Channel 4 vindicated over Undercover Mosque
By Duncan Hooper and agencies
Last Updated: 12:57pm GMT 19/11/2007
Channel 4 has been vindicated by the media watchdog Ofcom after police complained about an investigative programme that exposed extremism in British mosques.
West Midland's police had faced criticism for targeting the producers of the show rather than the controversial preachers depicted in it.
Ofcom added fuel to that debate by praising Undercover Mosque as a "legitimate investigation, uncovering matters of important public interest."
The watchdog added: "Ofcom found no evidence that the broadcaster had misled the audience or that the programme was likely to encourage or incite criminal activity.
"On the evidence (including untransmitted footage and scripts), Ofcom found that the broadcaster had accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context."
Police claimed that the Dispatches programme had misrepresented the views of Muslim preachers and clerics with misleading editing.
Following today's ruling, the Channel 4 called the police's actions "perverse" and said they had, in some people's eyes, given "legitimacy to people preaching a message of hate".
The programme featured undercover recordings from speakers alleged to be homophobic, anti-Semitic, sexist and condemnatory of non-Muslims.
Excerpts from preachers and teachers included "Allah created the woman deficient" and "by the age of ten, it becomes an obligation on us to force her (young girls) to wear hijab and if she doesn't wear hijab, we hit her".
Other statements included "take that homosexual and throw him off the mountain" and "whoever changes his religion from Al Islam to anything else - kill him in the Islamic state".
Police initially launched an investigation into whether criminal offences had been committed at the mosques and other organisations featured in the programme.
They then said that it considered offences may have been committed by those involved in the production and broadcast of the programme, specifically in stirring up racial hatred.
After the Crown Prosecution Service advised that the prospect of conviction was unlikely, police referred Undercover Mosque to Ofcom, complaining that intense editing had misrepresented those featured in the programme.
Ofcom also rejected the 364 viewers' complaints it received after the programme was broadcast, which it said appeared to be part of a campaign.
*****
"Europe has all but succumbed to the opiate of multiculturalism. In its drowsy numbness, it stirs but has no idea what to do and so does nothing. One day, years from now, as archaeologists sift through the ruins of an ancient civilization for clues to its downfall, they'll marvel at how easy it all was. You don't need to fly jets into skyscrapers and kill thousands of people. As a matter of fact, that's a bad strategy, because even the wimpiest state will feel obligated to respond. But if you frame the issue in terms of multicultural "sensitivity," the wimp state will bend over backward to give you everything you want - including, eventually, the keys to those skyscrapers." Mark Steyn, America Alone.
Sharia vs The Constituton
ReplyDeleteClose the mosques, kick them out.
We hadn't got the message right. We must talk in a language that is not offensive
ReplyDeleteTancredo is the only politician that I have seen take a real position on this problem that is coming here.
The Brits would do well to follow the example of the Swiss Peoples Party (SVP).
ReplyDeleteThe party kicked off a signature drive in May to force an obligatory referendum banning minarets, which Blocher's party considers both an accessory of worship and a "sign of domination." "Islam," they write, "makes no distinction between Church and State, such that minarets become the expression of influence not only religious, but political, in nature. This conception is incompatible with Western secular tradition."
To bolster this argument, the party summons Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who, as mayor of Istanbul, received a sentence of 10 months for bowdlerizing an Islamic poem. The mayor's version, read publicly, says: "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets, and the faithful our soldiers."
The SVP also argue that "arguments that serve today to justify minaret construction will be used, in turn, to justify muezzins [those who call to prayer]." This has not, so far, been cause for alarm: Switzerland counts only two minarets today -- one in Zurich and one in Geneva -- and the call to prayer is allowed from neither. But the party's position, on principle, is clear: "It's high time to let the Swiss people decide on the question of minarets in their nation." And the wind, at present, blows in the party's favor: Earlier in the year, for example, Lausanne's Matin published results of a survey claiming 43% of Swiss support a ban.
