Bias towards Islam at the BBC

Anyone who listens to the religious output of BBC programmes have noted the increased bias towards Islam. Now the head of the BBC's Religion and Ethics Aaqil Ahmed want even less Christian broadcasting, claiming that the BBC is 'too Christian'! Below is an article written for CitizenGO.

The BBC, an Islamic station?

Petition to: Lord Hall - Director 

General of the BBC

We call on you, as Director General of the BBC, to protect the UK’s Christian heritage and reject current proposals to reduce and downgrade Christian programming in favour of increased coverage for Muslim, Hindu and Sikh faiths.  

In recent years Christian programming has already been severely downgraded, yet Mr Ahmed, the Muslim Head of Religion and Ethics for the BBC since 2009, claims the BBC is ‘too Christian’, and has written a report saying non-Christian faiths are underserved.  He says the BBC must be more diverse, and that there should be an increase in Muslim, Hindu and Sikh programming.  It has even been suggested that the BBC might televise Friday prayers from a mosque, in similar format to the Christian programme ‘Songs of Praise’, as well as broadcasting the daily Muslim call to prayer.

During his time at the BBC, and prior to that at Channel 4 where he exercised a similar role, Aaqil Ahmed has displayed a clear bias towards Islam and contempt for Christianity.   He has regularly commissioned documentaries displaying clear pro-Islamic bias, while calling into question fundamental tenets and teachings of Christianity, in such a way as to trivialise and undermine Christian faith.  While at Channel 4, for example, he screened a week of special programmes on Islam,including a feature-length documentary on the Qu’ran, and a series of interviews with Muslims around the world talking about their beliefs.   But in the main Easter documentary of 2011, entitled 'The Secrets of the 12 Disciples', he encouraged disrespect for Christian belief, questioning core tradition and casting doubt on the validity of the Pope.  In similar fashion he has sparked fury by comparing Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, to refugees in the Calais jungle. 

This is unacceptable.  The UK is a Christian country, established as such by statute.  In marked contrast to the traditions and values of all other belief systems, our society - founded on the idea of respect for the individual as made in the image of God - is based upon Christian values.  These values and beliefs have shaped our laws since before Magna Carta, and over time have become the foundation for Western democracy worldwide.  It is entirely right therefore that Christianity be given more airtime than the beliefs of minority groups, and that it should be treated with respect.  In particular, Islam should not be singled out for special interest and presented as impliedly superior to Christianity.   

We therefore call on you, as Director General of the BBC, to reject this misguided and overtly anti-Christian proposal, and for Aaqil Ahmed’s immediate removal from office.

Please sign the petition:

 http://www.citizengo.org/en/34624-we-call-bbc-reject-proposals-reduce-and-downgrade-christian-programming?m=5

I expected this vote but I'm still saddened by it

Now that the people of the UK have cast their vote

Now that the people of the UK have cast their vote we should respect the outcome, those who wanted to remain should not claim that Leave didn't really know what they were doing, this is unfair and untrue. I did expect the vote to go this way and almost by this margin.

However, I have always been strongly pro-Europe much more so than for the UK. I don't really even believe that nation states are a good thing, I hoped for the unified Christendom of many countries and regions, that truly followed the doctrines of the Catholic Church, where wars would be no more and people could move and trade freely and live in whatever country they choose without restrictions. I am quite simply heartbroken about the result, I don't think now there is any chance of going back. Even with the strong petition for a new referendum, and I will not link it here, as I know many members of CUT were for leaving and for the most part been very tolerant of my views.

However, I did in the end post on it because the Catholics who I really respect, those the on Traditional and orthodox wing were all for coming out and no leader had emerged to fight for the Traditional Catholics who wanted to remain in Europe. I did not think I could do this either, but when they started to hold up the views and speeches of "moral liberals" like Boris Johnston, heretics like Ian Duncan Smith and the far right like Nigel Farage and Ukip I felt I needed to say something if only for my own conscience's sake.

Perhaps I am an idealist and my dreams were always impossible, but that has never stopped me in trying and fighting for what I believed is the best for Holy Mother Church, Like forming CUT to persuade Catholics to give up the TV and stop funding Satan's chief weapon against Christendom.

I am now slightly concerned by the jingoism being expressed in some areas, but I am sure the most Catholics and other Christians will reassure the Poles and others that there is no need to worry that the British sense of fair play and justice will prevail, just as the huge British populations living in European countries will have no need to worry, it just a pity that many of us now may find it difficult to join them.

