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UK Religion


2019

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Rest in Peace Peace TV...

Ofcom suspends broadcasting licence after repeated broadcast of religious material inciting murder


Link Here28th November 2019
Full story: Ofcom on Religion...ofcom keep religious extremism in check
Ofcom issued a draft notice to suspend the broadcasting licence of Club TV Limited, after its channel Peace TV Urdu repeatedly rebroadcast material that we had previously found incited murder.

Ofcom has a duty to suspend a broadcast licence if we are satisfied that the licensee has broadcast a programme likely to encourage or to incite the commission of crime; that it has therefore contravened its licence conditions; and that the contravention justifies the revocation of the licence.

On 18 November 2019, having received Ofcom's draft suspension notice, Club TV surrendered its licence. Its sister company Lord Production Inc Limited, which held the licence to broadcast the English language Peace TV service, also surrendered its licence at the same time.

The Peace TV and Peace TV Urdu services are no longer broadcasting.

 

 

Strong words...

Ofcom to consider sanctions for a channel airing threatening language directed at a critic of the sikh faith


Link Here24th November 2019
Full story: Ofcom on Religion...ofcom keep religious extremism in check
Ofcom has rapped KTV, a channel broadcasting to UK Sikhs, for a show in March 2019, in which a viewer complained of material shown in the live discussion programme Panthak Masle .

Presented by Jagjit Singh Jeeta, it featured a panel of guest contributors, five of whom were spiritual and community leaders. The topic of discussion was Harnek Singh, also referred to in the programme as Neki, a Sikh radio presenter resident in New Zealand who has been raising questions on and criticising various aspects of the Sikh faith since 2013.

The viewer complained that the programme was likely to encourage or incite crime or violence. The complainant said that the programme tried to incite fear and terror towards Harnek Singh and included threats of violence directed towards him.

KTV said that during the live discussion, the presenter was shocked -- and didn't expect this sort of language from such religious people. It said that the host initially did not know how to react but maintained his professionalism and later did mention that these comments were not the views of KTV and that Ofcom would not appreciate them. KTV added that after the programme, the host was extremely upset as he felt he had been misled by the guests and was shocked that such religious members of the community would behave in such a way.

Ofcom considered the Licensee failed to provide sufficient and effective challenge or context to the extreme views presented within this programme. For all the reasons, Ofcom considered that the programme provided a platform for several guests to express views which amounted to indirect calls to action and were likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or lead to disorder. In Ofcom's view, this indicated a fundamental lack of understanding of the Licensee's compliance obligations under the Code.

Ofcom considered the breaches in this case to be extremely serious. Ofcom has put KTV on notice that it will consider these breaches for the imposition of a statutory sanction.

 

 

Offsite Article: Now they want to outlaw non-violent political groups...


Link Here 30th September 2019
A report from the Tony Blair Institute proposes some alarming new forms of censorship. By Andrew Tettenborn

See article from spiked-online.com

 

 

Doing the Time Warp in Chester...

Good to see christian protestors returning to the streets in their years old campaign against the Rocky Horror Show


Link Here18th September 2019
There was a protest outside Chester's Storyhouse on Monday as the highly anticipated Rocky Horror Show opened in the city for its first night.

The iconic rock n roll musical which has been performed worldwide for the past 45 years and contains themes including homosexuality and cross-dressing is one of the most popular shows in the history of theatre.

But not everyone shares this opinion. A group of christian protesters set up camp opposite the theatre, brandishing placards bearing Bible quotes and shouting at audience members that they had dirty minds as they arrived. One sign read:

Be sure your sin will find you out.

Pastor Peter Simpson, minister of Penn Free Methodist Church, was unhappy that the show focuses on themes including gender fluidity and homosexuality.

Earlier this month a pastor in Buckinghamshire handed a letter of protest into the Wycombe Swan theatre claiming the show to be 'a corruption of public decency'.

 

 

Offsite Article: Why is IPSO issuing guidance on Islam?...


Link Here14th September 2019
The press censor should not be telling journalists how to write about Muslims. By Tom Wilson

See article from spiked-online.com

 

 

Glasgow Friends of Israel recommend...

