I spotted some #bbcbias tweets bemoaning the fact that Douglas Murray was on Question Time last night and Tom Holland was on This Week straight after.
Where were the Islamic scholars?", the twitterers twittered.
If you haven't seen it yet, This Week's discussion of the Islamic State nomenclature row, featuring Tom Holland, Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Alastair Campbell, is a much-watch - quite unlike pretty much anything else you'll have ever seen elsewhere on BBC TV....and a million miles away (or more) from the kind of discussion you're ever likely to hear on Radio 4 on a Sunday morning.
And, yes, there were no Islamic scholars to be seen. Thank Allah.
Yes, the Tom Holland section was the best thing I have seen on Islam on the BBC - actually rooted in reality, a sane voice saying sane things. And he couldn't have had a better interviewer that Neil, who gave him the space to offer up thoughtful responses.
ReplyDeleteHad we had Islamic scholars on This Week, Holland would have been the subject of a full scale Taqiyya onslaught with false equivalences, subtle or not so subtle accusations of racism, irrelevant appeals to good neighbourliness and mutual respect, obfuscation, and deceptions about matters relating to the Life of Mo.
It was very good. Although I felt Holland's little filmed monologue offered more mealy-mouthed dancing around the truth while claiming to criticize those dancing around it mealy-mouthed.
ReplyDeleteThe best part was where Andrew Neil agreed with Geert Wilders (not by name, of course) that quoting Old Testament unpleasantness was irrelevant because nobody believes any of the violent bits are laws to live by any more. Islam needs a real Reformation and Enlightenment, and it's not going to happen overnight. We will live in interesting times until then.
Also, I have no problem with Holland seeming to sympathize with Muslims trying to work this out. He was clearly relating to the personal level. It is very difficult and painful to break down something so personal, something on which one bases self-identity.
But points deducted in the end, because the programme info on the episode page says:
Tom Holland gives his take on so-called Islamic State, and how the group should be referred to.
They're already doing it! The decision was already made, and now we're supposed to believe they're having the debate? Come on.
"Tom Holland gives his take on so-called Islamic State, and how the group should be referred to".
DeleteGood spot, David! That's priceless.