Prayer Crusader with St Philomena

Traditional Catholic speaks out in favour of Europe

Boris and Nigel, the Laurel and Hardy of the Leave EU campaign.

I have been considering for quite some time whether or not to do a blog post on the EU referendum. The figureheads for the vote leave campaign appear to me to be a couple of comedians, bungling Boris and someone who appears to be drunk most of the time. But this is too serious an issue to make too much light of the issues.

The media, particularly the populist press, are all for leaving. And for some reason most of the Catholics that I have heard express a view on the referendum, are for leaving Europe. However I think we are much better off in the EU therefore I'm finding as usual my views on contemporary issues are at odds with the majority. 

Among traditional and orthodox Catholics vote leave sentiment is almost unanimous and I am baffled by this. Do they think that Britain will suddenly become Catholic if we leave, that the abortion laws will be overturned, that homosexuals and gender benders will be halted in their relentless infiltration into every part of society? That the BBC will suddenly become fair and unbiased? That immigration, particularly Muslim immigration, will suddenly stop? And that the country will become better off economically? I believe the opposite will be the case in all of these areas. Or perhaps it is down to people like Boris telling us we will not be pushed around by a load of Brussels Sprouts telling us that tomatoes are now to be labelled fruit!

However, seriously my two main reasons for staying in are immigration (or rather the type of) and the economy. Most of the immigrant problem for us was with Muslims from the commonwealth, mainly Pakistanis - and not Catholics from the EU (Central Europe) most of whom eventually go home again speaking perfect English. My second reason is that I think Britain has done very well in Europe economically; before joining we were struggling below France and Italy now we are the 5th richest nation in the world the 2nd in Europe.

So what do I think will happen if we leave?

Immigration

Immigration will increase but they will no longer be EU citizens and Catholics they will I believe be mainly Muslim. Where will they come from? I believe where they have always mainly come from; the Commonwealth - Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. There are already reports that Ukip/leave are dangling visas in front of Britain's ethnic minorities.

The French may ask us to remove our borders from French ports and put them in England. So the second source of Muslims will be the Middle East via Europe, a thing that the French are helping us stop - at the moment. So what would we rather have: the Pakistani taxi driver or the Polish plumber?

On The economy 

We will have no say on European laws but will still need to conform in order to trade in many areas.

We already have a taste of what will happen to the pound, it's already dropping like a stone at the moment because of opinion polls - this will put up fuel costs and therefore pretty well everything.

The Bank of England will need to protect the pound so they will put up interest rates therefore raise costs for businesses putting a fragile economic recovery in jeopardy.

Foreign companies who moved in to set up when British industry was struggling after the squeezes of the 1960s like the car industry, may reconsider. In fact when we entered Europe in the early 70s we were known as the "sick man of Europe" now we are its second largest economy. Britain has done very well out of Europe but we can't see it. 

Bungling Boris at London Gay Pride march

On Culture

On influence and culture we are right at the top, we are simply the most powerful country in Europe, and it's not always been a good thing for Europe. Our language is the second language of most people in the EU, our music is heard throughout Europe, our strong links with the USA give us even more power and cultural influence.

There is of course a down side to all this cultural influence, we were one of the first countries to legalise abortion and homosexual acts. We have the biggest "Gay Pride" marches in Europe, London being one of the biggest in the world let alone Europe. All pushed via an English speaking media that everyone respects and is led by the very "fair and balanced" BBC. I'm beginning to think that it will not only be a bad thing for Britain to pull out of Europe but a good thing for Europe if we leave.

On Sovereignty 

Whilst we all need to conform with the same trading and work practice laws as the rest of Europe because it's only fair and right, This is probably a greater burden on the smaller states of Europe than on its 2nd most powerful economy. There needs to be a level playing field for all trading and manufacturing EU nations. On Sovereignty this is not an issue there are areas of the law where Europe cannot nor does intervene. 

On other major differences between the UK and the EU, we have the pound, we drive on a different side of the road, where are all the rest Europe have things like compatible electrical plugs etc we do not. And no one is forcing us to change.

So what's the real problem? Is it just perceptions generated by poor quality journalism?

However I think leave will win, perhaps this will be a good thing and remove the influence of the most morally liberal country in Europe - the UK.

So many people who have Irish ancestry are applying for Irish passports that the Irish passport office has recently needed to employ an extra 200 staff. However I will be sad if we leave and as a British Catholic, perhaps I will apply for dual nationality as I can. 

