The BBC’s decision to let Birmingham Central Mosque censor a televised discussion that was to be broadcast from there has thrown yet another spotlight on both the intolerance of mainstream Islam, and the BBC’s willingness to let this intolerant ideology set the agenda.

The BBC3 debate programme Free Speech featured a pre-recorded video segment from Asifa Lahore who describes himself as ‘Britain’s only Muslim drag queen’. Originally the question posed by Asifa Lahore was to be on the lines of the difficulties of reconciling being British, being Gay and being Muslim. Asifa wanted to put the question to both the Mosque and the country as a whole ‘when will it be OK to be Gay and Muslim’?

However Asifa never got the chance to answer the question as the BBC eagerly allowed the mosque to censor the programme as the presenter said that asking this question had been dropped at the insistence of Birmingham Central Mosque.

I’ve seen numerous programmes on the subject of sexuality and religion over the years on the BBC and I can’t imagine them allowing the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Archbishop of Westminster or the Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue to dictate programme content in this way. So why the pandering to Birmingham Central Mosque? Is it because the culture of the BBC has ‘pander to Islam’ as a default position? Many licence payers, myself included, would rather that the BBC had wasted the money spent on setting up Birmingham Central Mosque for broadcast and moved the programme to an empty industrial unit instead. Much better to have a bit of waste than allowing Birmingham Central Mosque to dictate terms like this.

The Guardian newspaper said of the decision and the furore that this decision has caused:

“The live show, hosted by Rick Edwards and featuring a panel including government minister and Lib Dem peer Susan Kramer, broadcast a pre-recorded question by Asifa Lahore, self-described as Britain’s “first and only gay Muslim drag queen” who asked: “One question I would like to ask the Muslim community is, when will it be right to be Muslim and gay?”

Edwards, who introduced the programme as “the show which makes your voice heard in the national conversation”, interrupted before any of the panel or studio audience had a chance to respond, saying the question had been dropped in response to the concerns of Birmingham Central Mosque.

“We were going to debate that question but today after speaking to the mosque they have expressed deep concerns with having this discussion here,” said Edwards. “They were happy for us to play that video and we will talk about it on our next programme on 25 March.”

Lots of religions have ‘deep concerns’ over lots of things, that doesn’t mean they should be listened to or catered to does it? I’ve had the pleasure in the past of debating with Gay Muslims and I admire them for trying to see the good in an ideology that so often manifests itself in unpleasant ways. One of them said to me ‘If you believe that all humanity created by Allah is perfect, then how can I as a Gay Man be considered as imperfect or anathema?’ Good for him, however I think that he is on a hiding to nothing though. Personally I disagree with them because I believe that trying to find the humanity in Islam is both futile and pointless while both the Meccan and Medina parts of the Koran are treated by Muslims as being of equal worth.  

I’m all in favour of reasonable religious accommodation by individuals and society, where these exemptions do not impinge on the generality of society, but these accommodations have to be reasonable. Birmingham Central Mosque’s demand that questions by a gay Muslim are censored is anything but reasonable. It is a shameful example of religious censorship and it is even more shameful that the BBC went along with it. I’d have more respect for the BBC if they had told Birmingham Central Mosque to ‘bugger off ‘, that they did not is a possible indication of a widespread and deep seated policy of Islamo-pandering within the BBC.

It is a sad day to see the BBC turn into the Mecca Propaganda Corporation, before our very eyes.

Links

Guardian story on this matter

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/13/bbc-censorhip-free-speech-mosque

The programme itself

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03y6m8y/Free_Speech_Series_3_Episode_1/?t=35m46s