BBC 3 documentary The Nazi Pug: Joke or Hate?


Link Here6th August 2019
Full story: Insulting UK Law...UK proesecutions of jokes and insults on social media
The Nazi Pug: Joke or Hate? is a BBC 3 documentary.

Markus Meechan (known on YouTube as Count Dankula) is the victim of a travesty of justice as he was found guilty of posting a YouTube video judged grossly offensive and containing menacing, anti-Semitic and racist material. The video was a joke. but what does the prosecution of a YouTube comedian mean for freedom of expression. The BBC asks: is a censorious state overstepping the mark? Or are there some things you just shouldn't joke about?

BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Dan Murdoch (Britain's Forgotten Men; KKK: The Fight for White Supremacy) returns with this documentary following Markus as he explores London's comedy scene, to see what stand-ups can get away with, and why there's a backlash against edgy humour.

Matthew Berlow, of Glasgow Friends of Israel, said of the BBC documentary:

Are we really at the stage when we can now laugh at the painful deaths of six million human beings and call it edgy comedy?

Berlow has also called on YouTube to remove the original Count Dankula joke video that has know been viewed 4.3 million times. He claimed that YouTube is perpetuating the crime that Meechan was convicted of.

 

 

Offsite Article: Christian Concerns...


Link Here15th June 2019
Full story: Online Harms White Paper...UK Government seeks to censor social media
Who'd have thought that a Christian Campaign Group would be calling on its members to criticise the government's internet censorship bill in a consultation

See article from christianconcern.com

 

 

The church does its bit for unfair elections...

Exeter Cathedral no platforms UKIP on the basis of a PC no-np rape joke, whilst conveniently forgetting just how many church clergy have proven to be actual child rapists


Link Here20th May 2019
Exeter Cathedral has banned a Ukip candidate from taking part in hustings for Thursday's European elections.

Carl Benjamin, blogging as Sargon of Akkad, is the focus of a PC lynch mob after making a rape joke referencing Jess Phillips. He had been due to speak at the event alongside other candidates for the South West England region on Wednesday evening.

In a statement, Exeter Cathedral justified the censorship supposedly being concerned about milk shakes being thrown. The church said:

Under the rules of the Electoral Commission, we may exclude candidates from a non-selective hustings for a number of reasons, including concerns about public order.

In this case, the cathedral believes that the presence of one particular candidate may cause a risk to public order, given a number of incidents over the last few weeks. Ukip has been invited to send another candidate from its list of six candidates standing for election in the South West region.

Ukip's Devon chair, Margaret Dennis, said the move was outrageous and an affront to democracy. She told DevonLive :

The hustings are either open for the public to discuss and debate or it is an attempt to censor and restrict an opportunity to hear a range of views at this election.

She said Benjamin was an articulate and intelligent advocate not only for our party but for free speech.

 

 

Can't we have laws that apply to everyone equally?...

Government rejects wide definition of 'islamophobia', considered a backdoor blasphemy law


Link Here16th May 2019
Proposals for an official definition of 'Islamophobia' were rejected by the Government yesterday.

Downing Street said the suggested definition had not been broadly accepted, adding: This is a matter that will need further careful consideration. '

The definition had been proposed by a parliamentary campaign group, the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims. It wanted the Government to define Islamaphobia as rooted in racism or a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.

Ministers are now expected to appoint two independent advisers to draw up a less legally problematic definition, the Times reported.

A parliamentary debate on anti-Muslim prejudice is due to be held today in Parliament.

The criticism of the definition has been published in an open letter to the Home Secretary Sajid Javid:

Open Letter: APPG Islamophobia Definition Threatens Civil Liberties

The APPG on British Muslims' definition of Islamophobia has now been adopted by the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats Federal board, Plaid Cymru and the Mayor of London, as well as several local councils. All of this is occurring before the Home Affairs Select Committee has been able to assess the evidence for and against the adoption of the definition nationally.

Meanwhile the Conservatives are having their own debate about rooting out Islamophobia from the party.

