The Times reports today that the BBC is facing a High Court challenge after it insisted on changes to an election broadcast in which the Christian Choice party voiced opposition to the building of Europe’s biggest mosque next to the site of the 2012 Olympics.
The short film would have described Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamic group behind the mosque, as “a separatist Islamic group. Tablighi Jamaat, the Times reports, opposes inter-faith dialogue and preaches that non-Muslims are an evil and corrupting influence. One of its British advocates has said that it aims to rescue Muslims from the culture and civilisation of Jews and Christians by creating “such hatred for their ways as human beings have for urine and excreta”.
The BBC refused to accept “separatist” — the corporation asked for “controversial” instead — and barred the use of “moderate Muslims” because the phrase implied that Tablighi Jamaat was less than moderate.
And ITV went a step farther, demanding that the adjective “controversial” be used merely to describe the planned mosque and not the group itself.
“This was a politically correct attempt to close down reasoned discussion and debate. It’s a matter of freedom of speech and democracy,” he said. “People rub along fairly well together in the East End of London, all different communities, faiths, colours and nationalities, but Tablighi Jamaat have been antagonistic separatists since they were founded.”
Readers should look at American journalist Bruce Bawer's excellent article on Europe's cultural retreat in the face of radical Islam, which is linked to now on the NCF site.
