasonable if you happened to be a Gazan.

Moore claimed that the Muslim Council thought it was a ''good thing, even an Islamic thing'' to kill UK troops. In point of fact the MCB's secretary-general Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari has categorically and publicly condemned attacks on British soldiers.

So it was a lie, amd the MCB are perfectly at liberty to seek redress for that, as could anyone else who is defamed on national television.

29

greenhill,

31/05/2009 20:14:34
RE Observer,,Glasgow 31/05/2009 19:35:48

The clear implication of that document was permission to attack British troops as well as many others. You are being economical with the truth if you do not recognise that.

Abdullah changed his tune and issued a counter statement after he was subsequently found out and put under pressure. Islam allows dishonesty in defence of the faith so his new stance cannot be trusted. If you do not understand that Islam allows deception then you are ignorant .In addition the others have not recanted.

I watched the broadcast and the MCB should feel free to challenge Moore in Court and see what happens. That Question Time episode was pro Muslim but anti MCB. However the MCB is menacing the BBC which is despicable given the full context and content.

If you reckon the MCB represents Muslims then you are free to insult most Muslims, especially female Muslims .That is your choice.
30

Observer,,

Glasgow 31/05/2009 20:29:44
Greenhill why are you evading the core issue ? What Moore said was untrue, and the BBC has admitted that and apologised for airing accusations that the MCB encouraged the killing of British troops.

For you to drag in the Istanbul Declaration and various other red herrings just shows to me that you know your jacket is on a shoogley peg. Moore lied, he made an outrageous statement, the BBC had an hour to check the content of the programme before it was transmitted, and they broadcast Moore's defamatory comments anyway.

They shouldn't have done that.
31

weeshooie1,

Wollongong 01/06/2009 07:11:48
What a bunch of apologists.
32

Kenny A,

01/06/2009 14:40:47
Thre was nothing wrong with the comments made by the BBC this time, no money should have been paid.

Pathetic.

What is also forgotten is Muslim soldiers in the Army are also targeted, perhaps even more so.

Used to know a few and they were good guys. They had no time for this s£$t, do you ever see an apology from the Muslims?

 

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