Further to a post here on Saturday night, the ever-excellent Daphne Anson has published a piece called Something To Do With Islam: The BBC befuddles British schoolkids.
Exploring further, Daphne looked at the Test at the end of the Crusades section of BBC Bitesize's medieval history course and found this question, which she rightly calls "childish":
Note that Muhammad got a "peace be upon him" bestowed upon him there by the respectful BBC.
She also provides neat little example of the BBC making a 'value judgement' on a political issue:
One of her readers put in a complaint about that and got a swift reply from the BBC (which you'll have to click on to enlarge and read, as our blog isn't wide enough!):
The BBC is standing by its 'value judgement' by refusing to admit that it's a 'value judgement'.
There was ant article on the BBC website a few weeks ago written in a similar vein “explaining” who Trotsky was. It appeared to be aimed at eight year olds who were wondering about all those Trots in Labour Party. According to the article one of Trotsky’s attributes was his belief in democracy. Well yes… in the sense that the GDR was, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a democracy. Who writes this tosh? Is it bias or are they just plain stupid?
ReplyDeleteHe actually closed down the democratic assembly in Russia and famously consigned its members to the "dustbin of history".
DeleteIronically I don't think that many Muslim scholars would agree with the statement that the Prophet Muhammad founded the Muslim religion. The religion of Islam (not "Muslim religion") is supposed to have existed forever, and been expressed by Prophets throughout history - it's just submission to Allah's will. Old Mo was simply supposed to be the last Prophet who put the seal on the religion. He couldn't be the "founder" of the religion. You have to remember Muslims claim Jews and Christians have mendaciously altered their holy books, which is why they differ in message from the Koran.
ReplyDeleteI hope no one puts a Fatwa on the BBC for such an insulting suggestion against the Prophet being made - that he invented it all himself.
Annonymous is absolutely correct, certainly according to Sunni orthodoxy, about Muhammad not being considered the religion's founder. An example of the BBC thinking itself far cleverer than it actually is.
ReplyDeleteI, however, am still trying to get over the "peace be upon him" statement which goes far beyond being "respectful" & amounts to a declaration of adherence.
Truly shocking. Surely complaints have been made?