People are castigating various BBC journalists for giving Anjem Choudary a platform. I’m with Pat. Give him as much platform as you can, and let it all hang out.
"Whatever you think about Andy Choudary no one can deny that he's true to himself. You won't catch him grovelling to the Daily Mail for a job and then slagging it off on 'Question Time' to curry cheap favour like a shameless whore because Andy has more integrity than that."
It's not just that the BBC gave Choudray 'a platform'. They've given Nick Griffin 'a platform', and given 'a platform' to Tommy Robinson and even Alex Jones. I mean the BBC has had them one once or twice or even a handful of times, during which they were savagely attacked, ganged up on, character assassinated, or just derided (Andrew Neil has done both those things to Robinson and Jones). The BBC can have somebody on once, and their will be complaints that they've 'given X a platform'. Massive difference to Choudray's experience.
The problem is that, for a very long time, the BBC treated Choudray as if he spoke for many Muslims, and no Beeboid ever once challenged his position that US/UK/Western foreign policy was responsible for everything, and that all Muslims would be peaceful if we weren't bombing terrorist outposts or killing terrorist leaders (not that he put it quite like that, you understand). They had him on far too often, and never gave him the Robinson or Griffin treatment. No Beeboid has ever called him 'a nasty piece of work' (Eddie Mair to Boris Johnson), or called him a racist (many of them to Farage), or told him he was responsible for violence done by associates (Neil, among others, to Robinson). No Beeboid or even a guest has ever said Choudray is dangerous and must be stopped (dozens about Trump). He never experienced the QT gang-bang, never been the butt of jokes on HIGNFY or Mock the Week or any of the radio 'comedy' programmes that I'm aware of.
It wasn't until about three years ago that the complaints to too much, and the evidence too great, that they dropped him from speed dial. But they still didn't know how to handle him. The presenters would be somewhat challenging, just a bit, here and there. But it would be about his being on benefits or asking what his association was with this or that local perpetrator, always letting him slip out of it and never with the raised voice we hear against so many other guests.
That one John Humphrys segment was evidence of their brain-dead approach. Instead of challenging Choudray's viewpoints, he spent nearly the entire time trying to get him to condemn Lee Rigby's murder before even beginning to interview him. They will of course feel that they exposed him to the cleansing sunlight, let everyone hear for themselves how awful he is, but what a complete and utter contrast to how the BBC treats people who hold right-of-center or just non-Left views on anything.
Their sin is much greater than merely 'giving him a platform'. They have most likely contributed directly to his influence by lending him the prestige of being a regular for so long, and for not attacking him like they've done to so many others.
Well said Pat Condell. Can`t top what David says above-but Choudhury is not guilty of anything other than being a Muslim "Ad Adsurdem"...which isn`t actually much of a stroll from Sura I if you try to plough through the stodge...plodging ! Condell is quite right-Choudhury is only the endpoint of Islamic fantasy, and is pretty much their Luther. Easily squashed theologically-but seeing as the BBC and the chattering classes no longer "do God"...then Anjem will fill the void for them. We Judeo-Christians only need to drive by and watch what`s coming...Pat knows his Koran enough to have an opinion....the lefty liberal daisy chain will learn they ought to have studied a bit whist they had the chance.
This made me laugh:
ReplyDelete"Whatever you think about Andy Choudary no one can deny that he's true to himself. You won't catch him grovelling to the Daily Mail for a job and then slagging it off on 'Question Time' to curry cheap favour like a shameless whore because Andy has more integrity than that."
Who could he possibly mean Mr Hasan? :)
DeleteIt's not just that the BBC gave Choudray 'a platform'. They've given Nick Griffin 'a platform', and given 'a platform' to Tommy Robinson and even Alex Jones. I mean the BBC has had them one once or twice or even a handful of times, during which they were savagely attacked, ganged up on, character assassinated, or just derided (Andrew Neil has done both those things to Robinson and Jones). The BBC can have somebody on once, and their will be complaints that they've 'given X a platform'. Massive difference to Choudray's experience.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that, for a very long time, the BBC treated Choudray as if he spoke for many Muslims, and no Beeboid ever once challenged his position that US/UK/Western foreign policy was responsible for everything, and that all Muslims would be peaceful if we weren't bombing terrorist outposts or killing terrorist leaders (not that he put it quite like that, you understand). They had him on far too often, and never gave him the Robinson or Griffin treatment. No Beeboid has ever called him 'a nasty piece of work' (Eddie Mair to Boris Johnson), or called him a racist (many of them to Farage), or told him he was responsible for violence done by associates (Neil, among others, to Robinson). No Beeboid or even a guest has ever said Choudray is dangerous and must be stopped (dozens about Trump). He never experienced the QT gang-bang, never been the butt of jokes on HIGNFY or Mock the Week or any of the radio 'comedy' programmes that I'm aware of.
It wasn't until about three years ago that the complaints to too much, and the evidence too great, that they dropped him from speed dial. But they still didn't know how to handle him. The presenters would be somewhat challenging, just a bit, here and there. But it would be about his being on benefits or asking what his association was with this or that local perpetrator, always letting him slip out of it and never with the raised voice we hear against so many other guests.
That one John Humphrys segment was evidence of their brain-dead approach. Instead of challenging Choudray's viewpoints, he spent nearly the entire time trying to get him to condemn Lee Rigby's murder before even beginning to interview him. They will of course feel that they exposed him to the cleansing sunlight, let everyone hear for themselves how awful he is, but what a complete and utter contrast to how the BBC treats people who hold right-of-center or just non-Left views on anything.
Their sin is much greater than merely 'giving him a platform'. They have most likely contributed directly to his influence by lending him the prestige of being a regular for so long, and for not attacking him like they've done to so many others.
Well said Pat Condell.
ReplyDeleteCan`t top what David says above-but Choudhury is not guilty of anything other than being a Muslim "Ad Adsurdem"...which isn`t actually much of a stroll from Sura I if you try to plough through the stodge...plodging !
Condell is quite right-Choudhury is only the endpoint of Islamic fantasy, and is pretty much their Luther.
Easily squashed theologically-but seeing as the BBC and the chattering classes no longer "do God"...then Anjem will fill the void for them.
We Judeo-Christians only need to drive by and watch what`s coming...Pat knows his Koran enough to have an opinion....the lefty liberal daisy chain will learn they ought to have studied a bit whist they had the chance.