According to the APPG definition, "Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness".

With this definition in hand, it is perhaps no surprise that following the horrific attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, some place responsibility for the atrocity on the pens of journalists and academics who have criticised Islamic beliefs and practices, commented on or investigated Islamist extremism.

The undersigned unequivocally, unreservedly and emphatically condemn acts of violence against Muslims, and recognise the urgent need to deal with anti-Muslim hatred. However, we are extremely concerned about the uncritical and hasty adoption of the APPG's definition of Islamophobia.

This vague and expansive definition is being taken on without an adequate scrutiny or proper consideration of its negative consequences for freedom of expression, and academic and journalistic freedom. The definition will also undermine social cohesion -- fuelling the very bigotry against Muslims which it is designed to prevent.

We are concerned that allegations of Islamophobia will be, indeed already are being, used to effectively shield Islamic beliefs and even extremists from criticism, and that formalising this definition will result in it being employed effectively as something of a backdoor blasphemy law.

The accusation of Islamophobia has already been used against those opposing religious and gender segregation in education, the hijab, halal slaughter on the grounds of animal welfare, LGBT rights campaigners opposing Muslim views on homosexuality, ex-Muslims and feminists opposing Islamic views and practices relating to women, as well as those concerned about the issue of grooming gangs. It has been used against journalists who investigate Islamism, Muslims working in counter-extremism, schools and Ofsted for resisting conservative religious pressure and enforcing gender equality.

Evidently abuse, harmful practices, or the activities of groups and individuals which promote ideas contrary to British values are far more likely to go unreported as a result of fear of being called Islamophobic. This will only increase if the APPG definition is formally adopted in law.

We are concerned that the definition will be used to shut down legitimate criticism and investigation. While the APPG authors have assured that it does not wish to infringe free speech, the entire content of the report, the definition itself, and early signs of how it would be used, suggest that it certainly would. Civil liberties should not be treated as an afterthought in the effort to tackle anti-Muslim prejudice.

The conflation of race and religion employed under the confused concept of 'cultural racism' expands the definition beyond anti-Muslim hatred to include 'illegitimate' criticism of the Islamic religion. The concept of Muslimness can effectively be transferred to Muslim practices and beliefs, allowing the report to claim that criticism of Islam is instrumentalised to hurt Muslims.

No religion should be given special protection against criticism. Like anti-Sikh, anti-Christian, or anti-Hindu hatred, we believe the term anti-Muslim hatred is more appropriate and less likely to infringe on free speech. A proliferation of 'phobias' is not desirable, as already stated by Sikh and Christian organisations who recognise the importance of free discussion about their beliefs.

Current legislative provisions are sufficient, as the law already protects individuals against attacks and unlawful discrimination on the basis of their religion. Rather than helping, this definition is likely to create a climate of self-censorship whereby people are fearful of criticising Islam and Islamic beliefs. It will therefore effectively shut down open discussions about matters of public interest. It will only aggravate community tensions further and is therefore no long term solution.

If this definition is adopted the government will likely turn to self-appointed 'representatives of the community' to define 'Muslimness'. This is clearly open to abuse. The APPG already entirely overlooked Muslims who are often considered to be "insufficiently Muslim" by other Muslims, moderates, liberals, reformers and the Ahmadiyyah, who often suffer persecution and violence at the hands of other Muslims.

For all these reasons, the APPG definition of Islamophobia is deeply problematic and unfit for purpose. Acceptance of this definition will only serve to aggravate community tensions and to inhibit free speech about matters of fundamental importance. We urge the government, political parties, local councils and other organisations to reject this flawed proposed definition.

