The Islamic extremist threat to charities

The head of the Charity Commission, William Shawcross, has told his old newspaper The Sunday Times that Islamic extremism is becoming the deadliest problem faced by charities:

I’m sure that in places like Syria and Somalia it is very, very difficult for charities always to know what the end use of their aid is, but they’ve got to be particularly vigilant,” he says. “The problem of Islamist extremism . . . is not the most widespread problem we face in terms of abuse of charities, but is potentially the most deadly. And it is, alas, growing.

This is the second story on Radio 4's news bulletins this morning and the third story on the BBC News website, so it isn't being ignored.

The BBC News website article, however, gets it slightly wrong, saying

Islamic extremism is the "most deadly" threat to charities in England and Wales, the Charity Commission has said.

Chairman William Shawcross warned that while the issue is not currently widespread, it is growing. 

Mr Shawcross didn't, in fact, say that it's the "most deadly" threat; he said it's "potentially the most deadly", which is something quite different.

Moreover, he didn't say the problem "is not currently widespread"; he said it "is not the most widespread problem we face", which, again, is something rather different, isn't it?


Coda: Though the BBC was initially doing rather well with the Operation Trojan Horse story, even taking an active role in reporting it, the corporation has gradually began sinking back into its bad old ways, and it's striking that none of the revelations begin reported by Andrew Gilligan in the Telegraph are presently making their way onto the BBC News website, which - except for reporting a speech by Labour's Tristram Hunt - has been quiet on the story since Thursday, when Phil Mackie's Operation Trojan Horse: Will we ever learn the truth? was published. That article had the feel of an attempt punctuation mark, probably a full stop. The news has moved on dramatically since then, and no such punctuation mark is possible, but the BBC website is failing to keep up.

Update: Aha. 12.47 today. A new BBC article on the subject: Extremist 'takeovers' in Birmingham schools? And Double Aha. 13.08 today. A second new BBC article on the subject: Ofsted chief Wilshaw takes charge of Trojan Horse.