But they won't. It would grate against their post modern, PC, multi-culti arses.
Hail Britannia.
Hauppauge Resident Prepared To Fight For 'Free Speech'
ReplyDeleteBy Scott Rapoport, CBS 2 HD News
NEW YORK (CBS) ― There's a $25 million reward out for his capture, so it's no secret the United States government wants to get Osama Bin Laden. But when a Long Island man wanted to express that thought on his license plate, he got more than he bargained for.
He's the most wanted man in the world, or as President Bush once put it: "He's wanted dead or alive."
Just like the president, Arno Herwerth of Hauppauge on Long Island wants to get "Osama" also, and he's making it known.
Herwerth sports a "Kill Bin Laden" T-shirt, and one look at his boldly adorned vehicle will tell you his campaign against the 9/11 mastermind is at the forefront of his patriotic-led life.
"I feel the man's a mass murderer. He should be killed. He should be dead," Herwerth told CBS 2 HD.
So when Arno, a retired NYPD sergeant, ordered personalized "Get Osama" license plates from the DMV, he said he thought he was being patriotic.
"It's the only way to deal with him. He's killed thousands of people. The man is akin to Adolph Hitler," said Herwerth.
But now he told CBS 2 HD, the DMV has put the brakes on his plates, claiming they are offensive.
In a letter addressed to Herwerth, the DMV said they "prohibit the issuance of any license plate combination that is, 'in the discretion of the commissioner, obscene, lewd, lascivious, derogatory to a particular ethnic group or patently offensive.'"
Arno points out, however, there is a little something called "free speech" in the country he so adamantly believes he is supporting.
He claims the president's September 2001 speech in which he announced Bin Laden was "wanted dead or alive," should not be forgotten, and if it was okay for the Commander In Chief to say, then the same words on license plates should be permitted.
You can't say "Get Osama" on your license plate.
But you can say 'GETBUSH'.
ReplyDeleteThat's the real kicker, Bob.
Tancredo came up #1 on my quiz.
ReplyDeleteCivilian Irregular Cyber Scout Helps ID Bilal Hussein
ReplyDeleteIt is arguably a testimony to the Saudi success in promoting this schizophrenia that there is little debate about the soundness of the notion that in the fight against terrorism, the West should uncritically ally itself with a repressive Islamic theocracy that uses its plentiful supply of petrodollars primarily to finance a life of unimaginable luxury for its sizeable royal family -- King Abdullah's harem alone is rumored to consist of some 30 "wives" -- and to buy the trappings of modernity, including the latest weapons technology. At the same time, Saudi society remains controlled by the zealous guardians of a rigid religious ideology that justifies xenophobia and racism, strictly enforces gender apartheid, favors an education that does little to enable students to become productive citizens and rejects even the most basic human rights and political freedoms as incompatible with its sacrosanct "traditions."
ReplyDeleteIf analysts who warn that this is an explosive mix are ignored, it is not just because their reasoning is trumped by the petrodollar's purchasing power. The Saudis have also managed to cast themselves as indispensable allies in the fight against the very same jihadists that they have done so much to incite.
Thus, it didn't take the Saudis long after the attacks of 9/11 -- in which their citizens featured so prominently -- to start working on their image as "moderates": the Saudi initiative which promises an end to decades of Arab hostility towards Israel in exchange for a withdrawal from all territories occupied by Israel in 1967 was first publicized barely six months after the attacks in an interview that King Abdullah, then Crown Prince, granted to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in spring 2002.
Saudi Arabia
stroutfellow said
ReplyDelete"Switzerland counts only two minarets today -- one in Zurich and one in Geneva"
...............
i don't remember any mosques
there is however, a beautiful church on Nederdorf str. across the bridge from the train station
absolutely beautiful city
.................
by the way cutler -
perhaps you should look at
ETH ISN
It's all about the proper rhetoric, bob, actions and results, those are beyond the pale of the discussion.
