LATEST lunacy from the world of broadcasting comes from Glasgow, where a CHRISTIAN on a CHRISTIAN radio show has been sacked because he said things that were … well … too damned CHRISTIAN!
The Rev Mahboob Masih
In presenting a weekly Christian radio show on the Glasgow-based Asian radio station AWAZ FM, the Rev Mahboob Masih enraged some Muslim listeners when he rebutted the view of the dotty Dr Zakir Naik that Jesus was not the only person who was “the way, the truth and the life” and that every “prophet” was, in his own manner, the way, the truth and the life.
AWAZ FM operates under a Community Radio licence issued to serve the Asian population of Glasgow. The station claims to be the voice of Glasgow’s ethnic communities and their respective faiths.
Rev Masih addressed Naik’s remarks in a phone-in programme after a number of callers asked him to comment on the views of the Muslim “academic”, whom we recently exposed as a Class A loony.
Mahboob Masih, according to this report:
Answered these questions in moderate and temporate terms, including quoting the claims of Jesus as stated in the Bible. Despite Rev Masih’s factual and honest answers to these questions, some Muslim listeners complained the radio station.
The good Rev was then ordered to APOLOGISE!
While we believe that ALL religious broadcasting is, at the very least, utter crap, we are astounded and outraged that the man has had to apologise for something he said in a slot set aside for the sole purpose of airing religious crap.
But after reading out a prepared apology on air the station bosses were still not satisfied and removed him from show.
Now Masih is taking the station to an Employment Tribunal, and a formal complaint will also be made to Ofcom that AWAZ FM had breached the terms of its broadcasting licence.
Which neatly brings us to an Ofcom ruling against a Christian TV channel, which has been reprimanded because a guest on one of its shows expressed the opinion that Islam was not a religion of peace.
Gasp!
According to Mediawatchwatch, Revelation TV, co-founded by a former drummer for the mighty Barron Knights:
Is as whacky as Christian broadcasting comes.
But Ofcom judged them to have overstepped the mark when “theologian, teacher and author” Dan Juster (“clearly a loon even by Christian fundie standards”, observed MWW) said on Visions for Israel that he believed:
Islam cannot be defined as a peaceful, loving religion … Islam enforces its own viewpoint through the power of the sword through death … And Islam believes that violence is a legitimate means to establish and extend Islam.
Ofcom concluded that Revelation TV was in breach of Rule 4.1 of the Code (Broadcasters must exercise the proper degree of responsibility with respect to the content of programmes which are religious programmes).
In its judgement, Ofcom made all the usual noises about “the right to freedom of expression”, but concluded that:
This Code Rule requires broadcasters to exercise the proper degree of responsibility when, for example, using hyperbole which may include more extreme views which could be deemed offensive to people in the audience who hold different views and beliefs.
Revelation TV, far from being outraged at the accusation (which, incidentally, stemmed from ONE complaint), are themselves grovelling apologetically at the very idea that they caused offence. In its defence to Ofcom, it said:
Having viewed the previous six editions of the series and found them to be compliant with the Code, it was lulled into a false sense of security with respect to this seventh episode and did not view it for compliance prior to transmission … if it had been aware of the programme’s content it would either not have shown it, or would have arranged a discussion/debate on the issues raised, since it was aware that as a religious television channel it had many viewers who were sympathetic to the Muslim faith.
We can only echo MWW’s sentiment:
What an appalling display from regulator and broadcaster alike.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
October 29th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Remember Mrs. Mary W. Who used to watch television with a notepad in hand so that she could be hyper-picky. Obviously religious broadcasters have similar loony watchers. Why, otherwise would a Muslim be watching a religious channel explicitly aimed at christians?
October 29th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
As an experiment, I think I’m going to try tuning into these religious channels and see how much I can take before my mind implodes at the inanity of it all. I might even “live blog” the whole thing – could be fun !
I must confess that up until now, my finger has automaticallly hit “next channel” when I get to the god botherers TV stations (and boy is there a lot of them), but it sounds to me like some of them could have some useful tools for us atheists to use !!
Rog
October 29th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Roger, I reckon ten minutes is about as much as it would take to send you absolutely gaga.
A while back I was a guest on Premier Christian Radio, and before recording began, I had to spend about 40 minutes in the waiting area where two large screens were showing US-style religious programmes.
By the time I entered the studio I had completely lost the will to live.
Don’t do it if you value your sanity. It worse than waterboarding.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
This free speech business really gets on my tits, big time. I heard a whining BBC type, Thomson the Christian top cat was hiding in the thickets somewhere so they had a “former exective” explaining that to stop Jonathan Ross and his antics would offend against “freedom of speech.” So we just have to put up with it.
When I tried to put far milder comments on the BBC chat line I was “pre monitored” (censored) and any time I was too critical, as they saw it, (without cursing) about religion, the Royal Family or Tony Blair I was censored. Even now, an intelligent, temperate atheist is banned from Thought for the Day. People with placards were stopped from protesting about the Chinese dictator. A “terrorist” – retired military hero – was carted off to prison for shouting “rubbish” at super Christian Jack Straw’s defence of the Iraq invasion. So much for free speech – only if you agree with Thompson. This man, Ross and the BBC Governors should be sacked.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:55 am
How do you check the accuracy of a statement about something which is so inconsistent?
At any rate, when it becomes a matter of one side slandering the viewpoint of another, it enters the political arena and has nothing to do with religion anymore.
Furthermore, I don’t agree with the idea that you solve these kinds of problems by telling anyone to shut up. Instead, you educate everyone on how to recognize when a fool is talking, then let anyone who wants to speak, speak.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Barry – Challenge accepted. I’ll be spending all of Wednesday night watching religious channels on Sky – and I’ll be blogging the whole thing live !!
Details on my blog (click the link above)
Wish me luck !!
Rog
(Post resubmitted as the original, with a link to my blog, was not succesful)
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
One of the problems I think that people miss is that these TV channels are part funded by the taxpayer. A surprising state of affairs, but true. This does, however, mean that they have to be open to public scrutiny and they do have some very odd ideas.
I have written a couple of articles about this.
One on the background and theological position of Revelation & Genesis TV:
Revelation TV and Genesis TV
And another on the amount of money the government is pumping into religious TV channels through the gift aid scheme:
How the British tax payer is funding Televangelists
January 13th, 2010 at 3:30 am
To be a so-called ‘freethinker’ AND an aetheist is a contradiction in terms. Modern aetheism is more bigoted and narrow minded as any faith it decries (how many of you wanted to move to aetheist Russia or N.Korea??). Barry Dukes article is dismissive of all people who freely think / believe in their own faith ( using terms like ‘religious crap’ confirming his own ignorance and LACK of free thought etc) The founder GW Foote would be disappointed in the shallow, poor vocabulary and low intelligence of this site subscribers. If any of you can read, try reading Al Gores “The Assault on Reason” – an assault which this purportedly freethinking undertakes in a childishly ignorant way.
Oh for the days when journalists and writers had some intelligence and vocabulary at their command instead of this pathetic crew. No doubt this comment will be edited out – so much for so-called free-thinkers!
April 3rd, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Revelation TV is no longer regulated by OFCOM. They now uplink from Spain so they can say whatever they like. More info in my article: Revelation TV – Click Here to have a look.