 

Cheers Nige, another fine mess you are trying to get us into 

By the Prayer Crusader with St Philomena 

A poem by John Medlin

Some readers may know of John Medlin who used to be the General Manager of the Latin Mass Society and editor of their magazine, ‘Mass of Ages.’ Since retiring from the LMS he has devoted some of his time to his great love for poetry. His work can be seen on his poetry blog www.medlin-the-writer.blogspot.co.uk All of his work is influenced by his commitment to religion and a good number of his poems reflect specific Christian commitment (i.e. Catholic!)

   His recent poem, ‘The Anthropological Turn,’ is a timely dissection of how we arrived at our current horror of “the dictatorship of relativism” and proposes the heroism of St Damien of Molokai (the leper priest) as a corrective. It can also be read on his poetry blog here

   The term “the anthropological turn” was used by Catholic thinkers, such as the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, to describe the revolution in thinking in the 1960s (at least in the West) which put man rather than God at the centre of all things.

 

THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL TURN          

A fist of lightning sunders the packed cloud

On Sinai’s peak; thunder engulfs the slopes;

Moses, exultant with the Tables, browed

With light, descends to mould men’s fears and hopes:

Moral truth is given and hence endowed

Is beauty – golden cherubim and tropes

Adorn the Ark. A proud propitiating

People is created, lacking but one thing.

The Nazarene, transfixed with the Divine,

On Shabbat day completes the Torah’s lack:

“Stretch forth thy hand” – a flesh-transcending sign            

Is given, pity more flagrant than God’s back

Seen by Moses in the cloud. Like sweet-scent wine

Compassion infuses dogs-in-a-pack

Humanity, and though men riot like fools

Their wounds are bound by hospitallers and schools.

Later, the harmonic circle is smashed:

Vaunting men, in love with experiment,

Scrub Revelation’s face until it’s washed

Raw. Diderot’s book swells to a testament,

Newton by the sea of knowledge is splashed,           

Paine’s pot of rights boils to a sacrament;

Hume demands freedom to die in his sins;

In France the clash of guillotines begins.

The wheel turns. A Sixties scientist re-presents

The fruit; Eve swallows and fecundity

Is balked. Man centres self and the ornaments

Of being are smashed in a futility

Of drugged desires. Harsh New Age hierophants

Propose fault-free fulfilment and absurdity                          

Is raised a god. Two thousand years of symbols

Are overthrown by dancers beating timbrels.

Destruction triumphs. Pornography swamps

The internet; man’s primal itch inflamed,

Aggression surges and motel room romps                             

Turn rapes. Enthused, unnatural rights are named –

Gay marriage, gender choice – what tawdry pomps!

Careerist women have the boardroom tamed;                       

Children are objects, abortion’s in demand:

Moloch counts dollars with a blood-stained hand.                

Saint Damien sweats in Hawaii’s heat,

Dressing ulcers, digging graves. The leper priest,

In the eternal wrapt, with bandaged feet,

Scarred face and dragging legs, dies for the least

Of his charges. There’s no despair, nor bleat

Of woe, instead a pure-eyed grasp of the feast

Of being. Fulfilment’s not in drugs or vice

But in hands gone leprous in sacrifice.

====================

© April 2013 Revised June 2016

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour review

"Where are the Protests?"

Exploitive scene from the play
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour

That was the question asked by one of our members and Prayer Crusader under the patronage of St Anthony of Padua when he saw posters advertising a nasty little play called "Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour" in Liverpool. I did some research and it looks as appalling as the title suggest. It is a play about Scottish Catholic schools girls and their exploits in areas of drink sex and death.

Here are some quotes from a review in the Chronicle Live, North East based on line news app.

The Billy Elliot author has called it “Trainspotting for girls” and likened it to his own Cooking for Elvis.

Anyone familiar with that early play will recall its stand-out sex act as a crude but funny surprise.

Here the crudity is more of an onslaught and may offend some, not only Catholics. A description of a sexual encounter in a hospital was too much for me.

I’m pretty sure the girls weren’t quite as bad as this when I was at school. And it was a rough school.

The play is obviously pandering to the perverse, has nothing to do with Catholicism and has probably more to do with the authors own fantasies than real life. It is exploitive in its very nature and to portray young girls this way when there has been so much child abuse and exploitation by so many in media is discussing in its own right. It should go far in the secular media's sex filled world. As the reviewer put it "Sex is the rocket fuel that powers this latest play by Lee Hall."

The question asked was where are the protest, yes indeed where are they have we been so badly brow-beaten by the media that we Catholics who should so something now feel so helpless?

This is one of the blasphemies against the Immaculate of Mary and for which we are called to make reparation.

to see full review . http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/ladies-perpetual-succour-review-lee-10178663