ReplyDeleteThe Religion of Preace, not the problem, then or now.
Tracking the US position, almost to a "T"
The following is a partial list of confirmed invitees to the Allu Akbar Land Auction and Lynch Party for properties held by the Zionist Entity:
ReplyDeleteThe properties to be auctioned by President George (Borders are not Us) Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza (Is that a noose hanging from that limb) Rice.
Israel, to be represented by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
Palestinians, to be represented by President Mahmoud Abbas and senior officials.
Members of the international diplomatic "quartet" on the Middle East other than the United States:
The United Nations, to be represented by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The European Union, expected to be represented by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferraro-Waldner and Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc.
Russia, expected to be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the quartet special representative to the Palestinians.
Members of the Arab League committee tasked with pursuing a Saudi initiative for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal:
Arab League, to be represented by Secretary-General Amr Moussa.
Algeria.
Bahrain.
Egypt.
Jordan.
Lebanon.
Morocco.
Qatar.
Saudi Arabia.
Sudan.
Syria.
Tunisia.
Yemen.
Other Arab nations:
Kuwait.
Iraq.
Libya.
Mauritania.
Oman.
United Arab Emirates.
Members of the Group of Eight major industrialized countries not included in above categories:
France.
Germany.
Britain.
Canada.
Japan.
Italy.
Other nations:
China.
Norway.
Turkey.
Vatican.
Brazil.
Australia.
Financial and other institutions:
International Monetary Fund.
World Bank.
Organization of the Islamic Conference
The Auctioneers extend their most sincere apologies to any Islamic states omitted from the guest list and ask for understanding that the facilities can accomodate only so many Mujahadeen.
The filmmakers behind the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning "9/11" are bringing their next project to the airwaves. Jules and Gedeon Naudet's film "In God's Name" premieres on CBS Dec. 23 at 9pmET.
ReplyDeleteThe Naudet brothers produced the chilling documentary, 9/11. Jules was shooting inside the World Trade Center when the South Tower fell.
"On Sept. 11, we faced death and thought we had lost each other," said Jules. "This harrowing experience was the first step in a journey that would take us around the world searching for answers to the meaning of life."
In God's Name
Obama underlines his foreign policy credentials---
ReplyDeleteHe noted his father was from Kenya and that he himself spent part of his childhood in Indonesia. ‘‘Probably the strongest experience I have in foreign relations is the fact I spent four years overseas when I was a child in Southeast Asia,’’ he said Monday.
Bishop Mark Hanson? Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America? Membership under 5 million, and falling fast? Is one of the 12 most influencial religious leaders in the world? You're shittin' me, Sam. I'm a Lute and I never heard of the guy.
ReplyDeleteHell, he's got more than Bush when Bush was at his stage. Give him the job.
ReplyDeleteShit, I don't know. I don't think it said 'most influential' did it?
ReplyDeleteInfluencial religious leader 'comes clean'--Prophet Jeffs confesses---
ReplyDeleteThe documents also included selected jail transcripts of phone calls and visits between Jeffs and members of his church. Although he has been president, or prophet, since 2002, following the death of his father, Rulon, Jeffs said in jail that he had not been worthy of the "priesthood" for decades.
"I was immoral with a sister and a daughter when I was younger, so the Lord showed me I'm one of the most wicked men on the face of the Earth since father Adam's time," Jeffs said.
Far out. That's really fucked up.
ReplyDelete"of 12 of the world's most influential spiritual leaders."
ReplyDeleteI stand corrcted.
He's probably a good guy. But probably confused. The last big confab passed a bunch of nonsense, but I don't know what his take on matters was.
He's got more pull than Prophet Jeffs, cept for the prison ministry:)
ReplyDeleteWhat's this I hear about push polling regarding Mitt Romney being a Mormon?
ReplyDeleteRomney's a Mormon? I had no idea!
Come on. Answer the question.
First of all, it wasn't "push polling." A push poll on this subject would have gone something like, "Did you know Mitt Romney was a Mormon?
