MCB paranoia reaches new heights

Tonight’s Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, Undercover Mosque , has prompted a pre-emptive squeal of paranoid outrage from Muhammad Abdul Bari, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Channel 4 sent an undercover reporter into a few high-profile mosques and recorded Saudi-trained imams preaching radical nonsense about democracy, jihad, and how women are intellectually deficient.

Bari sees an evil media conspiracy at work behind the scenes:

From the latest transcript it is clear that Monday’s heavily hyped ‘Dispatches’ is an attempt to forment [sic] sectarian divisions among British Muslims

begins the press release. Indeed, it is easy to imagine a cabal of media conspirators sitting around a table figuring out ways to promote division among British Muslims – after they have fulfilled their “malicious agenda” against Christianity and succeeded in their “deliberate attempt to dilute the thinking of ordinary Hindus”.

Or maybe some religious groups adopt the status of persecuted victim in an attempt to silence any negative criticism of their faith? Hmm… which is the more likely scenario?

Bari does not attempt to deny that several outwardly moderate mosques have given platforms to some seriously nutty imams. What he is saying is that Channel 4 should shut up about it.

Undercover Mosque is broadcast tonight at 8pm.

Back in 2005 the MCB complained to Ofcom about a BBC documentary called “A Question of Leadership”. Ofcom dropped the investigation because the MCB did not provide the appropriate written authority to act on behalf of the named individuals they said they were complaining on behalf of, and also failed to complete a complaint form.


14 Responses to “MCB paranoia reaches new heights”

  1. Stuart says:

    Well done Dispatches. Does it occur to Bari that Muslims who just want to lead peaceful, decent lives in Britain are just as risk from being murdered by a public-transport bomber under the spell of the extremists in their midst?

  2. Alan says:

    How long more will Europe allow the preaching of this evil.

    Saudi Arabia – Preaching and Exporting Hate

    http://www.crusade-media.com/news45.html

  3. Andrew Nixon says:

    Hopefully Europe will continue to allow people to preach whatever they want, as a Europe where freedom of speech is restricted is not one I would ever want to live in, no matter how much I disagree with the views of certain individuals. After all, one can not take the piss out of someone if they’re not allowed to speak.

  4. Sameer says:

    I am not denying that extremism is a problem facing muslims, but I also urge people to realise that the media can take anything and use it to manipulate audiences. It is very easy to make a few videos of a few individuals talking nonsense and use them to make a 1 hour documentary that gives the impression that it is providing a full picture of what is happening. Trust me the show has given the wrong image of Muslims, it is far from reality, but it is an excellent piece of propaganda.

  5. Monitor says:

    Would that by Zionist propaganda, Sameer?

  6. Paul Christopher says:

    I’m sure Sameer’s reaction would be exactly the same if vicars in moderate English Churches were preaching the mass murder of Muslims.

    No, wait, I’m not.

  7. Tiger Dunc says:

    Sameer has a point, and a right to make that point. I have worked in media and have also seen how television footage can be manipulated to create whatever picture the programme maker wants to make. I would further qualify my statement by saying that I unfortunately missed the program last night, so can’t comment on it. What I would say though, it that unless you have been present at the making or editing of the program, it is difficult to make a call as to how manipulative it is within the material used (i.e what is used and what is discarded). Be careful about making a call about propaganda and bias, you may be asked to prove it.

  8. Paul Christopher says:

    Well, actually, no. If Sameer is making the claim, it’s up to him to prove it. I intend upon watching the programme, but the information I have read sounds quite damning.

    Also Sameer, I had a look at your blog. It has quite a lot to recommend it in some respects, but I must inform you that Yvonne Ridley is not exactly a credible source of information or opinion. Also, you link to an online book by noted fruitloop Harun Yahya, in which he claims that Darwinism – and not a particular breed fundamentalist Islam – is responsible for terrorism. By associating yourself with crackpots, you undermine your own credibility.

  9. Tiger Dunc says:

    Paul C. – That is the point I was trying to make in a round about way. Sorry if it isn’t clear. Yes – Don’t make the claim if you can’t prove it. As an example, when Jason Gwynne made his expose of the BNP a couple of years ago, a large amount of footage was not used, not because it was not interesting, but it was so shocking that it was unbroadcastable. I’ve seen some of it, I wish we could see the rest. I doubt whether it will ever be shown though. The end program was watered down to make it broadcastable. I wonder how material the Dispatches team couldn’t show?

  10. Paul Christopher says:

    Ah yes, sorry.

  11. Andy A says:

    Hello. Is anyone still in this comment pane? In case you are, here are three links to YouTube, which has the programme in three parts.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MSFbhIG-sk

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoi5DWt3b0w

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_TjzCcTkE8

  12. Andy A says:

    Oh, I should have added to the above that it’s being repeated on Saturday morning at – I think, so you’d better check – 3 or 3.30. OK, a bit late, but the Video Plus number is 7015440.

  13. Tiger Dunc says:

    Many thanks Andy. I had quick look at the youtube link. What disturbs me is the comments being posted beneath the footage. Do Youtube not moderate in any way? It is a disgrace. I wouldn’t have anything to do with a business which allowed comments like that to be posted on their website.