The Layalina Review
VOL. V NO. 2, January 02-January 15, 2009 Jewish groups condemned a broadcast of a British Muslim academic on the BBC, reports the Daily Telegraph. Dr. Kamal El-Helbawy, the founder of the Muslim Association of Britain, incensed viewers when he declared, "A child born in Israel is raised on the belief that the Arabs are like contemptible sheep." Born in Egypt, El-Helbawy holds a British passport and declares himself a moderate who has denounced terrorism. He added on the show, "In elementary school they pose the following math problem - 'In your village, there are 100 Arabs. If you killed 40, how many Arabs would be left for you to kill?'. This is taught in the Israeli curriculum." Barry Rubin, Director of Global Research in International Affairs, an Israeli-based research center, said the BBC risked inciting violence by allowing the remarks to be broadcast. Itamar Marcus, Director of Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli group which monitors the Arab language media, also claimed the decision to broadcast was wrong, and denounced El-Helbawy’s claim that Israeli curriculum incites to murder Arabs as outrageous. "That goes in people's ears and spreads like wildfire and the listeners think it's OK to go and murder Israelis," said Marcus. The BBC denied that it had allowed a contributor to the channel to condone, unchallenged, the killing of civilians. However, it admitted that it had failed to correct an assertion that the Israeli curriculum included a math problem about killing Arabs. Jeremy Timmins, Head of Africa and the Middle East for the BBC World Service, said, "When we make a mistake we will acknowledge it, but one error does not substantiate a claim that the BBC limits debate and incites violence." |
Related Stories Charades and Media Politics Color Gaza Coverage Recent Issues Vol. V No.3: 01/02-01/15, 2009 Vol. V No.2: 01/02-01/15, 2009 |
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