But everyone says their push-polls. What gives?
To quote the all-knowing Larry Sabato on push polls, push polling "can be devastating if it's done widely--it's worked in plenty of campaigns." In this case, only a few hundred homes were called.
Republican Race Q&A
"last name sounds like village idiot character in a Faulkner story"
ReplyDeletelife's not fair, but at least his name isn't Huckster.
Huckleberry Huckster, new American hero...
ReplyDeleteThankfully for Thompson, the New Hampshire poll also found that 14% of those surveyed said they had yet to firmly decide on a candidate.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking to Larry Kudlow of “Kudlow and Company” last week, Thompson did express his understanding of the urgency needed to keep him in the race.
“If we don’t tend to business we are going to be in big trouble. Pendulum’s swinging against us,” Thompson stated.
New Hampshire
"Thompson’s support in the state fell from 13% in September to a dismal 4% in the latest poll with an error margin of +/- 5%"
ReplyDeleteSam, Thompson's support might be at minus 1%, surely a political record of some sort, even worse than Olmert.
Thompson - The new comeback kid.
ReplyDelete"The preparations for the conference are coming together. We are confident that we will get to Annapolis in good shape," McCormack said.
ReplyDelete"The parties will get to Annapolis in good shape, prepared to accomplish what it is that they set out for themselves."
---
All's Well that Begins Well, I always say!
Stay the Course!
I agree with Stoutfellow's take on the great Annapolis Auction.
ReplyDeleteWe're All Human
U.S. military fatalities dropped sharply, from 101 in June to 39 in October. Iraqi civilian deaths also declined markedly, from 1,791 in August to 750 in October, Associated Press reported.
ReplyDeleteMortar rocket attacks by insurgents last month were the lowest since February 2006, as were the number of "indirect-fire" attacks on coalition forces.
Iraqi officials plan to reduce checkpoints, ease curfews and reopen some roads in and around Baghdad because of improving security. Sunni Arab tribal leaders in western Anbar province, now allied with the U.S. military, say al Qaeda is "almost defeated" in their once-chaotic region.
Fatalities Dropped
If failings are the criteria, Prophet Jeffs might as well be President, after all, he's got the experience, and was President of his church, as well.
ReplyDeleteSome atheists argue that it is inappropriate to thank a "God" who does not exist. And, they acknowledge that it is less than satisfying to thank the Law of Gravity or the Second Law of Thermodynamics for all they have made possible for us.
ReplyDeleteHence, they argue, we should thank "goodness—the wonderful fabric of excellence created by individuals working together in human civilization to make this planet a better place." But does this really make sense?
If the world is merely a product of random chance, if there is no Creator and no transcendent morality, can there be such a thing as "good"? And if this "wonderful fabric of excellence" is simply the result of cosmic accident, then is any thanks owed?
Thankful to whom?
What Rudy meant, and Mitt didn't understand, is that it's OK to pre-emptively discuss past failings when the Clintons are about to drop them on you WMD Style.
ReplyDeleteThus muffling the hubbub, and ultimately exposing fewer kids to your prior evil ways.
Comprhende?
Chief U.S. delegate Sharon Hays said doubts have been dispelled. "What's changed since 2001 is the scientific certainty that this is happening," she said in a conference call late Friday. She did not indicate that Washington would abandon its policy of voluntary emission cuts.
ReplyDeleteChina and India have said any measures impinging on their development and efforts to lift their people from poverty were unacceptable — a point likely to be heeded at the Bali talks.
The report offered dozens of measures for avoiding the worst catastrophes if taken together — at a cost of less than 0.12 percent of the global economy annually until 2050. They ranged from switching to nuclear and gas-fired power stations, developing hybrid cars, using more efficient electrical appliances and managing cropland to store more carbon.