  • Emma Webb, Civitas
  • Hardeep Singh, Network of Sikh Organisations (NSOUK)
  • Lord Singh of Wimbledon
  • Tim Dieppe, Christian Concern
  • Stephen Evans, National Secular Society (NSS)
  • Sadia Hameed, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB)
  • Prof. Paul Cliteur, candidate for the Dutch Senate, Professor of Law, University of Leiden
  • Brendan O'Neill, Editor of Spiked
  • Maajid Nawaz, Founder, Quilliam International
  • Rt. Rev'd Dr Gavin Ashenden
  • Pragna Patel, director of Southall Black Sisters
  • Professor Richard Dawkins
  • Rahila Gupta, author and Journalist
  • Peter Whittle, founder and director of New Culture Forum
  • Trupti Patel, President of Hindu Forum of Britain
  • Dr Lakshmi Vyas, President Hindu Forum of Europe
  • Harsha Shukla MBE, President Hindu Council of North UK
  • Tarang Shelat, President Hindu Council of Birmingham
  • Ashvin Patel, Chairman, Hindu Forum (Walsall)
  • Ana Gonzalez, partner at Wilson Solicitors LLP
  • Baron Desai of Clement Danes
  • Baroness Cox of Queensbury
  • Lord Alton of Liverpool
  • Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali
  • Ade Omooba MBE, Co-Chair National Church Leaders Forum (NCLF)
  • Wilson Chowdhry, British Pakistani Christian Association
  • Ashish Joshi, Sikh Media Monitoring Group
  • Satish K Sharma, National Council of Hindu Temples
  • Rumy Hasan, Academic and author
  • Amina Lone, Co-Director, Social Action and Research Foundation
  • Peter Tatchell, Peter Tatchell Foundation
  • Seyran Ates, Imam
  • Gina Khan, One Law for All
  • Mohammed Amin MBE
  • Baroness D'Souza
  • Michael Mosbacher, Acting Editor, Standpoint Magazine
  • Lisa-Marie Taylor, CEO FiLiA
  • Julie Bindel, journalist and feminist campaigner
  • Dr Adrian Hilton, academic
  • Neil Anderson, academic
  • Tom Holland, historian
  • Toby Keynes
  • Prof. Dr. Bassam Tibi, Professor Emeritus for International Relations, University of Goettingen
  • Dr Stephen Law, philosopher and author

 

 

Advertising an art exhibition by SKU...

Saatchi Gallery covers up art works after claims of blasphemy


Link Here6th May 2019
The Saatchi Gallery in London has censored works featuring an Islamic declaration of faith after complaints from Muslim visitors who claimed the artworks were blasphemous.

The Gallery is hosting an exhibition of new material by the artist SKU featuring a variety of works. However, it decided to censor the two 'offending' paintings that incorporated the text of the shahada, juxtaposed with images of a partially nude women with the background of a stylised US flag .

SKU suggested that the works should remain on the gallery wall but be covered up with sheets. He told the Sunday Times that it seemed a respectful solution that enables a debate about freedom of expression versus the perceived right not to be offended.

The Saatchi Gallery told the newspaper it fully supported freedom of artistic expression ...[BUT]... The gallery also recognises the sincerity of the complaints made against these works and supported the artist's decision to cover them until the end of the exhibition.

Offsite Comment: We must have the right to blaspheme against Islam

See article from spiked-online.com by Brendan O'Neil

The Saatchi Gallery's covering up of two Islamophobic paintings is an outrage.

 

 

Offsite Article: Tip-toeing on Easter eggshells...


Link Here31st March 2019
Advert censor warns that religious people are very sensitive to being made fun of at Easter

See article from asa.org.uk

 

 

For having lost but once your prime, you may forever tarry...

Ofcom to investigate Peace TV for religious preacher suggesting that fathers should push their daughters towards marriage


Link Here 15th January 2019

The TV censor Ofcom has announced that it is investigating Peace TV over a programme with an islamic preacher saying that fathers should push daughter's into marriage.

During an interview on religious discussion show Marriage and Divorce, Haitham al-Haddad, a Saudi-born Islamic preacher, said fathers should push and convince their daughters to get married. He also suggested women who were unmarried in their thirties would not receive good proposals in the amount and qualities. (Of course people have been citing the traditional adage for a long while before Peace TV turned up: And while ye may, go marry: For having lost but once your prime, You may forever tarry).

Haddad has previously been widely criticised for calling homosexuality an evil crime - and showing his apparent support for female genital mutilation.


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