Warming Forecast
Even better,Doug,is to preemptively discuss future failings, thus creating a kind of political immunity for oneself and one's associates. This may seem like a new idea in our politics, and the first candidate to latch onto it should have a real advantage. It also has the advantage of lowering expectations all around, thus avoiding the 'I knew they were all a bunch of bastards syndrome'. Just say I told you so....what the hell did you expect?
ReplyDeleteAnd in fact I think Rudy kind of toyed with the idea in his answer.
ReplyDeleteCoast-to-Coast tonight
ReplyDeleteTue 11.20 >>
Author and speaker David Icke will discuss his new work on the Global Conspiracy
paranoia strikes deep
By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
ReplyDeletePublished on Newsmax.com on November 19, 2007.
Printer-Friendly Version
Are the Clinton secret police back on patrol?
It looks like they may be making a late campaign comeback.
In a week-end column, Robert Novak alleged that “agents” of Hillary Clinton are “spreading the word that she has scandalous information” about Barack Obama, but decided not to use it. (How considerate of her!)
Obama has come out swinging, accusing the Clinton campaign of trying to swift-boat him and demanding that Clinton either release the information or admit that there is none.
The Clinton camp is shocked that anyone would ever think that it would use such tactics!
Clinton campaign Communications Director (and KGB enforcer look-alike) Howard Wolfson claimed that the campaign had “no idea” what Novak was talking about. Absolutely!
And, as usual, Wolfson tried to turn the embarrassing issue for Hillary into a problem for Barack, claiming he was naive for believing what was in the Novak column.
“A Republican-leaning journalist runs a blind item designed to set Democrats against one another. Experienced Democrats see this for what it is. Othe rs get distracted and thrown off their games,” Wolfson said.
Does anybody really believe that Hillary hasn’t been gathering dirt on her opponents? Anyone with any experience in politics knows one thing for sure: Hillary Clinton plays the game rough and dirty — and she has a sordid history of using private investigators to find scandals in the background of anyone who gets in her way.
While Hillary righteously lectures the candidates about mudslinging, her boys in the back room are readying the dirt to leak when she’s not doing too well.
Remember in the 1992 campaign when Gennifer Flowers and other women were harassed by private detectives? The Clintons used campaign money to pay over $100,000 to private investigators to scare off the women. (Now they’ve learned to bury their investigative costs in lawyers bills.)
And does anyone think it was a coincide nce that Republican speaker of the House and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee were outed for extra-marital affairs just at the time that the impeachment vote was about to take place?
Or that there were off the record calls to journalists from the White House accusing Monica Lewinsky of being a stalker?
And what are the odds that the recent rumors about John Edwards came from Clinton operatives?
That’s how the Clintons try to obliterate their opponents, with Hillary at the helm. As she runs for commander-in-chief of the United States, she’s already the commander of the Clinton secret police.
The Clintons have no regard for the privacy of those who get in their way. Their clumsiness in bullying Linda Tripp cost the Department of Defense about $600,000 when she won her lawsuit for invasion of privacy after they arranged to illegally leak confidential information from her personnel file.
To paraphrase Hillary, privacy is just a word if you don’t have the experience and strength to know what to do about it.
And Hillary sure does know what to do.
As she told Sidney Blumenthal when the Lewinsky scandal broke: “We’ll just have to win.”
Winning at any cost is the Clinton mindset. So watch for more dirty tactics whenever Hillary and her team feel under attack.
Can we really afford to have a president who acts this way?
Answer: No
What's winning over supporters, Huckabee said, is authenticity. And he's not especially bothered by conservative skeptics who deride him as a populist.
ReplyDelete"I think I'm a realist. I'm a person who is a conservative but an independent conservative," he said.
"I'm not a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street. I'm not in the back pocket of the lobbyists on K Street."
Gaining Ground
bobalharb said...
ReplyDelete" And in fact I think Rudy kind of toyed with the idea in his answer."
---
Exactamondo!
Boiled down to it's essence, it's the all-purpose
Nobody's Perfect! defense.
...but in fact, the defense itself is perfect.
How can I lead an independent life? Network
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